Matt and Cat\'s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide
You don’t need Matt and Cat to tell you, but they will anyway – the Isle of Wight is a really great place. They...

You don’t need Matt and Cat to tell you, but they will anyway – the Isle of Wight is a really great place.

Baywatch Special Gourmet Burger

They love living here and particularly enjoy the varied scenery and disparate local cultures. From the chalky downs and county set to the twiddly coastline with its yachties there’s something for everyone – unless you like miles of “boring landscape”, in which case you can go to Hull.

One of the pleasures of eating out for a hobby on the Island is that whatever mood you are in, and whatever location you fancy, there’ll be an eatery that ticks those particular boxes. Whether or not it’s actually a good place to eat can depend on a host of factors, some of which may have naff all to do with the restaurant itself. Such as if, like Cat, you’d unexpectedly had a plate of irresistible food and then gone out to dinner with a full stomach. Noob mistake.

In a month that had seen them eat in a variety of seaside places: indulging at one of the Island’s poshest venues; enjoying a sunset dinner with pals and nibbling seafood at the Old Gaffers, Matt and Cat thought they’d round it all off with a revisit to the Baywatch on the Beach. First reviewed in 2006, this third trip was prompted by a succession of increasingly negative comments from visitors to the venue who had chosen to express their disappointment on this website. With so many seemingly disgruntled customers Matt and Cat decided to give the place another go.

Baywatch Bolognaise

You lot have probably heard enough of Matt and Cat’s hypothesis of diminishing returns when it comes to seaside eateries. Even so, you can have it again. In many cases it seems that a venue’s nearness to the coast is proportionate to the quality of its food and service, i.e. the nearer the sea, the more lacklustre the eatery. This is not a theory that bears much scrutiny: undoubtedly some of the Island’s finest restaurants are within spraying distance of the briny stuff. But others seem to take the availability of a view to mean that standards can slip with impunity. Which class would the Baywatch fall into?

Baywatch on the Beach’s location cannot be faulted, with its proximity to a pretty beach, locally rare sand-dune habitat and a handy car park. The view across the mouth of Bembridge Harbour provides a great point of interest with St Helens Fort looming in the channel, plus traversing boats and sea birds. However, the restaurant itself is no rustic fisherman’s shack or red-bricked Edwardian villa, like those on the approach. Described rather fancifully by The Telegraph as “grey-green New England-style cabin”, the building is more of a stout but utilitarian beach café than the exclusive formal dinner venue it aspires to be in the evenings. Nonetheless, the practical double-glazed picture windows are probably preferable to rattly old sashes in such an exposed location.

The building is more of a stout but utilitarian beach café than the exclusive formal dinner venue it aspires to be in the evenings

Visitors to the venue during the day will have a café-type experience, as the Baywatch sells light meals and ice cream. Even so, despite having to collect their cutlery and condiments, the counter service day-trippers can still pay nearly twenty quid for a single dish (seared fillet steak).

At night the venue reverts to table service, although on the evening that Matt and Cat stepped over the threshold they stood ungreeted for a while before choosing to wander randomly among the tables. It seemed that a massive party was expected, as the vast majority of the tables were reserved, leaving only a small double between the door and the freezers. No matter, they took it, and sat for a while, gawping at the view and wondering if the counter service was still in operation.

Eventually, having been prompted by someone’s stage whisper, a boy came over and asked M&C if they wanted menus. Having passed over the laminates and listed all the seafood items that were not available – despite being in sight of a returning fishing boat – he disappeared, shortly replaced by a young girl who took their drinks order. After she’d gone, her place at Matt and Cat’s side was filled by a man who also offered to take their drinks order. This pattern of neglect then over-compensation was however, not repeated throughout the meal, or at least the over-compensation bit wasn’t – Matt and Cat were mostly left alone.

Matt and Cat’s bill
Spaghetti Bolognese £11.95
Gourmet burger £13.95
Sol beer £3.50
Lime cordial £1

Cat, still pretty full from some unexpected food she’d eaten earlier elsewhere, scoured the menu for something cheap as she knew she wouldn’t eat much of it. Even the salads started at prices just shy of £14 so, at £11.95 it would have been a toss-up between moules or Bolognese. Having already been told the moules were not available the choice was made for her, Baywatch Bolognese it was. Matt stuck with his default choice of burger. The Baywatch Special Gourmet Burger promised all of the trimmings and was described thus: “Our king-sized Aberdeen Angus gourmet burgers are non-greasy with that rich ‘true beef’ taste. Served in a luxury seeded sourdough bun with mozzarella cheese, gherkin, spicy tomato and onion chutney, cos lettuce, crunchy fried onion, beef tomato and bacon – all accompanied by fries on the side – WOW!!” Some description; would the food itself be two exclamation mark-worthy?

The girl buzzed around their table bringing drinks, then – in a surprisingly short space of time – dinner. Cat’s generous pile of Bolognese was served on linguini and under a scattering of Parmesan shavings. Some sprinkled chopped parsley garnished the dish and provided a nice contrasting colour. Bolognese is usually a safe bet; there’s not much really that can go wrong with such an easy-cook classic. Cat was impressed with the finely minced beef and thought that the linguini was a good alternative to spaghetti. However, the Bolognese sauce itself was a bit bland and not cooked long enough to really melt into a smooth, rich medium. Cat would have preferred sweeter, less acid tomatoes and a perhaps more garlic. She pushed it around in a valiant attempt to look like she’d made a good effort but her heart wasn’t in it.

Matt’s burger looked pretty impressive. The sourdough bun bore its luxury seeds proudly, and the dish certainly had all the ingredients listed, in good supply. This was, perhaps, the kind of dish that he’d been hoping for when he ordered a Coast Stilton Burger in Cowes recently, and had been disappointed. On digging in, he found the dish adequate, but undistinguished. The bun, under its jolly seeds, was just a bun. The meat was average, but the salad and gherkins were crispy and added a good bite to the meal which would otherwise have risked mediocrity.

As Matt polished off the remnants of Cat’s discarded Bolognese – which he, too, thought could have been tastier – the diners were aware of the nearby tables being cleared of their dinner settings. So the expected vast party hadn’t shown up; or maybe, they mused, the set tables had all had ‘reserved’ labels on them for some other unfathomable reason, and your reviewers had sat in the corner all evening when they could have been on a comfortable table further in. Matt and Cat got the vague impression of being encouraged to eat up. Once they had, and made it clear that they were too full for pudding, they were again left alone. No offer of coffee, no bringing of the bill, no ‘did you enjoy your dinner?’ chitchat. Nothing. After a while of being the only ones left in the restaurant and feeling a bit awkward with the tidying up going on around them, they gave up waiting for the bill and Matt went to the counter to pay. On finding out that he was not a holiday-maker, the chap behind the bar became unexpectedly garrulous and chatted to Matt amiably. But it was all a bit too late – the time for friendly interaction should have been when Matt and Cat stepped through the door.

The Baywatch on the Beach is a dichotomous place; its rather feeble restaurant personality is overwhelmed by its far more lively casual beach café persona. The staffing reflects this incongruity. M&C congratulate enterprising children who supplement their pocket money by squirting ice cream into waffle cones for refreshment-needy beach citizens, or serve them lunch. But frankly, at the prices this place charges, and at that time of night on a schoolday M&C expect to be served dinner and alcohol by adults. Nor do they wish to have a dinner looking at a pile of folded beach umbrellas stashed up against a chest freezer, or have the staff so obviously waiting to leave. The food wasn’t bad but the whole experience lacked warmth, and the venue, despite its superb location and well-appointed interior felt unatmospheric. It’s possible that for lunch or snacks the Baywatch is a great spot – albeit not a cheap one. However, there are plenty of other beach-side venues that offer truly enjoyable, relaxing dining at comparable, or better, prices.

  • IA&HG says:

    3/5. Overall, we found the view sublime and the service reasonable on this glorious September evening. We enjoyed the starters of crab bake and grilled sardines, but felt the main courses were disappointing: the Thai style mussels had an overly sweet Thai sauce ruining otherwise perfectly good mussels and the Burger looked to be good quality, but the meat was surprisingly dry.
    On providing feedback on the Thai dish, we were told the main chef was away, so it seems good to phone up and check this aspect in advance and not settle for anything less than the main chef!
    The great location and gorgeous view almost makes up for culinary disappointments, but perhaps they have too many visitors and no longer care after “14 years”, which is a shame.
    We will return and try again, as this place deserves to be great again.

  • AP says:

    The service is just so bad! Comically bad! Sometimes I feel it’s like a scene from fawlty towers! Like so bad that it almost adds to the charm. But not quite. If you don’t like people then don’t open a restaurant. Such a shame as the view and history of the place is so great. It just needs some warmth and the odd smile.

  • B & K says:

    Positively the worst coffee I have ever drunk anywhere in the world.

  • PAUL MULLERY says:

    I am forming the opinion that this eatery is a spoof, like Fawlty Towers. You go there to be upset or as actors in a Brian Rix farce. Been there myself and agree with all the comments on here. The proprietor is obviously taking the mick.

  • vfbb says:

    Avoid. We asked a member of staff for a tea spoon to feed the baby some of the ice cream we had purchased from them she refused saying that if they let people have teaspoons they got stolen. We ended up leaving a £5 deposit to obtain a teaspoon. Ridiculous.

  • HungryPeter says:

    I played at being a millionaire and ate at Baywatch. I wanted a sausage and onion baguette,but the girl serving stated that they did not have any onions. WHAT? Like a pub with no beer!
    Anyway, I settled for a ham sandwich-very expensive, I thought. My friend ordered a crab sandwich. They arrived. We were not impressed. I don’t expect to pay like Donald Trump, only to receive margarine on my bread!

  • Gill Lee says:

    Although my husband & I have been visiting the Island for 30 years we had never tried the B on the B until last week. I can definitely say that it will be another 30 years before we go there again. The place was overstaffed by disinterested teenagers who had no idea of customer service. The breakfast was adequate but ridiculously overpriced, we paid £16 for 2 meals that we could have got for £10 elsewhere. In future we will stick to the Yaverland Kiosk which has a better view, friendly & efficient staff, excellent food and we only pay £10 for our breakfast!

  • Roger says:

    We holiday on thbe Island every summer & made a return visit to Baywatch on July 14. Excellent Lobster Salad, efficient service, and thanks to Charlotte, who ensured that our visit was an enjoyable, pleasurable experience.

  • Gavin says:

    After walking from Seaview to Baywatch beach, we stopped off for refreshments. The coffee was good and the huge fruit scone we rewarded ourselves with delicious. It was served still warm and was packed with succulent fruit. I hope this is a regular morning offering! The service could have been quicker as noted by others. Perhaps the owner should keep an eye on the queue?

  • Lindsay says:

    I often visit Baywatch (only ever for coffee or lunch) and I sadly have to agree with M&C on so much. It is the location that keeps this place in business as it certainly not the efforts of the staff who are, at best disinterested, and at worse surly and lazy. However, when I have friends visiting the Island I persevere as it truly is a magical location.
    This year however I was astounded at the lack of business interest. Myself and four friends made our way down for Sunday breakfast- we wanted the full works and would easily have spend about£10 each by the time we added a few extra lazy Sunday morning coffees after the full English! We arrived almost an hour before the end of breakfast and were the only people there looking to eat. The disinterested / surly girl behind the counter informed us that due to staff shortages they ha finished breakfast early, just five minutes or so before we had arrived. No apology or attempt to offer some form of alternative.
    I was somewhat amazed that in this day and age of struggling businesses, people pulling their belts in, and at a venue which quite frankly has a lot of work to do on their customer satisfaction, that they allowed £50 to walk out the door rather than cook a bit of bacon, for the only potential customers,during their advertised breakfast hours!

    Next years visitors to the Island will be experiencing an alternative location for their Sunday breakfast!

  • Becka Kirby says:

    Hi C & R,
    Reading your comment regarding poor service and dry cakes has really annoyed me!! I own the Vineleaf Coffee Shop at Rosemary Vineyard in Ryde. I get so annoyed when i read customers complaints about beining served poorly or rudely in cafes etc. Our aim at the vineleaf coffee shop is to be friendly, polite and as helpful as possible to our customers.We pride ourselves in freshly prepared food and homemade cakes and homemade scones and clotted cream teas. I would like to offer you and your daughter to come to us and have tea and cake for FREE and i promise they will not be dry and you will get friendly staff!! Please come and give us a try! Check out our facebook page for pics of our cakes and scones. My email address is becka24@live.co.uk, if you are interested then email me your name and i will ensure my staff are aware and will give you your cakes and drinks complimentary !

  • C & R says:

    Popped in this afternoon for a couple of (dry!) cakes to take out. The waitress was so preoccupied being preoccupied that she failed to notice she served another couple of customers at a different till, even though I had been stood waiting with my four year old daughter since before these customers even entered the premises. When she eventually ambled across to serve me, I explained that I had in fact been before the other customers, to which she just looked at me and shrugged her shoulders! Almost left without my cakes but did not want to upset my daughter. So I continued with the sale and was further annoyed that the whole transaction was carried out without a ‘please’ or a ‘thank you’ on the part of the waitress!! Really, when will the staff in this place acknowledge that manners cost nothing?! Or perhaps it is due to costing nothing that the staff are so reluctant to serve their customers with them.

  • Downsviewduo says:

    I appreciate Charlotte taking the time to ‘comment on my comment'(!); but I would just like to reiterate that we were INSIDE the establishment, not even near a door, and it literally was a constant supply of the winged terrors! I know that they can be a problem, but we have eaten at many other establishments over the years (both inside and out) and have never seen anything like it! That’s the wonderful thing about opinions though……. everyone has one!

  • charlotte says:

    in response to downsviewduo i have nothing to do with the baywatch but i feel it is very unfair to even complain about the amount of wasp at an establishment what would you like a bussiness to do i know for a fact that unless you know where a nest is it is very hard to stop wasps and the nest can be up to 2 miles away. Unfortunatly it is the time of year and they are attracted to anywhere that has alot of food and drink.

  • Downsviewduo says:

    We had a cooked breakfast there and it was a disappointment. Quite expensive, not the best quality ingredients; the sausages were particularly bad, and clearly deep fried. It’s certainly in a nice location, and although the interior is pretty basic it was clean and bright. However, regardless of all the above, the worst bit of the visit for me was the amount of wasps. In the time we were there I had to dispose of at least a dozen, and we weren’t there that long! I just can’t believe that the owners haven’t noted this problem and taken steps to remedy it.

  • JanFran says:

    Do they have hand-cut chips (on shoulders) in Hull?

  • da yw wyth says:

    Actally Hull has the fantastic landscapes of the Wolds right on its doorstep! And the city itself has the wonderful old town with its Land of Green Ginger and the unparalleled Bob Carver Fish and Chips. If you must do mainland reviews, please try there instead of the hoity-toitiness of Lincoln and Cambridge!

    As for Baywatch when I went the middle-aged proprieters seemed only interested in smooching in the corner whilst a pair of teenages did all the work!

  • Roger says:

    I recommend Baywatch without reserve. The lobster salad was excellent, the service was superb, our waitress who was called Jess was an absolute delight. This will not be our last visit. I hope Jess is there next year.

  • gourmet joe says:

    Supper July 12
    Great food – great service, simply divine seafood. My teenagers loved the Gourmet Burgers, ‘the best ever”

  • Midlands Mark says:

    Matt, Cat…..
    We couldn’t agree with you more.
    Unfortunate ‘Grockles’ such as we are treated with the invisible contempt you described in your article about the Baywatch.
    The staff are uninterested – the owner particularly so. The food (and we had the burger too) is ordinary and expensive.
    Pity, because it’s in a great location and could be superb.
    I hope they read your review.
    Mark

  • mike says:

    i agree with most of the comments above about the baywatch dont mind paying top prices for top quality food but in my experience the food is not top quality.

  • Ringo says:

    Yep, B on the B is a cynical operation, no doubt about it. Trouble is, like a motorway service station, it’s got a captive market. What is needed down there is some competition – maybe somebody could start something up over near Woodknutts boatyard at the other end of the Duver. On a more positive note, St Helens Restaurant, up in the village, by the green, is apparently going to re-open soon under the stewardship of Dan Maskell, a former head chef at the Royal in Ventnor, who should know what he’s doing. Putting you on review standby, M&C…

    Matt and Cat respond: way ahead of you Ringo, we’ve just announced the same news in our free email gossip newsletter. We hope Dan does start up in St Helen’s, could be great!

  • Wildlife Gardener says:

    Pah! Giorgio Locatelli is an amateur…

  • Bushy says:

    I have in front of me the recipe for Ragu alla Bolognese from “Made in Italy” by top Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli. He describes it as “the most famous Italian ragu” and – guess what – the recipe for a serving for eight includes two cloves of garlic.

  • Wildlife Gardener says:

    Ha Ha! In a British Bolognese, anything goes – Heston Blumental slings oxtail and star anise in his. Ama Madonna!

  • rambler says:

    Comments about Baywatch confirm our experience; ideal setting, far from ideal service, food or prices. Certainly one to avoid.

  • mattfromryde says:

    3 summers back we took some friends to this place, to be greeted by a queue of people waiting for a free table. I asked the chap in charge if it was possible to reserve a table and return. He replied that it was not and queuing was the only option. We queued for a good 20 minutes, but as we moved to occupy a vacated table, he sprinted across to explain that the table had been reserved. At that point a group of people he clearly knew pushed past the queue and sat at the table. When I asked for an explanation he shrugged, grinned, turned his back on us and walked off. I defy anybody to describe a worse experience of customer service.

  • Sue says:

    Thanks for the warning, won’t be bothering with this one on our hols! Will stick to the ones we know are good and that have far better reviews!

  • Wildlife Gardener says:

    ‘Fraid Si is right – an authentic Italian ragu bolognese has no garlic in it: http://www.itchefs-gvci.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=457&Itemid=901. It should be quite bland as it would be served as a starter. It’s just us Brits who beef it up with garlic as a standalone course.

    Matt and Cat respond: ah, we hoped you might provide the definitive answer. Always our authoritative Italian cuisine recourse. Thank you! But of course, this was no authentic Italian ragú, nor did it claim to be. It seems from the almost universal response elsewhere that the British dish, Spaghetti Bolognese (as opposed the the Italian ragú it is derived from) traditionally does have garlic. So the Baywatch wasn’t wrong, but then neither was Si.

  • Bunty says:

    Definitely garlic in a bolognese and plenty of it. Otherwise it is very bland. Am surprised at Baywatch as bland isn’t usually their style of food – expensive , yes. But the yummy mummies and DFTs don’t seem to mind their prices! We had moules at lunchtime – most expensive portion we’ve ever had (but it was large and they did have ‘proper’ frites).

  • fiona says:

    Garlic yes definitely would be too bland without it

  • tony says:

    £13.95 for a burger?

  • Si says:

    Garlic in a bolognese ? , Tsk , Oh no . .

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