A shiny new sign on Newport High Street reveals the presence of another new eating-place, so Matt and Cat are quick to take advantage. But wait - what's this? It looks familiar. Very familiar.

Original Phil's Diner turns out to be the former Top of The Town Diner, and there's been little change inside except for the ubiquitous Phil's branding. Not a bad move, as Top of the Town had completely refurbished the place in a very stylish American Diner pastiche and then promptly - and mercifully - closed down. So other than a new name there was little else needing attention in the décor - although Matt and Cat found Top of The Town sadly wanting in other respects when they visited it: even a real juke box and giant pictures of Katherine Hepburn don't really make up for dismal food and lackadaisical service. So let's forget about them.

One of
Matt and Cat's
favourites

Enter The Original Phil. It's unclear whether it is Phil himself who is original, or merely his diner, but either way his name is on everything, including every dish on the menu. Ownership, at least, is thus clearly established. Originality might be harder to demonstrate, especially given the preceding, apparently identical establishment. But with such an poor act to follow, could Phil really go wrong? Matt, Cat and junior reviewer Bill went to find out.

Review continues:

Original Phil's looks bright and welcoming, and really makes the effort with the 1950's diner styling. Even the staff are all uniformed, and whilst the cheerleader-style waitress didn't actually have rollerboots on, one felt that she probably wanted them. Massive posters of movie stars graced the walls, and the seats were shiny vinyl benches. Matt, Cat and Bill sat themselves beneath the glowering visage of Cary Grant, and took a look at the menu. It wasn't complicated, and bore all the stuff you'd expect, all prefixed with 'Phil's', or, in some cases 'The Original Phil's'. Once more the trio pondered the difference between Phil and Original Phil. An entertaining feature of the menu was 'Phil's Challenge': for £12 a gluttonous diner could try to consume four steak burgers and a portion of chunky chips and, if successful and still alive, win a free Phil's Diner tee-shirt. But where could such a gluttonous diner be found? Cat and Bill looked at Matt expectantly, but even he demurred, choosing instead to order a comparable meal to the one he had at Top of The Town: Original Phil's Quarter Pounder Steakburger. Bill, inspired, chose the same. Cat had eaten scrambled egg on toast at Top of The Town. This was an off-menu choice then and so it remained now - so how would Phil's manage the challenge? Matt went up to order the meals, and discussed the possibility of scrambled egg with the chef himself who was more than happy to oblige. Matt returned with three massive mugs of splendid builders'-style tea and after a suitable interlude, the meals arrived via the cheerleader.

But disaster! Cat's scrambled egg turned out to be fried. Immediate representations were made, which led to a prompt response from Phil's Diner: the chef himself left the sizzling griddle and rushed over, full of apologies. He blamed himself, he couldn't think how it had happened. He begged Cat for the opportunity to scramble some eggs, but, Cat-like as ever, she refused and decided to eat the perfectly-cooked fried eggs instead. Still, it was an honest mistake and Phil's Diner dealt with it excellently. It's amazing how a complaint can turn into a compliment when handled professionally like this.

So, what of the chaps? Bill and Matt both looked at their Original Phil's Quarter Pounder Steakburger with a little dismay. These burgers were tiddly little things - hardly three inches across*. Each came garnished with a single lettuce leaf, on which three slivers of tomato were precariously balanced. Matt also eyed the meat with great suspicion - these irregular-shaped patties looked very similar to the noxious ones that Top of The Town had served him previously. Still, putting all that behind him, Matt took a nibble of the burger. His suspicions immediately melted away. This was a great burger - meaty and chunky and with a great taste. Far better, in fact, than an average beefburger. It seems that a steakburger is no empty marketing label: this burger was actually made from steak. Bill, similarly, was very pleased with his burger. He remarked with characteristic gnomic wit that this was where Phil's Diner's close adhesion to its American holotype fell down - the burgers, though small, were excellent. But without a doubt if the lads had known the size of the burger they'd both have chosen instead the alarmingly-named Original Phil's Belly Buster Steakburger, which was apparently two burgers, might not have looked so disappointingly titchy on the plate, and still would have been a reasonable price.

So Original Phil's effortlessly lifts the tarnished crown from the fallen Top of The Town. This place has changed. It is now a decent café, even a decent diner. The prices are very reasonable, the food is good, and the service is friendly. Worth a visit.

*M&C don't claim any credit for it, but a follow-up visit in 2010 confirms that the burgers now served are significantly bigger, but still have that splendid meaty taste. Still well worth it. Oh, and 'Bellybuster' seems to have gone from the menu.