It's confusing enough that the Island has so many eating-places named The Boathouse.

Matt and Cat know of at least four. Of these, two clearly were once boathouses; one other, with some stretching of the imagination, could have once accommodated some modest vessels. But the fourth - the Boathouse at Puckpool - quite plainly has never entertained a boat in its life, unless it's a ship in a bottle on the mantelpiece: it's a solid Victorian pub.

It's also proven to be a fickle mistress for quite a few owners and managers, changing hands several times in the last few years, sometimes under less-than-favourable circumstances. Matt and Cat have had both good and bad meals there, and comments on previous incarnations suggested similarly mixed experiences. At its nadir, some years ago, the Boathouse was the place that people would just love to gossip about - regularly passing on to Matt and Cat stories of heinous crimes against food that cannot possibly all have been true. Once the reputation of a venue goes that far down, it's a very long way back. The Boathouse began its return journey to respectability last year with an infusion of sensible cooking and decent service from the Liberty's team. This year, yet another management team is at the helm and at last, the word on the street seemed to suggest that The Boathouse really had finally settled down. So Matt and Cat set out to see what was going on at Puckpool.

Read more »

After a record ten requests on 'Suggest a venue' Matt and Cat have at last visited Burrs in Newport. Huzzah!

Burrs is a small, traditional-looking restaurant positioned away from the tourist-traps of the Island in one of Newport's back-streets. No sea view or historic ambience supplements the experience. Matt and Cat wandered in one evening after a late night at the salt mine, fearful that they might need a reservation. Luckily they didn't, and indeed at first they were the only customers.

The attentive waiter welcomed them and showed his guests to a cosy table at the back of the small dining room. As drinks, menus and the usual initial transactions were undertaken, Matt and Cat began to understand the important differences that set Burrs apart from other establishments. Burrs has rejected the doctrine of 'no-nonsense food' and offers a classy service in the traditional style that borders on the theatrical. Cat was invariably referred to as 'madame' (although she archly said she might have preferred 'mademoiselle'), and she always got the first service. The diners had the offer of having their coats taken - a rare experience these days, although once an invariable part of dining out. The whole performance was most enjoyable. If this is nonsense - bring it on.

Read more »

Visit the website: http://www.eatatburrs.com/

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.

Read more »

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

The lunching habits of office workers can be graded into several distinct types. The fastidious borderline OCD-type whose pens are lined up in serried ranks and who brings in delicious home-made sandwiches in a Tupperware box. This is Cat. Contrastingly, in her office is the slovenly boy who lives off Pot Noodles and whose desk is a maelstrom of discarded paper and crusty plates with a few random artefacts including a horsetail flyswat and a fez. Yesterday he brought in his pet rabbit - yet still there is no working pen. Others, despite never having met them, the cleaner knows intimately by the contents of their bins. Discarded crisp bags, coke cans and sweetie wrappers give clues about the occupants of the cube farm.

Working in the centre of Newport is a blessing and a curse as there are so many ways a desk jockey and their money are parted. Buying lunch can turn from an occasional treat to a daily fix; there are enough venues in town for a different lunch every day for a year. And for those who are particularly desk bound or when it's too wet to venture outside, there's the mobile snack bar.

There are several of these wagons hawking their bready wares around the Island's industrial estates and offices. Some, including Mr T's, require a pre-order. Others, like Mary's Bun Run arrive with a honking fanfare.

Read more »

The cult of the chef isn't something Matt and Cat subscribe to - but sometimes you just can't avoid making the connection. Robert Thompson's name, of course, is inseparable from his famous Ventnor hotel, and even Alan Staley of The Royal has been known to feature in the glossy magazines. And one particular young Island chef has caught Matt and Cat's attention on several occasions, with increasing levels of impressiveness.

The Bay Grill, a restaurant with spectacular views across the Solent, is set in Ryde's Appley Park. By way of disclosure, Matt and Cat will reveal that their first direct encounter with the chef at the Bay Grill was a while ago at Ryde Venue during an under-attended gig by Control, a Joy Division tribute band. This exuberant chap bounded up to the reviewers and offered to buy them a drink - which they eagerly accepted. On his return from the bar with the refreshment, Matt and Cat had to confess to the handsome young man that they didn't know who he was. It transpired that he was Ryan Burr, at that time the chef at Chale Green Stores. His menu had been the subject of an enthusiastic review. Matt and Cat have since had several other memorable meals from Ryan, and so were fired with anticipation when they heard that he'd opened a new restaurant practically on their doorstep.

Read more »

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