Excuse the contradiction, but novelty restaurants are nothing new. Matthew has happy memories of eating at a Mongolian Barbeque twenty years ago; the drive-through has been a staple of the American eating experience for decades and cooking on hot rocks is probably as old as... well, cooking itself.

Matt and Cat have tried this self-scorching method of cooking (more of which later) at Newport's Volcanic Steakhouse. However, that wasn't the Island's first example of this exciting way of enjoying a meal out. For several years, Yarmouth's On the Rocks has been championing the volcanic rock experience, so spurred on by Dilweed and @theordinarychef amongst others, Matt and Cat booked a table and headed west.

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Having been thwarted by a full restaurant on more than one past occasion, Matt and Cat were glad they'd booked for their On the Rocks experience. Despite it being the beginning of the Island's closed season, they still had to fit in with the restaurant's schedule and were encouraged to attend at 6.45pm instead of their preferred 6pm. No matter, they amused themselves by walking to the end of the newly refurbished pier, gawping at the new ferry and seeing how many of Yarmouth's eateries displayed a Matt and Cat sticker in their window (two). Having built an appetite expending energy on aimless bimbling, by the prescribed time M and C were keen to take their seats and eat.

Warmly greeted, Matt and Cat were ushered past a cabinet of meat and through to the restaurant's homely interior. Sat at their scrubbed pine table, M and C glanced around the venue, which was surprisingly comfortable and informal. The menu was chalked on the wall and, as expected, it was a list of meat and fish steaks. It also - surprisingly - included Cajun chicken and lamb, presumably these would not be offered rare? While they were deliberating, the waitress bought a complementary basket of really fresh rustic bread to be dipped into the bowl of oil and sweet balsamic vinegar which was already on the table. A delicious start.

The staff at On the Rocks follow the Black Rock Grill formula of service within five minutes. Matt and Cat's drinks and food orders were taken whilst they were still eulogising over the bread and the cute bunch-of-grapes-shaped lanterns. Sirloin steak for Matt and fillet for The Cat. And, within the regulation time, the sound of sizzling heralded the arrival of the food. Specially compartmented ceramic platters were laid with care, and warnings, onto the table. Square slabs of super-hot rock radiated heat through the meat and upwards to M and C's eager turned faces. The waitress gave them special pinnies should the meat spit in the excitement and, with a further reminder of the fact that the rock is hot, left them to it.

Vegetarians should look away now. The carnivores amongst you may wonder how this hot rock milarky works. The way you like your steak cooked will dictate your approach, but, in short, the meat arrives almost (but not quite) raw and you cook it yourself for as long as you want. The rock was spectacularly hot (did we mention that?) and if you like your meat to be a bit bloodied, it's best to shift it from the rock into one of the platter's handy compartments and slice pieces off it for brief cooking on the rock. And so it goes. Cat, who can't really face rare meat, cautiously left half her hunk of tender fillet on the rock where, in a very short space of time, it was cooked, and eventually even overcooked. You need to keep your eye on your dinner, for sure.

Matt was very pleased with his sizable portion of sirloin. The meat was cut in big chunks, rather than the more traditional thinner slabs, which made cutting bits off it easier. It also seemed to be top-quality beef, with hardly a morsel of fat on it - in fact, the cooking technique meant the entire meal was pretty low-fat for what is essentially a fry-up.

Like its fellow volcanic rock restaurant, the Volcanic Steakhouse, On the Rocks offers free refills of chips and salad. This is a nice touch yet almost unnecessary as there is plenty of scran with the bread, meat and initial portion of chips and salad. What might have been even better would have been a few portions of uncooked onion and pepper to cook on the rock alongside the meat, as is sometimes provided at The Volcanic Steakhouse. Chatting with the ever-attentive waitress, M and C learned that the salad varies seasonally as the restaurant's owners do try to source local food from time to time. This means that the salads - some components of which are home-grown - have seasonal ingredients like radish, baby leaves and herbs.

So, with slivers of meat flopping on the rocks in various stages of cookedness, M and C ate their dinner. Because Cat had given over one of the platter's three compartments to the bloody rare steak and the middle one contained the rock, there was only the third compartment in which to serve salad, chips, the remains of the bread and, of course, the cooked steak. This required a level of dexterousness that cack-handed Cat could not manage and one of her fingers caught a glancing blow on the rock. It was a momentary lapse but, as the intense heat of the rock was intended to sear flesh, it didn't take long to raise a blister on Cat's delicate skin. Thankfully her tap water had been iced and she spent a good deal of the remainder of the meal with her finger dangling in her glass.

It was about this time that M and C had the obligatory visit from the waitress, asking if everything was alright with the meal. Cat held up her damaged finger and, with her lower lip quivering, described her plight. The waitress was immediately concerned and rushed to bring over her colleague. They clucked over the singed digit and despite Cat's feeble protests brought out some burn cream. The staff dealt with this minor trauma very well. The (well-used) cream was applied with the minimum of fuss and was very soothing. Another of those occasional examples of how an unexpected incident can be turned from a negative one into a positive one by very good service. The rest of the meal continued without mishap. Cat, declaring herself to be full, left the remnants of her fillet steak to Matt who considered it to be a bit overcooked for his liking, but very far from inedible, and finished it off.

The waitress took the plates away in a timely manner and Matt and Cat removed their pinnies. Cat reflected that perhaps welding gauntlets would have served her better but they may have made manipulating the cutlery a bit of a chore. Desserts were offered and Cat's ears pricked up at the mention of lemon posset. Matt, who had just cleared away the remains of her dinner suggested that, although she was full, her pudding stomach obviously still had capacity. How perceptive! They chose to share a posset and had coffee with it. Fresh strawberries and cream topped off this old English favourite. The sweet was delicious, apparently made by the owner's mother.

With Cat's wounded finger now almost forgotten, and all stomachs full, Matt and Cat left On the Rocks. Emerging into Yarmouth's quiet streets they gulped at the fresh air - one inevitable by-product of the open-rock cooking is plenty of smoke and the smell of well-cooked meat which fills the restaurant. Matt and Cat's tip is to go early, before the fug descends, and not to wear your finest clothes there unless you want a whiff of your splendid meal out every time you put them on again.

So, this well-positioned and extensive venue has a successful formula, pleasantly informal interior and friendly, helpful staff. It's not the cheapest meal out and, for a family, you'd have to shell out a substantial packet. But steak isn't cheap anywhere and for what you get, it's not bad value for money. Many have recommended it to your reviewers. Now that Matt and Cat have finally made it through the doors they can say yes, you were right, all of you. Matt and Cat really enjoyed On The Rocks. It's highly recommended.