Matt and Cat flipped a coin one evening and, at the whim of our good Queen Elizabeth, aimed for Cowes for something to eat. Having heard talk that there was yet another Indian restaurant in the yachting Mecca, they set out to find it.

On their way through the Byzantine one way system, Matt and Cat found themselves outside Manuel's. Remembering Oliver Cramer's suggestion on this very site, they decided to go European ethnic instead of Asian. However, the Portuguese restaurant looked decidedly closed; it was early - about 6:00pm. Noting its location for a future visit, they continued through the precinct.

Bumping into some chums who were also on a quest for food, they decided to join forces and bimbled along together through the town. Whilst chattering away, they walked past previously reviewed venues such as Saffron, Pier View and Cowes Tandoori in their search for the new Indian restaurant. By the time they'd got close to the end of the town, their tummies were rumbling so, forgetting about the (mythical?) Indian they entered the nearest eaterie - The Union.

Review continues:

The Union was, according to Gay Baldwin's Cowes ghost map, three fishermen's cottages before the buildings' interiors were combined to create the pub. There seems to be little trace of these old homesteads. However, stepping down into the bar, Matt and Cat found the venue cosy enough. It certainly had the flavour of an old-fashioned pub, and a pleasing range of beers to match, Matt noted. Mind you, there is not much room in there, and plenty of steps, so The Union would not be recommended for, say, parents with buggies. It's also a place that can get absolutely jammed with yachties in the summer months, so at busy times you'd be advised to go early if you want to eat.

Matt was delighted to see that HSB was available and promptly ordered a pint of this gingery tasting ale. Whilst at the bar, he also ordered food for himself and The Cat. The menu, although appearing expansive, was not too adventurous and had a lot of pub grub favourites - a selection of burgers, jacket potatoes and meat or fish with chips and peas. There was also a subsidiary menu with a two for a tenner offer. Most of these bargain meals were very helpfully indicated as 'chef's own', which was a pleasing bit of menu transparency. Mind you, the main menu seemed not to have been so carefully annotated - was the whole thing brought in, wondered your reviewers? Matt and Cat's friends decided to take the bargain route to stomach fulfilment, particularly as the special deal also included a starter and pudding for a credit-crunching £1.50 each.

Cat was very tempted by the roast chicken but swerved off at the final fence and chose spaghetti Bolognese. Matthew's eyes were out on stalks as he read the immortal words 'black pudding' on the chalkboard; his decision was immediate and final. M and C's friends had a very tasty-looking cheese-topped fish pie and chilli, rice and nachos.

The nicely presented Bolognese came with two types of Parmesan - shaved and powdered - and half a warmed baguette. Cat was delighted with the pasta dish; a lovely, tangy sauce on a firm spaghetti nest.

Matthew was less pleased with his black pudding, fried egg and sautéed potatoes. He was agog at the petiteness of the portion and demanded an extra serving of chips which was very promptly delivered. The dish was a great idea: the Union was obviously trying to go a bit upmarket by presenting this standard greasy spoon fare all in a neat little stack. Sadly it didn't quite work. The pudding was more steamed than fried and would have benefited from being seared, giving it some crispiness. The egg was first-class but the onion and potatoes were, like the pudding, both a little soggy. Maybe it should have been presented as a straight forward fry-up - which was essentially what it was.

Feeling somewhat underfed despite the extra chips, Matt decided he wanted pudding. Purely in the spirit of solidarity Cat reluctantly agreed to join him. Matt and Cat's friends joined in with this second course, taking advantage of the £1.50 per sweet that was part of their meal deal. Interestingly, when the afters arrived, the purse-friendly portions were smaller than the full-priced ones.

Having been a little disappointed by the first course Matthew was pleased with the pudding. It was nice, warming and spicy: just like mother used to make. Cat's tiramisu freezer cake was pretty scrummy although, being used to room temperature tiramisu drowning in alcohol, she found its iciness incongruous. By persuading herself that it was ice cream, the chocolate dusted dessert suddenly slipped down nicely and soon her plate was scraped clean.

The foursome sat comfortably and chatted long after their plates had been taken away. The Union is a fine venue for a drink and some good warming food at decent prices: the special deal being particularly good value. Recommended.