St Helen's Restaurant was first visited by Matt and Cat in 2006, shortly before it was awarded an impressive two AA rosettes. In 2009 it changed hands, and of course as with every restaurant the rosettes are no longer in place, until the new chef earns them. The original 2006 review is at the bottom of the page. Read on to see how the restaurant fared in 2010.

2010 review:
It's a tough act to take a on a big job immediately after a well-known character has stepped down. Gordon Brown knows all about that - and look how far that got him. So St Helens' head chef Jason West is a bold man to accept the challenge of measuring up to popular restaurateur Mark Young; who made quite a name for the little place.

As the sun was sinking over the downs, Matt and Cat wandered over the green and ambled into the restaurant soon after it opened for that evening. The venue looked quite the inviting bijou niche eaterie; its clean interior was unchanged with its bright paint and arty seaside prints by local artists. M & C were welcomed and shown to a window table, where they took a look at the menu, which had a short range of simply described but enticing dishes.

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Visit the website: http://www.sthelensrestaurant.co.uk

Update: Matt and Cat revisited the Pilot Boat Inn in 2010. Had their opinion of this friendly pub changed? Read the original review below this update.

For a change of scene, Matt and Cat decided to cast their net wider than their usual haunts for a Monday evening supper. For once deciding to try something out of their Ryde comfort zone, they headed west to Bembridge and the twinkling lights of the Pilot Boat Inn.

Last time they went to this distinctive establishment, M and C were verily impressed with the excellent food and friendly service. And, so it seemed, were plenty of other people as the restaurant was packed and some of the dishes had even sold out. This time however, there was no need for the reviewing duo to worry about being squeezed out as the bar was undeservedly empty, apart from a few supping locals.

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Mighty oaks from little acorns grow, or so the hackneyed saying goes. Matt and Cat's Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide started in 2005 as an idea on the back of a napkin and, last month, the website welcomed its one millionth viewer. Hurrah!

Likewise, Fox's in Bembridge is a great little venue which feels as though it might have started with humble beginnings as a tea shop before evolving into a grown-up restaurant - licensed and open in the evenings - but still retaining the charm of an intimate and homely eatery. Happy to accommodate a late booking by Matt and Cat in the height of the Christmas party season, how did it fare?

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There's a theory suggesting that if you sit and wait long enough, everything will come to you.

If this principle has much currency, there have probably been a few gurus on mountaintops waiting for a very long time for a nice fresh fish supper to come along. What they really ought to do is set up a seminary in Chale Green, Nettlestone, Godshill, Niton or St Helens. Then at least they could be sure of the Jolly Fryer mobile fish and chip wagon coming around every week.

Fish and chip aficionado Matt has observed the mobile chippy in various locations across the Island, but never quite managed to catch up with it - usually being near a more traditional, static establishment. But one Saturday evening he made the effort and took junior reviewers Bill and Jack and their pal Toby out to Nettlestone to give the Jolly Fryer a spin.

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Years ago in St Thomas Square, Newport there was a great little Italian restaurant. It occupied the premises that had been vacated by the Niton Bakery (now a mobility shop). It was a super place for lunch; cheap pizzas and fresh tomato-based salads, pouring oil and steaming cups of Italian coffee.

Alas, following a spat with the council's planning department, the venue closed much to the disappointment of Cat and her colleagues.

Cat was reminded of this excellent eatery when she and Matt visited Cafe Maya in Bembridge. OK, so it's not Italian, it's not in Newport and it presumably has all the relevant paperwork to satisfy the council. But there was something about the fresh ingredients and scrubbed tables that took The Cat back about 15 years...

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