Archive review: Cinnamon, Ryde
Reviews 11th March 2008
This is an archive review. Cinnamon has now closed. Heston Blumenthal‘s laboratory kitchen, what’s that all about, eh? Who in their right mind really wants to pay ninety quid for a taste of snail porridge or egg and bacon flavour ice cream? Oak flavoured crisps? Leather mashed potato? To... Read more
Jasmine Indian Cuisine, Shanklin
10th February 2008 16
There’s something reassuring about seeing restaurateurs consuming their own wares. Workers need to eat and, whilst many chow down in some back room, others fuel up more conspicuously. It’s not uncommon, for example, to see the friendly staff in the Hong Kong Express at Ryde sitting down to a... Read more
ARCHIVE POST: Monsoon is still trading (Jan 2020), but as a takeaway only. Ryde is a curious town in layout – a long, thin chain of shops, pubs and restaurants snakes its way uphill from the esplanade – where the visitor arrives fresh from the ferry – thence up... Read more
Taj Tandoori, Sandown
17th June 2007 6
The vast, metropolitan town that is Cowes boasts no less than three eat-in tandooris, the Island’s county town, Newport, has only two, and Ryde, Shanklin and Sandown have to make do with one each – oh, and one in Lake. It’s a mystery why, outside Cowes, such busy tourist... Read more
Cowes Tandoori
9th February 2007 6
Cowes, which endures all year around despite the oft-repeated myth that the place shuts down in winter, has the benefit of no less than three good-quality curry restaurants. The final member of this triumvirate to fall under the scrutiny of Matt and Cat is the Cowes Tandoori. The Cowes... Read more
Tamarind, Newport
12th November 2006 9
There was a time when you would be guaranteed to see one or several of the following in an Indian restaurant: flock wallpaper, busy-patterned carpets, and table lamps. But there is a new standard of décor for such venues. The Tamarind in Newport conforms to the new visual style,... Read more
The Bahar Tandoori Halal Restaurant, Cowes
19th August 2006 25
It seemed like a crazy mission – to go to Cowes in the middle of August, and try to get a decent meal at a humane price. Everybody knows that you don’t go to Cowes in August, because there be yachties there, arrr! The little boutiques crank open their... Read more
Saffron, Cowes High Street
23rd April 2006 4
Cowes is like a little seasonal enclave of metropolitan mainland which has somehow become established on the overseas territory of the Isle of Wight. The closer to the summer it gets, the more that people in Cowes drive posh cars, talk loudly on mobile phones, hurry around busily and... Read more
Ryde Tandoori, Union Street
Uncategorised 15th March 2006 15
Ryde Tandoori was one of Matt and Cat’s earliest reviews. They’ve been back a few times, and in the meantime readers have added a mixed batch of comments. So M and C decided to return and see how Ryde Tandoori measured up these days. The original review from March... Read more
Archive review: Nabab Indian Restaurant, Newport
Uncategorised 15th February 2006
This is an archive review. The Nabab is now closed. Slightly off Newport’s beaten track of mobile phone shops, coffee houses and chain stores you can find the Nabab. Surprisingly Matt and Cat made their first visit there only recently – despite its good reputation amongst their friends. On... Read more
