Correo Lounge, Newport

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 ever to say nice things. So if ever you read a write up with a gushing account of the scenery, you’d know that the play was a stinker.

Likewise, we’ve written many words about nice cutlery and menu layouts, to avoid being unkind about lacklustre food. So, following this formula, when we start this review discussing the interior design of Correo Lounge, you might be expecting us to think little of our meals. Far from it.

Nonetheless, it must be recorded that the restaurant is an utter marvel of the interior stylists’ work. With each light fitting terminating in either an industrial caged lens or a frou-frouey be-fringed lampshade; walls mosaiced with framed portraits, landscapes and still lives rendered by artists of diverse ability, and mismatched and customised furniture, it is like your nan’s parlour through a thrift shop kaleidoscope.

One thing we were particularly pleased about was the menu. Not only the layout (!), but also the prices. After purse-pounding bills at Thompson’s, Paseo and Catch, we have received representations for accounts of more affordable meals. We actually paid for those dinners, you simply read about them, so we are happy to draw in our financial horns. Cossie livs, innit. (It’ll be back to profligacy on the next one).

The other thing about the menu was the fact that brunch is all day. No early-bird cut off for fans of bacon and toast – or eggs for that matter. Nope, even the latest of risers can have a cooked breakfast at Correo Lounge.

And so it was that a plate of Lounge eggs arrived, served with hollandaise on a toasted English muffin with spinach and mushrooms. Poached eggs, eh; simple yet deceptively easy to get wrong. These ones were textbook. Golden yolks released from their albumen captivity, insinuated their way down the vegetables. The fried mushrooms were that perfect combo of butteriness and saltiness, and the muffin warm and absorbent. The only complaint is that we could have eaten more.

The small macaroni cheese was classic comfort food; perfect for a still-chilly January day. With a generous allowance of hot bubbling cheese, this uncomplicated dish was a good value winter warmer.

The abundance of fabric pleated into every lampshade was not really enough to dampen the sound which bounced around the hard surfaces in the cavernous room, which could be problematic for some people. But otherwise, we had no complaints. The service was efficient, the food competently cooked, and priced very reasonably. We are happy to recommend Correo Lounge – so much so that we went back for a burger and Goan cauliflower curry within a few days.

https://thelounges.co.uk/correo/

99 High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1AB

01983 433105