Bar 53, Union Street, Ryde

Note: Bar 53 is now closed.

With a large area of outside seating and an association with the long-established Yelfs Hotel, Bar 53 is a very popular venue for vertical drinking in the summer evenings. However it also serves food, and thus the time came when Matt and Cat passed through its doors in search of a late lunch.

The bar is set in an impressive building, and there is plenty of room – especially if you include the large pavement seating area. The menu is an encouragingly comprehensive one, with some specials at very reasonable prices on the board. Matt selected a house burger, whilst Cat chose mushroom tagliatelle. The food arrived swiftly – as it should have, the place being nearly empty – and with friendly service from the serving staff.

The food looked very good and was mostly pretty fresh – not bad for the last part of a Saturday afternoon. The burger proved to be a homemade treat, with fresh beef still sizzling juice over the perfectly grilled bun and bacon. This was in excess of expectations, especially given the reasonable price. Even better was the tagliatelle which unexpectedly featured a generous helping of tasty wild mushrooms in a lovely creamy sauce. Although the chips with the burger were a little dry, this small failing was more than overcome by the generous and well-presented salad and dressing. The inevitable portion of raw onion was so small that it was hardly worth discarding.

The delightful food was tempered somewhat by the most appalling soul music that blared over the speakers, but, hey, this was after all a bar, so you get the ambience of a bar. The food was worth it. Matt and Cat enjoyed their meal and recommend Bar 53.