Going to Totland Bay at midsummer must be like going to the moon. Matt and Cat blasted off from Newport and headed in a near-straight trajectory. Reaching jowl-bothering speeds of nearly 40mph (except through Shalfleet), they went west towards the setting sun. The light from our brightest star was dazzling and, to preserve their rheumy old retinas, the astronautical pioneers lowered the sun visors on the vintage BMW. Once they could go no further, they parked up and gawped at Dorset.

Finding themselves far from the metropolitan hustle and bustle, M and C had switched to holiday mode the moment that they crossed Yarmouth bridge. It was a particularly pleasant evening; the clouds scudded across the sun in a very picturesque way, a boy played with his dog on the sandy beach and gulls pecked at random stuff. As the Waterfront was the only venue around, Matt and Cat went in...

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Visit the website: http://www.thewaterfront-iow.co.uk

Matt and Cat first reviewed the Wishing Well in spring 2006 when it had just been taken over by new owners. The earlier review is at the bottom of the page.

Writing their food reviews is hardly an arduous chore. Matt and Cat enjoy eating out and part of the pleasure is chatting during their meal about what they might say about a venue. If a meal is good, they get the benefit of nice food. If a meal is dismal they get the benefit of giving a place a good kicking on this very website. Fortunately, the latter rarely happens. Most Isle of Wight eateries are of a very high standard with only one or two exceptions.

So, when they visited the newly reopened Wishing Well at Pondwell, Matt and Cat jabbered to each other about how they could say it's newly opened; and how, when chatting to the bar staff they learned that they had just taken on the venture (rather than it being a straight refurbishment). About how the venue had a clean if slightly impersonal interior, with vast picture windows. However, when reading their 2006 review, M and C were stunned to see that was exactly what they had written last time! So what new things can be said about this cavernous roadhouse?

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"Are you guys really fat?" asks Matt and Cat reader Alex. Well, yes and no. However, with all this conspicuous calorie consumption something may have to give.

Either M and C's purse will succumb to the misery that is the credit crunch or their tummies will finally lose their elasticity.

It's surprising that Matt and Cat had not visited Niton's White Lion before. The number of rural hostelries in the area is pretty small and M and C have ticked most off their list. Many years ago, The Cat had a very nice meal in the dining room of this pleasant country pub - a brace of Quorn fillets in a delightful lemon and pepper sauce. A year or so later, hoping to re-experience this good chow, she was disappointed to find that the chef or owner had changed and the tuck was not up to the previous standard. However, all this was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Matt and Cat, having put aside Cat's preconceptions from the days of yore, entered the pub to find that it was a completely different experience again.

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Following a flurry of contrasting comments from their readers, Matt and Cat decided to revisit the Sportsman's Rest to see if they'd made a mistake. The original review from December 2006 is at the bottom of the page.

February 2009 review

Could it be possible that Matt and Cat have reviewed everywhere on the Island? Thankfully, far from it. There are plenty of new and hopefully exciting places that M and C can turn their attention to. Also, in the course of writing this eating out guide, it's sometimes necessary to revisit a venue. If, for example, an eatery was particularly dismal, Matt and Cat might have another meal there to see if things have improved. In the case of the Sportsman's Rest, a range of alarmingly vitriolic remarks arrived on the blog, leading your reviewers to wonder, was their enthusiastic review justified or were readers' comments that included the words 'vile', 'poor' and 'salty' nearer the mark? It was time for Matt and Cat to have another look...

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Eeny meeny miny mo, to which venue will M and C go? Having visited nearly all of Newport's eateries, Matt and Cat found themselves at the junction of South Street and St James Street where, side by side, were the two of the most prominent untried dining rooms of the county's main town.

Examining the menus outside the venues, it seemed that Matt and Cat had little to choose from between the two places. Chips and burgers were on both menus, also salads, fish (or the curiously spelt filet-o-fish) and chicken. Despite these superficial similarities, Matt and Cat somehow managed to turn their backs on McDonalds and entered the George Inn.

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