Confession time: Cat has never cooked a roast dinner. Nigh-on twenty years as a vegetarian – followed by an astonishing volte-face in 2003 leading her to eat (things with) faces – plus many years as a food critic experiencing other peoples’ cooking, means that she’s never bothered to learn... Read more
Have you noticed how every Indian takeaway menu in Britain is almost always the same as every other Indian takeaway menu? And probably not even Indian. For reasons too culturally nuanced for us to bother exploring, even Indian restaurant menu writers usually include an unornamented section called something like... Read more
Lordy! The landscape of the takeaway has changed enormously since the arrival of COVID-19. We were quite happy with our intermittent curry, the occasional Friday fish and chips and perhaps a cheeky chain burger. But, as the virus rumbles interminably on, so do our stomachs – for something more... Read more
Our bold mission to chart the Isle of Wight’s eating out offerings had something of a setback when eating out became illegal. Undeterred, we have returned to working our way through the Island’s takeaway and delivery options. This week we found an offbeat variation on the theme that we... Read more
Back in the day, BC – Before COVID – Wootton Leisure Strip at Christmas was a sight to behold. Alongside the twinkling twin takeaways of Miga and Balti King, Terry’s fish and chip shop had a refulgent festive lighting display that warmed even the coldest of heart-cockles. As we... Read more
As our tier four neighbours once again rummage through their pantry’s stockpile and scratch their heads for recipes which include chickpeas, three-hundred weight of pasta and a gallon of hand sanitising gel panic-bought in the early days of COVID-19, we lucky Islanders had the choice of three new restaurants... Read more
We love Ryde’s No 64. Of course, we’re all about the nammet so, with their Asian-inspired dishes and hearty stews along with traditional favourites, we’re always spoilt for choice. But what sets No 64 apart is the incredible customer service. Often that choice we want to make is made... Read more
We’d been recommended a curry house in Shanklin as worth a try, so for our next round of COVID-19-safe meals, we wondered if Cinnamon would be willing to deliver all the way to Ryde. It turned out that they would. A polite chap arrived at our door and passed... Read more
You might be under the impression that East Cowes is dominated by the bloat of Osborne House – and we don’t mean food-loving Queen Victoria herself. As everyone knows, the town enjoyed a great boost in fortunes when the royal household established a summer home in this northern corner... Read more
The Taverners has for over ten years been a consistent favourite – not just with us, but with multitudes of Island diners who relish its hearty gastro-pub food and convivial atmosphere. Our first visit to this hostelry was way back when it was called the Cask and Taverners. One... Read more
