Ah, Ventnor. Yes, the magical town where unicorns roam across the sparkling beach; and pixies giggle behind every corner. Or something.

The Guardian pronounces "the place feels apart from the Isle of Wight, let alone the UK". The Telegraph dashes up to claim "Ventnor has got its va-va-voom back". Every street is cluttered by rubbernecking DFLs clutching cuttings from Sunday supplements. Locals waft by in clouds of patchouli and wind chimes, distinctive in hand-tooled sandals and flowing garments. One thing has long been missing from this idyll: a curry house. But now the picture is complete - Chutney Express has opened on Ventnor High Street, providing not only a take-away service but a small restaurant too. Matt and Cat, keen Indian fans, paid it a visit.

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In a special guest review, Matt & Cat regular Wendy reviews food at the Isle of Wight Festival.

I wrote about IW Festival food for M&C last year and am pleased to bring you this update for 2009.

Sunday morning:
Keeping my eyes peeled for Isle of Wight food vendors in amongst the countless concessions, the only additional one I've spotted is Yarmouth-based Harbour Seafoods in the big food area near the main stage. After their low-key début at last year's Festival they're now geared up for catering big events, with a large kitchen, and bold signage promising seafood chowder, paella and kebabs. They were doing great trade. Might check it out today.

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It seems like ages since the Hong Kong Express opened in Newport, and whilst chatting to the staff in the new bar at that time Matt and Cat were amazed and delighted to discover that yet another HKE was on its way to Freshwater.

Well, a while passed and no new restaurant opened. Matt and Cat were beginning to wonder if it had been a dream. But then they heard the news: it was true, Hong Kong Express in Freshwater was indeed open. So an interesting challenge for M & C - as dedicated HKE fans they would obviously be drawn to try the new place, but it was in far-off Freshwater, and so to get to it they'd need to drive past not one but two other Hong Kong Express restaurants... quite a challenge for the hungry travellers.

Still, they finally made it one wet February night. They drove expectantly down the main street of Freshwater, peering right and left for the familiar logo, and were delighted to see the welcoming lights twinkling in a charming shop-front opposite Somerfield. Matt and Cat found a space in the nearby car park then strolled in to the sparkling new restaurant to see if the latest Hong Kong Express could live up the the high standards of its fellows.

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

Shhh, what's that sound? It's the sound of silence - Seaview's streets in winter.

One of
Matt and Cat's
favourites

Just the faint lapping of the Solent could be heard as Matt and Cat bimbled up the village's apparently deserted High Street to the only lighted window around.

The optimism of the flashing neon 'open' sign at Khrua Thai Orchid restaurant was quite heart-warming so, after a cursory peep through the glass in the door at nothing but a descending staircase (very reminiscent of La Scala) they went in. Not knowing what to expect, M and C were pleased to hear voices float up from the crypt and continued on their journey down to the surprisingly capacious basement dining room.

Matt and Cat often eulogise over the unmodernised décor of some of their favourite eateries. The Sportsman's Rest is determinedly a pub of the old school and the Bahar in Cowes has a delightful retro feel, bucking the trend of other Indian restaurants whose laminate flooring and concealed purple lighting has become ubiquitous. However, sometimes an interior makeover would not go amiss and, as they made their way past the dated wallpaper and decidedly 1970s interior, they decided that the Khrua Thai Orchid was a little overdue for a refurb. But they weren't there to give a critique of the paint job, what was the food like?

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Love and marriage, they say, go together like a horse and carriage. Or maybe like Peters and Lee, the interchangeable Ant and Dec, Matt and Cat, and Indian tapas... Whoah there! Indian and tapas?

Both spicy, perhaps, but a good combination? The new owners of Sandown's latest restaurant, SWAD Indian Tapas, seem to think so. Matt and Cat, initially sceptical about this cross-cultural culinary collision, decided on reflection that actually, the idea of Indian tapas sounded pretty good. After all, who hasn't looked at some bizarre item on the bottom of the menu and wondered if they'd like it. With tapas one can speculate a modest amount of money on a small dish and try new food experiences. M and C skipped to the seaside town one evening to find out what SWAD was all about...

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