The Wight Mouse is a behemoth of pubs - one of a handful of mega-eateries that dominate the family Sunday lunch market on the Island.

It continues to serve up pub food by the shedload; trading on its unbeatable location on the popular tourist trail of the Military Road. Matt and Cat first reviewed this place in 2006 - and found it wanting. That first, brief, review is at the bottom of the page.

In 2009 they made another foray westwards with junior reviewers Bill and Jack. On the lookout for dinner, they once more found themselves walking through the door of the Wight Mouse. Had things improved? Read on to find out.

Review continues:

The Wight Mouse is a warren of passages and rooms, and Matt, Cat and the lads wandered hither and thither hunting for a seat that would suit Cat. In the manner of Goldilocks she dismissed room after perfectly serviceable room of rustic stripped-pine tables and chairs for various reasons. Too bright, too near the bar, too near the toilets, too many children, too many dogs: ah, just right! No, that's reserved. Ah well.

The party finally settled in a backroom that was hardly occupied. Had the weather been warmer they would also have had the choice of about another 30 tables out in the garden. This place has got to be one of the biggest pubs on the Island, but still if you've got a large party you'd do well to reserve - as the diners settled they soon became aware that their little room was filling up, and before long it too was full.

Perusing the menus, Matt and Cat were not overwhelmed by the range of food on offer: for main courses 'salads and pasta' (two salads and only one pasta) or 'pub classics' were the choices. It seemed as though this food factory worked by keeping to a few standard meals. There was a specials board, however, which had a few interesting additions, including sausage and mash, a range of steaks, and ploughman's. The menu, and a sign on the wall, promised limply "We source British and regional produce wherever possible". Needless to say nothing on the menu was actually identified as local. This assertion holds the number one spot for mealy-mouthedness in the 'Local Produce Hall of Infamy' - it was so feeble that it really would have been better not to bother.

After ordering there followed very short wait which the diners filled by observing the groups trooping into the vast eatery. Like M & C, most took the time to wander around the maze nosing into the nooks and crannies before settling. From a very random and wilfully unscientific survey of the patrons (including their own group), your reviewers noted that there were plenty of families in attendance and it wasn't hard to see why. If you want a big table where everyone can eat together, there are quite a few of them at the Wight Mouse. What's more, it's got the outdoor play area, large car park, children's menu and wipe-clean environment that means even the most lively of nippers could probably do little permanent harm. A close second came dogs. A sign on the wall said 'Dogs are welcome', and it appeared that hungry dog-owners were certainly taking advantage of this invitation.

The food arrived and was efficiently deposited on the table by a Wight Mouse minion. Traditionalist youngster Jack had gone straight away for the gourmet burger - probably more attracted by the word 'burger' than the word 'gourmet'. The burger seemed like a good example of the genre and he dug in straight away. All agreed, though, that Bill's salmon fillet had the best presentation; a hefty slab of pink meat was draped across a pile of new potatoes and livened up with a handful of peas and sauce. He confirmed that it was good. Matt's fish and chips had been promised 'served on greaseproof paper' for some reason. This was not the case - and he was to some extent relieved. Fish does not normally benefit from greaseproof paper as a garnish although as a transport medium it has some merit. It did, though, come with a wooden fork, a little pot of tartare sauce and a generous half a fresh lemon. Nice touches. The modest portion of chips was adequate and the fish was decent enough; being fried rather than baked and a bigger fillet than is often on offer.

Cat's chicken and ham pie was where it all started to go wrong. For one thing, she freely admitted to having made the wrong choice. Coveting Bill's salmon she looked at her own meal with dismay. She wouldn't often go for pie but the thought of chicken and ham was alluring, and the imminent autumnal weather that had been blustering by all day influenced her choice. The pie didn't look home-made, and unexpectedly came with a big puddle of cheese sauce creating a rather jarringly acidic taste to what she had hoped would be a creamy pie. The mash, similarly, was oddly bland and came with a cheesy topping that was hard to get to grips with. It wasn't quite grated cheese, but then it wasn't cheese sauce either. An odd compound and not entirely a pleasant one. This wasn't to Cat's liking and she invited Matt to scrape the cheese off the top - which he was happy to do. The very small dish of vegetables was only very slightly better. Doubtless fresh at some point, the carrot and cabbage had been steamed to the point of tastelessness. On opening the pie her disappointment increased further - inside was plenty of chicken but no ham whatsoever, and hardly any sauce, all encased in a very dry pastry case. It was possible that this pie had been warming for some considerable time and its contents were slightly dessicated as a result. The hasty addition of unlisted cheese sauce did nothing to rehydrate the dish. Cat was not pleased. She picked the chicken bits out, but the rest was abandoned. Sometimes you just choose the wrong one...

The meals consumed - or at least, in Cat's case, finished with - the party sat and chatted for a while... a while which extended rather painfully into a lot more than a while. The wait was enlivened by the fact that the table was right next to a thin stud wall adjacent to the toilets, and every time the hand-dryers were set off within, the noise and vibration was a little like a jet-plane skimming the roof. But after a while even this entertainment paled. Curiously, the rate of passage of staff by the little table had increased markedly as the large family group nearby began to have their orders delivered, but none of the Wight Mouse myrmidons returning empty-handed to the kitchen took the trouble to clear Matt and Cat's empty plates. It probably was a bit much to expect to be offered more drinks, coffee or even desserts, but clearing the plates is a basic courtesy, really.

Now, real M&C enthusiasts will know that Cat sent a text update to the @mattandcat Twitter stream as soon as she'd finished her dinner, and so by careful study of her phone the now rather restless diners were able to see exactly how long they waited for their table to be cleared: it took 33 minutes.

Determined still to have some dessert, Matt, Cat and the boys pored over the menus once more. The puddings actually looked quite interesting, albeit not very adventurous. A curious supplementary menu decorated with photographs immediately roused Matt's suspicion. He just hates dessert menus with photographs on. Cat was determined to order from it to demonstrate the folly of this prejudice, and she picked a tiramisu in a little glass for a supremely reasonable £1.50. The chaps were not to be distracted by such demure little mouthfuls, and chose decent, manly puddings. Banoffee pie for Bill, chocolate pudding for Jack, and 'proper toffee' pudding for Matt. When Matt went up to order he was less than pleased to find that despite the half-hour wait for service at the table, there was now another half-hour wait in the kitchen. Still, delays are not unexpected in a busy pub kitchen, and at least the Wight Mouse was polite enough to flag this up at the time of ordering.

So when eventually the desserts arrived the diners fell on them with some enthusiasm. Nor was this misplaced - the desserts turned out to be the highlight of the meal by a considerable way. Cat was delighted with her mini tiramisu (see picture with £2 coin for scale - not that small!). It was not, as she had feared, some prefrozen nightmare that needed to be chipped out of a nasty plastic case. It was excellent, and for the price good value. In fact, had it not been for the preprinted menu and photographs, she could have imagined that it really was made on site. The boys were similarly impressed with their hot puddings. Matt particularly was very satisfied with the toffee pudding. Basic, warming dessert that went some way towards ameliorating the long wait for it.

So the diners left the Wight Mouse behind, and began the long drive back east. They reflected on the curious meal they had experienced. How had the Wight Mouse measured up? It was, and remains, a great venue. Well laid-out and with an unbeatable location, this alone is probably enough to ensure its continued success. The food was highly variable - nothing at all adventurous with some hits and one definite miss. But perhaps most surprising and disappointing was the service. It's common for high-volume eateries to employ some pretty competent staff with good customer service skills to keep things moving along but this was spread mighty thin at the Wight Mouse. There was no reason to criticise the style of service - although it was perhaps a bit impersonal - but the delays were really not good enough.

Matt and Cat can only repeat part of their conclusion from 2006:

If you're after a place where you can take all the family for Sunday lunch in the West Wight, you probably won't find it wanting. However, for a special meal out, or if you're after something more than the usual pre-prepared pub food conveyor belt, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

March 2006 review

The Wight Mouse Inn - also known as the Clarendon Hotel - is a landmark hostelry on the south side of the Isle of Wight. It is a massive pub, geared mainly towards diners and, despite its size, it manages to convey a feeling of intimacy and local distinctiveness. Following its renovation, the interior is superbly fitted out with stone and quarry tiled floors, many cosy nooks and some welcoming open fires.

Matt and Cat were swept in on the wind one blustery March day - initially for a nice cup of tea. The tea was very good indeed; big pots, real milk, served (with complimentary chocolates) in a Denby-style tea service - no tea bags floating in mugs here - and all for £1.25 per person.

Having enjoyed the tea and a read of the free newspapers, watching the bad weather sweeping in from across the English Channel in cosy comfort your reviewers resolved to stay for dinner. The menu was varied and plentiful and there were about half a dozen tempting meals on the specials board. The food prices were not vast, but higher than in some other comparable pubs. Matt plumped for sweet chilli chicken and Cat decided to warm up with beef and Tanglefoot (ale) pie.

The meals arrived very promptly - not surprising as, in a venue this large, they have to be able to cater on a large and rapid scale. The food did not live up to the standard promised by the tea. Cat's disappointingly flavourless pie was served with vegetables and new potatoes. However, despite its blandness, the beef was well cooked and not at all chewy or fatty and the pastry was very nice. Matt's chicken was a dismal offering, with limp salad and tiny bits of chicken drowned in a bland red paste. The portion size was not miserly, but the promised fajita was so smothered in sauce that at first its chewy substance was mistaken for worryingly tasteless chicken.

The venue is cosy and clean but not intimidating. It has a very large no smoking area: thumbs up for that! In terms of location the Wight Mouse has everything else beaten - it is by far the biggest and slickest family dining pub in the West Wight. The views from the lounge and terrace across the West Wight are superb and there is plenty in the garden to occupy restless children, even including a play-house which is open in summer (at extra charge) for supervised indoor play. If you're not on a very tight budget and are after a quick and easy place where you can take all the family for Sunday lunch in the West Wight, you probably won't find it wanting. However, for a special meal out, or if you're after something more than the usual pre-prepared pub food conveyor belt, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

Visit the website: http://www.islandbreaks.co.uk/site/eating-out/wight-mouse-inn-p141751