Ever been to a restaurant with a seemingly inexhaustible menu? We certainly have. There was one place on the Island which had a twelve page bill of fare crammed with all sorts of dishes from lobster thermidor to fillet steak, with various world food delicacies shoehorned into the pages... Read more
As we took our seats at the sunny dining table, we remarked on what a beautiful evening it was. The sun was making its slow descent to herald the end of another glorious spring day and we were still feeling the warmth of its sinking rays. Our dinner was... Read more
Oh dear. It feels like the end of days, doesn’t it? The Isle of Wight, nay the world, is pretty much closed for business and we are all being asked to hunker down, stay at home and try and ride out the COVID-19 virus as best we can. Inevitably... Read more
One of the reasons we started Matt and Cat’s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide was to give ourselves an incentive to dine away from our own particular beaten track. You probably have your own special favourite eateries too. That Indian takeaway where they know your order off pat.... Read more
As Red Funnel‘s bulldozer of progress finally subsumed its neighbour the White Hart pub, Chinese takeaway Jade Garden stood its ground. The venue’s little beacon of light shines smack bang in East Cowes’ regeneration quarter. The modern Waitrose, a block of over-fifty-fives’ housing, and, of course, that smooth new... Read more
Burger King has opened on the Isle of Wight. A corner of that monstrous leisure shed that used to house Staples has been walled off into another of those bizarrely-misshapen spaces that characterise big box retail these days, and in it has appeared the Island’s first ever branch of... Read more
As you know, we review restaurants. This website is full of our opinions on Isle of Wight eateries. That’s why you’re here. But that doesn’t mean we don’t like to write about other nice things. Cat is always daydreaming about the future – her 1970s interpretation of it, brought... Read more
It won’t come as any surprise to find out that we don’t cook much. We could, if we had to – but why bother when there are so many great chefs on the Isle of Wight prepared to take our money in exchange for food? Also, we have some... Read more
This is an archive review of one of several previous Nomad restaurants. Nomad is now closed. Cautious diners may worry that Nomad is going to be too challenging. They might rather have something simpler, quieter and yes, maybe cheaper. These people are wrong, and we’re about to explain how.... Read more
A town pub can go one of two ways. A few weeks ago we found ourselves in London, enjoying a drink in one of the city’s many street-corner hostelries. The Victorian pub was a single small room with a bar, and that was about it. No food was served,... Read more