A long time ago, Joe's was undoubtedly the coolest place in Ryde, arguably the Island. Fickle fashion moved on, things changed, Joe's star waned. But now, it looks like it's on the way back.

Joe's still has a stylish atmosphere, and now the smoking ban has worked its magic, it's at last an atmosphere one can breathe. Joe's is still serving good food at decent prices. They even have linen tablecloths and napkins now, the décor has been smartened up, and there's a substantial fish and seafood menu as well as the usual stuff. Matt is delighted to report that his all-time favourite Joe's Old Fashioned Lemonade is now back on the drinks list - any glass of lemonade made with a whole fresh lemon has to be good.

Matt and Cat sat at their favourite window table, watching Ryde go by. A little scenario played itself out across the street - a crazy guy waved his can of Tennent's and jabbered on at passers-by. Before long, a neatly dressed chap who obviously knew the drunk turned up, calmed him with gentle remonstrations, and the two walked off quietly arm in arm. Perhaps it was a metaphor: Matt and Cat, safe indoors, felt as if Joe's was an old friend who'd returned after a long and worrying absence.

Cat's Caesar salad was a mighty portion, with mountains of chicken, ham and the occasional salty anchovy nestling in generously-dressed leaves. She happily crunched her way through, as Matt wrestled with an attractive side-salad served alongside his beer-battered haddock and chips. For some reason the salad was served vertically - in a narrow, tall pot. It looked spectacular, but offered an interesting challenge to the diner. Perhaps even more challenging was the curious aroma that arose from the battered fish. Matt quizzed Cat about her chicken - was it smoked? No, it was not. Was her crunchy Parma ham smoked? No more than normal. Could it possibly be the haddock, then? And so it transpired: the haddock was smoked. Not overpoweringly so, but enough to permeate the whole dish.

Whilst Matt's got no objection to aspirant Heston Blumenthals meddling with classic dishes, he'd always prefer some warning of this to allow an informed choice on his part. The specials board made no mention of the haddock being smoked, and frankly, it was an experiment that Matt might have chosen to forgo had he known. He checked with the very helpful waiter, who confirmed that yes, this was smoked haddock and it was meant to be like that. Still, never one to let gastronomic prudery stand in the way of a meal, Matt tucked in and enjoyed the meal for what it was. It was actually pretty good, once Matt had got over his indignation.

So, Joe's is back. Great service, good food, and very reasonable prices. Recommended.