This is an archive review. Pizza Express is now closed. One drizzly Newport afternoon, post-cinema, we wandered into town with dinner in mind. Passing Thompson’s we paused, as ever, and pondered the alluring bill of fare outside. Was this the day that the £24 two-course set menu was going... Read more
After considerable investment and what must surely have been a labour of love, in 2016 Sandown’s Bandstand welcomed diners through its doors. Matt particularly was intrigued to see inside this iconic building, such a landmark of his Sandown childhood. The conversion is remarkable; from an open-sided bandstand, its ironwork... Read more
There are some Island institutions, like Hursts, which provide the same products and service year after year. Fashions change, high street names rise and fall yet some places are so deep-rooted that they are more than a shop front; they, by dint of inertia, become part of the Island’s... Read more
Has Newport reached ‘peak coffee shop’? Back in 2015 we wondered this in our review of the then brand-new Coffee Room at Skintrade. People probably asked the same question when the venerable God’s Providence House opened its doors back in the last century – yet seemingly the demand for... Read more
Farmers Market, Ryde
ArticlesUncategorised 19th March 2018 1
We’re a couple of idlers. While you are taking your children to swimming lessons and tending to your horses on a Saturday morning, we’re nearly always lazing about. However, due to a quirk of fate, we were up early today and you know what that means – a visit... Read more
Dunno about you but we’ve got one of those mates who is not comfortable with eating out. He loves his own home cooking and is consequently unfamiliar with the inside of a restaurant, some of the terminology on a menu and is also not keen on spending money on... Read more
Sushi Supper at Cantina, Ventnor
ArticlesUncategorised 1st March 2018 2
One of our favourite restaurants Cantina is known for its Eurocentric cuisine so we were intrigued and delighted when proprietor Klaus proposed a sushi supper. We love this meticulous Japanese cuisine and so do plenty of others – our first dining event of the year was a sell out!... Read more
Social media coverage has been blamed for a lot of things – election results, disgraced politicians, a decline in educational standards – but one thing that the coming of Instagram can most certainly take credit for is the the advent of beautiful food. Yes chefs, if your dishes look... Read more
Anyone who keeps an eye on the Isle of Wight County Press will note that, following our favourable review of the Woodman’s Arms, Gordon Pollard from Sandown was compelled to put pen to paper. He complained about our analogy between the pub’s gravy and a millionaire footballer. We had... Read more
We often reminisce about Brading Waxworks. This much-loved tourist attraction closed in 2010, after 45 years. Tantalisingly, if it had hung on just a few more seasons, we reckon it might have seen its fortunes turn. After all, these days post-ironic tourism is big business, and goodness knows the... Read more