Update: The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Newport was one of this site's earliest reviews so Matt and Cat decided to revisit the venue. The original review, from 4 August 2006, is below the update.

During the week, Matt and Cat regularly meet for lunch in Newport. A light snack of local produce at the excellent Island Images usually suffices although sometimes they only have time to snatch a coffee at the Quay Arts Centre or Olivo. On this particular day, M&C were looking for a place to eat and duck out of the rain - along with most of the lunchtime crowd. And so it was that they ended up outside the doors of the Wheatsheaf - one of three so-named hostelries on the Island*.

Shaking off the droplets as they entered the bar, Matt and Cat were pleased to see that the place had lost none of its charm. Although the patrons were mostly men, The Wheatsheaf had a far more genteel atmosphere than a rowdy sports bar. Pleasingly, there was no sign of a TV; only the faint warble of an eclectic selection of piped music - possibly megamixed by DJ Anachronistic, as Avril Lavigne's Sk8r Boi was segued into some twaddle by The Beatles.

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Visit the website: http://www.wheatsheaf-iow.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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The fortunes of the Joe's franchise have flowed and ebbed. Its glory days were in the early noughties when it was the place for The Beautiful People to hang out flicking through Sunday supplements over a frothy coffee. Alas, like many other businesses in these economically depressed times, the Newport and Ryde branches have suffered - being recently in administration. However, Union Street's Joe's is back on its feet under new management, and Matt and Cat can confirm that its trajectory looks promisingly upward.

Like its coastal sister in Ryde, the Newport branch of Joe's faded; Christmas 2007 saw the most dismal service at Matt and Cat's office Christmas lunch and the writing was on the wall. However, things have changed. Both venues are in new hands, with Newport's bar now being managed by Mr and Mrs Tredwell - veterans of many of the Island's big eating-houses. With a sprinkling of modification, the vast venue has re-opened as the rather unnecessarily-suffixed Mill Bay II. Cat visited recently and can confirm that the place is now back on its feet and getting ready for another incarnation.

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As regular readers of this site will know, Matt and Cat sometimes like to 'stress-test' a venue. This usually means visiting during peak times, often with some children in tow. Another high-intensity eating out experience is the works Christmas dinner. Having already had a civilised lunch at Burrs the day before, Cat once again donned her novelty antlers and, with her scrubbed up colleagues, went for an evening meal at the newly opened William Coppin (Lloyds No 1) bar in Newport.

Those of you with memories will know that this latest in the Wetherspoons portfolio used to be another chain pub - the Chicago Rock Cafe. Matt and Cat ate at this previous incarnation as a prelude to trips to Cineworld. However, as the service got more haphazard and the film-watching experience was frequently ruined by fidgety mobile phone-obsessed teens with bladders the size of peas, they gave up going to both venues. But that was then and this is now.

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Every region has its USP (Unique Selling Point). Hull can proudly boast the smallest window in England, Banffshire was put on the the map with the unveiling of the world's largest bottle of whisky, and Rutland claims to be England's smallest county - although this matter is subject to some dispute. The Isle of Wight has between four and eight USPs, depending on which postcard or tea-towel-pedia is your source of knowledge.

But, despite having its own wonders and dialect, the Isle of Wight seems to lack a signature dish. This oversight was lamented by County Press columnist Keith Newbery, who regularly uses his column to summon a flicker of parochial pride into the hearts of Islanders. Keith challenged his readers to come up with a recipe for an Isle of Wight dish. And so it was that former head of tourism Ewen Brenchley offered his formula for Wight Fish Pie. Displaying an audacious amount of gall, Matt and Cat ingratiated themselves onto the tasting panel; their only qualification being that they are not the old fogies who voted for the Isle of Wight flag - this county's fluttering disgrace. Keith graciously gave consent for M&C to give their readers a preview of the event here on mattandcat.co.uk, before it appears on his page in the Isle of Wight County Press. So, read on to find out. Did Matt and Cat sample a milestone in the Island's culinary history?

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