Years ago, Matt and Cat had a very enjoyable visit to Lizzie's Diner, an old skool café set in a windowless industrial unit in Lake's old fridge factory.

The experience was pretty good - in fact, they described the place as "a perfect example of the genre at its finest". Even fussy Cat, who usually disapproves of so-called 'greasy-spoon' food, was pleased with her lunch there (a mushroom omelette, pictured below).

Since then, Lizzie's Diner has been reborn, occupying a bigger unit with a major new feature - windows! Proprietors Anna and Ritchie Newton wrote to Matt and Cat in 2010 and explained: Not only do we have beautiful new premises with windows but we have also taken the opportunity to finally, after 4 years hard work, let Ritchie have his name above the door. The Diner is now renamed 'Ritchies Diner'.

Now, in some idle discussion on Twitter, Matt, a notorious vegesceptic, was challenged to eat a meat-free breakfast by two of his vegetarian friends, @MattdaWhittaker and @MintyMat. Observant readers will notice that all these three chaps are called Mat(t). They issued an invitation to all other Island folk called Matt to join them. A number of applicants were rejected for quite obviously not being called Matt. Filtering out the non-Matts with this sole yet rigidly-applied criteria, there was a trio of genuine Matts present at the inaugural Matts' Meat-free Morning.

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Lake: the village that's in the way of other more interesting places.

If you've passed through Lake you may have been too distracted by its architectural hotchpotch to notice the disproportionate number of eateries - particularly takeways. Indian, chippy and Chinese restaurants all vie for attention on Lake's short strip. Obviously deciding that the market isn't quite saturated, summer 2011 saw the opening of Asia Fusion.

Nostalgia buffs may mourn the loss of gentlemen's outfitters 'Man About Lake' and its sister shop 'Lady of Lake'. There may be some readers who also remember when Lake had enough working men to warrant the magnificence of Lake Working Men's Club. This spectacular construction, built in a 1970s brutalist style, looms triumphant at the rise of Sandown Road. Affiliated with the CIU (Club and Institute Union), it was the setting for many a wedding reception, darts match and meat raffle. Having sat forlornly vacant for a considerable time, the lights are again glittering as Asia Fusion has breathed life into this monolithic landmark.

As soon as its doors were opened, Asia Fusion prompted comment on Matt and Cat's Facebook page, including some quite negative feedback. M&C try not to be swayed by others' opinions and, keeping their collective mind open, they ventured to the Asia Fusion with some friends in tow. Would they concur with the naysayers?

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A while ago, Brading's former Red Lion Inn looked as though it was going to follow so many small rural pubs, and turn into housing. But it didn't - quite the contrary.

After a sojourn as the Smart Fox, the place now seems to be running on an even keel as the Dark Horse; offering good pub grub in a very comfortable atmosphere. After first rolling up just a few weeks after the place reopened back in 2009, Matt and Cat returned with junior reviewer Bill in tow to see what the Dark Horse was up to these days.

One thing's for sure, the Dark Horse is a nice venue. The Island's not over-blessed with really olde worlde pubs of the traditional English type: the pub-building boom here was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. But the Dark Horse has plenty of authentic charm to go round. Real old wooden beams, low ceilings, flagstoned floors and stone walls give out a warmth and welcome that has been well-used. The tables are scrubbed pine, the chairs are upholstered with traditional patterns, and there seem to be more real fires than are strictly necessary for heating purposes.

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The Isle of Wight is great in the summer; there’s so much to do and many places to do it. Matt and Cat like nothing more than to sit in a sunny tea garden feeding scone crumbs to squabbling sparrows while indulging in the food of the gods.

The depths of winter however, are closed season for the teashops. Even if they could find one, Matt and Cat would probably not want to eat in a chilly leafless garden. What is required on an inclement night is a hearty meal eaten in front of a roaring log fire in a friendly location. So, with this mental image burned into their collective cerebellum, M and C headed to Sandown. Although typically the home of the beachside diner they wondered how this classic seaside town would measure up in January.

The town wasn’t quite as unoccupied as Seaview in the skiing season; lights twinkled optimistically from several windows and there were people in the streets. Heartened by these signs of life, Matt and Cat drove along the esplanade past some surprisingly busy hotels and headed inland to the Caulkheads.

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Visit the website: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128053157270#!/caulkheadspub

Matt and Cat love Culver Down. The views from the top are magnificent, whether looking across to Sussex or lying on your back on a summer’s evening watching the Perseids meteor shower overhead. Culver’s pretty good at the base too; the Bembridge side has a family-friendly sandy beach with rockpools to explore, coloured cliffs, plus the Wonky Café.

The southern side of the chalky promontory has equally interesting geology; the red and white cliffs tower above and the beach is littered with fossils. If Matt and Cat have guests they often take them to this end of the Island and, on the day The Cat’s Mother deigned to visit they took her and the accompanying entourage to this easterly point. However, before they could explore the area they chose to have a hearty lunch at Yaverland Kiosk.

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