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.

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The fortunes of Nettlestone's Roadside Inn have been up and down like a bride's nightie. Matt and Cat first visited in 2007 and, after hearing that things had changed, took another look in June 2010. You can read what they concluded here. The original review from October 2007 is below.

June 2010

Matt and Cat were delighted when they first visited the Roadside Inn. This big pub offered an intimate and friendly dining experience, with excellent home-made food. However, Matt and Cat are always attentive to the comments that appear beneath their reviews, and noticed from those same comments that the pub has undergone several changes of personnel. One commenter even suggested that the pub's review should be downgraded from Matt and Cat's prestigious 'we love' category. Is Bushy right to demand a recount? Matt and Cat went to find out for themselves.

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Visit the website: http://roadsideinn.co.uk

For once Matt and Cat aren't going to start a review of a Cowes eatery with jibes about yachties and DFLs. Instead, let them tell you about how lovely this waterfront town was looking on an unexpectedly clement Saturday in May. The sun was shining intermittently though fluffy clouds and it was warm enough for The Cat to finally dispense with her trademark mittens.

'Twas a day for weddings and Matt and Cat made way for troupes of be-suited chaps with their clip-clopping consorts. The precinct was turned into a human aviary with the clucking and squawking of women wearing this season's fascinator hats; feathers bobbing in the light breeze. M and C dodged into a junk shop to escape the nuptial flash mob but, without much to sustain their interest amongst the piles of dusty tat, they soon left.

A chance encounter with fish fryer and Twestival compère Richard Quigley led Matt and Cat to lunch at The Fountain. This prominent hotel is part of the Greene King chain which Matt and Cat have found to be patchy in both service and food. How will the Cowes branch fare?

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Visit the website: http://www.fountaininn-cowes.com/

It was way back in 2005 when Matt and Cat first reviewed Whippingham's Folly Inn. Entreaties to revisit prompted this update. The original review is below.

Matt and Cat were very impressed by the Folly, back in the day. It was a regular lunchtime haunt of theirs and they were never disappointed by the location, food or service. However, reports that things were Not Quite Right had made their way down the intertubes; and, as luck would have it, Cat and some gal-pals from work were looking for a venue to eat, drink and make mischief. Clutching two-for-one vouchers in their eager mitts, Cat and three friends rendezvoused at this waterfront watering hole.

If a packed car park is an indicator of a quality venue then The Folly Inn must rank as one of the finest places on the Isle of Wight. Even on this damp mid-week mid-winter evening there was barely room for a modestly-sized car. It was 'one in, one out' but soon a space became available. As she approached the door, Cat noted a welcoming blackboard with confidently chalked picture of the pub. Scratching her nesty mane, she knew she'd seen that somewhere before. Why of course, it was the day before outside Shanklin's Crab Inn. Closer inspection revealed the tell-tale Greene King livery; The Cat looked forward to comparing these sibling venues.

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

Matt and Cat like going to Shanklin's Old Village and smugly playing I-Spy with restaurants' doors, spotting their 'Recommended by Matt and Cat' stickers. The excellent Pendleton's, the Black Cat Thai restaurant and homely Village Inn all sport their green and black badges of recommendation.

With an appointment in the town later that evening, M and C were back in this picture-postcard village on a cold winter evening looking for somewhere new to eat. Clattering down the hill they stumbled into the historic Crab Inn. To be honest, in this thatch-tastic corner of the Island there's nothing but listed buildings steeped in history. If there was a prize for the quaintest Isle of Wight village, the Old Village, Shanklin would be a serious contender with Godshill snapping closely at its heels. A similar award could be made - to the same places - for the place where you're most likely to run over a bimbling tourist coming out of a cheesy gift-shoppe. However, M and C weren't there to admire the architecture, they were there to eat.

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