Ahh, the eternal quest for a poached egg once the sun is over the yard-arm. Sun? For those eyeing interminable grey skies in this washed out summer, that’s anywhen after 11am. The concept of an all-day breakfast appeals greatly to us because we often fall foul of the mid-morning... Read more
We first wrote about Ganders in 2015 and, having been exhausted by the plethora of food folderoles back in the twenty-teens, we expressed delight at the restaurant’s “absence of trendy menu-baiting features’. Nothing smeared, or piped or granitaed here. Spin forward almost a decade and Ganders is still going,... Read more
In recent years, various culinary hares have entered the race to challenge that curmudgeonly old tortoise, the standard full English breakfast. We’ve watched with delight as international cuisine has snucken its way onto our morning menus, bringing welcome diversification to those classic pork-centric offerings. Many will welcome the introduction... Read more
Meat sandwiches never go out of favour. Everyone has their chosen place to ‘grab’ a ‘cheeky’ bite, whether it’s Burger King, Wimpy (if you can find one) and, of course, the world’s most pervasive fast food brand, McDonald’s. So ubiquitous are the Golden Arches that post-lockdown it seemed that... Read more
We are often asked which is the ‘best’ restaurant on the Isle of Wight. And, of course, that is a question which is almost impossible to answer. For every couple wanting a sophisticated dinner in an intimate and romantic environment, there is a young family needing good value food... Read more
We used to have a friend who was the theatre critic for the Isle of Wight County Press. Just like being a restaurant reviewer, they had to dance that fine line between honesty and tactfulness. After some particularly vitriolic feedback from a disgruntled amateur thespian’s mother, they decided only... Read more
Do you regularly fly past The Propeller Inn, that big shed-like pub by Bembridge airfield, and wonder if it would be worth stopping? Well, we’ve landed there for you. Despite this being a bustling family pub on a busy evening we were immediately greeted on arrival, and taxied to... Read more
It’s been a long time since we were truly blown away by food which we once described as rock ‘n’ roll. That was in the glory days of Nomad; a funky concept, fusing Asian and Latin American flavours with a dynamic peripatetic energy which, alas, burned bright and faded... Read more
Every town has one. No, not an idiot – they are apocryphally the preserve of villages – but an Italian restaurant. You know the place; it’s been part of the street scene since the days when the post office was operational, not simply a historic landmark. Shanklin has the... Read more
There was a time in Ventnor when you could have an Italian dining experience from the international offering at Fogg’s, with its menu from around the world in platey ways. And, of course, the teams at Tramezzini, Cantina and the venerable Bonchurch Inn, have been banging this particular dinner... Read more