Matt and Cat\'s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide
Artisan Cafe, East Cowes
The attractions of East Cowes are well-known, but for us as food reviewers they have historically been relatively few. Not to say there haven’t been highlights. We’ve enjoyed the classy food at the Albert Cottage, the cheerful atmosphere at hipstery pizza joint Prego, and even nodded in approval at... Read more
Snacks and Ladders, Newport
Back in the day we were involved in a project to get young people, particularly boys, away from their computer screens and outside in the fresh air. There was a presumption that too much time spent alone in a stuffy bedroom manipulating his joystick would be detrimental to a... Read more
The Garden, Cowes

The Garden, Cowes

Reviews 0

It never ceases to amaze us that so many people are willing to step forward and open new dining-out venues on the Isle of Wight. Admittedly there is a strong tradition of hospitality on our Island but even so, in the current difficult economic climate, it is a delight... Read more
The Fighting Cocks, Hale Common
The pub Sunday roast is a tradition that is still very much alive. Even though we’re all cutting down on our eating out expenditure, certain classes of dining seem to be weathering the storm, and Sunday roast is one of them. Perhaps we’re just craving the comfortable, safe feeling... Read more
The Bakery, Bembridge
We’re often asked where is the best place to go for a specific type of meal; a roast dinner, say, or a cream tea. The other top request is breakfast. Cat’s – and the hipsters’ – particular favourite is smashed avocado and poached egg on toast, a surprisingly difficult... Read more
Red Lion, Freshwater

Red Lion, Freshwater

Reviews 2

Food eh? You push it into one hole and squeeze it out of another. Gravity and peristalsis assist it on its journey until, released from us human tubes, it bobs its way to Sandown for processing – but hopefully not out to sea (that’s a whole other article of... Read more
Duke of York, Cowes

Duke of York, Cowes

Reviews 0

It’s grand, it’s old, it’s the Duke of York. And it’s even half way up a hill. A few steps away from the lively town-centre pubs of Cowes High Street is the Duke of York. A family-run venue, this pub has a convivial atmosphere, and is very much a... Read more
Taste of India, East Cowes

Taste of India, East Cowes

Reviews 0

This month’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak‘s face looks rather familiar to us (assuming he is still in the role at the time of publication). Wasn’t he the geezer who exhorted us to ‘Eat Out to Help Out‘ during the summer of coronavirus? At his urging, after months of quaking... Read more
Harvey Brown’s, Arreton

Harvey Brown’s, Arreton

Reviews 0

If you follow the main road from Newport towards Sandown, or perhaps more wisely the opposite way, you’ll see at Hale Common some alluring new signs proclaiming FARM SHOP. Accept this invitation and you’ll travel down a long driveway, through some industrial-looking quarry landscape until you arrive at what... Read more
Smoking Lobster, Cowes

Smoking Lobster, Cowes

Reviews 0

It almost seems obscene to be reviewing one of the Island’s most expensive restaurants at a time when the government is practically on the verge of issuing the populace with hair-shirts to simultaneously humiliate and keep us warm during its self-generated energy and cost of living crises. But someone... Read more