If you’re on the Isle of Wight, and seeking somewhere to eat, there’s a high likelihood that you are going to look favourably on somewhere with a sea view. We have remarked before on the curious fact that there are actually surprisingly few such venues. If you doubt us,... Read more
Let’s say you’re stuck with a traditional newsagent’s shop in Gurnard. It’s been trading for years but frankly, the writing is on the wall. Nobody buys fags any more, printed media is not really a growing market, and as for sweets and toiletries, darling, we all get them from... Read more
Archive review: The Hungry Bear at St Helens has moved and is no longer open at this location. Where do you need to go to find an rhea’s egg on the Isle of Wight? A long time ago it was Fakenham Farm, in St Helen’s. The rheas are no... Read more
In the week that Marvel comic book publisher Stan Lee died, we popped into Newport’s ComiCoffee to raise a toast to this creator of numerous fictional superheroes. For those who haven’t kept up with the county town’s game of musical venues, ComiCoffee is where Caffe Isola used to be,... Read more
There was a long-standing joke the gist of which was that a meat-free diet would cause an increase in methane emissions from all the gaseous fermented bean-trumps leaching through the velvet bell-bottoms of those hippy vegans and vegetarians. Turns out that the joke’s on the other foot. Meat and... Read more
People regularly ask us if we are truly anonymous food reviewers. “Surely staff must know when you are eating in their venue?” is oft the cry. They possibly do, but sometimes we keep them on their toes. We might book under a different name, go with friends or, sometimes... Read more
The Isle of Wight is often insulated from mainland trends, but even the Island’s high streets have not escaped the decline of recent years. This national phenomenon has been attributed to anything from online shopping habits, austerity, high business rates and car parking charges, inaccessible public spaces, chuggers, spiceheads... Read more
Cat’s a bit of a vegan-dabbler, although it will take a lot to turn Matt’s head away from sausages. Talking of which, we were delighted to have it further confirmed that vegan food needn’t be sawdusty fauxages. When in the supremely talented hands of Quay Arts chef Dave Holley,... Read more
There was a time when each cafe sold us the same thing, and we had to put up with it. Brutally potent tea, camp coffee, dry sandwiches and an ashtray on every table were universally understood and expected. But oh, how things have changed. On the Island a few... Read more
At the outer edge of England lies the Isle of Wight; at the Island’s southerly perimeter is Ventnor – and clinging to its shoreline is Seapot. We approached the cafe from the Bonchurch end, pausing to read about how, when Victorian celebrity Tennyson popped into the village, local girls... Read more
