Niton used to have two pubs, the White Lion and the Buddle. After some prevarication the White Lion closed for good, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the Crab-Nitoners. Left without a pub in the village itself, drinkers were faced with a steep walk down... Read more
Soup of the day at Fox’s was potato and leek. We knew without even asking that it would be potato and leek. Potato and leek soup tells you a lot. It tells you to expect warm, simple fuel. It tells you that you might go away feeling quietly satisfied... Read more
There’s something comforting about a franchise restaurant. There’s a reason McDonald’s is popular; the home of the hamburger sells unchallenging food at affordable prices in a familiar, family-friendly environment. When on the mainland, Cat likes to eat in Wagamama; the Japanese-inspired restaurant has consistent quality fresh ingredients with the... Read more
Who’d have predicted Sandown would be the place where the Island’s newest big hotel would be built? As we walked in town we were amazed to spot not one but two massive cranes at work on the seafront. We pressed our noses on the glass at the under-construction Boojum... Read more
Long-standing Matt and Cat followers might recall our dining club, which ran for several years. Members could enjoy discounts at various selected Island eateries, but the buzz for us was hosting our monthly dinners. We have made some long-standing friends of our dining club members and many of them,... Read more
Another day goes by, another vegan restaurant opens. If plant-based dining in this country has spent the last few centuries cowering in the shadow of the all-conquering meat and two veg, its time has surely now come. Vegan food is out of the powdery cupboard, into your streetfood, and... Read more
One regularly asked question of us is, “Do you get free food?”. And our, oft-spoken answer is “No, not really.” All the food we review is paid for. Even the meals we write about for the Isle of Wight County Press are paid for out of our hard-earned. The... Read more
Some venues still think serving chips in a tiny metal pail is the acme of food trendiness. Other restaurants continue to puff out their chests, imagining that their knife-grating, gravy-liberating slates are the last word in food delivery (if only they were the last!). But food fashion, like any... Read more
In the week that Ryde was awarded a share of the government’s High Streets Heritage Action Zone fund, we thought we’d visit the town and eat in one of its most venerable venues. We could, of course, have popped into Yelf’s Hotel. The hostelry undoubtedly counts as historic, having... Read more
Once upon a time Italian restaurants were ubiquitous on every high street. You know the sort of thing: generic pasta and pizza, checked tablecloths, raffia-wrapped wine bottles and textured artex walls. Desperate to set themselves apart from the competition in a sea of look-alike venues, some took to oversized... Read more