Crab Inn, Shanklin
16th March 2010 13
Matt and Cat like going to Shanklin’s Old Village and smugly playing I-Spy with restaurants’ doors, spotting their ‘Recommended by Matt and Cat’ stickers. The excellent Pendleton’s, the Black Cat Thai restaurant and homely Village Inn all sport their green and black badges of recommendation. With an appointment in... Read more
Archive: Goodman’s Deli, Ventnor
Uncategorised 7th March 2010
This is an archive review. Goodmans Deli is now closed Matt and Cat have often bemoaned the fact that their home town of Ryde has not a single delicatessen to its name. Eating-out places jostle for attention, but if you want to buy artisan cheeses or gawp at the trotter... Read more
Hantsweb Awards 2010
23rd February 2010 3
As regular readers will know, Matt and Cat’s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide was a finalist in the prestigious Hantweb Awards 2010. The competition, in its seventh year, received a record number of nominations, almost 1400 in twelve categories. As well as some excellent nominated websites, the competition... Read more
Purple Mango, Shanklin
18th February 2010 24
It’s been a tough week for Matt and Cat. Having enjoyed a wonderful Valentine’s dinner at a distinctive Island B and B, they stuffed themselves with breakfast the next morning and legged it to the ferry. A mainland carvery completed the weekend’s eating out but that wasn’t the end... Read more
The ‘V’ Word at The Royal
Uncategorised 4th February 2010 3
Aren’t humans lucky? We somehow find this lovely planet awash with things conveniently at a manageable scale: buttons, houses, cutlery. Also, being omnivores, we can eat pretty much anything. It’s as if it was all designed for our use! Imagine how dull life would be if you were a... Read more
This is an archive review. Chapel Coffee lounge is closed. Years ago, Cat used to work in a department store. In a comparison to the fictional Grace Brothers of ‘Are You Being Served’ fame, she was not the perky sales assistant Miss Brahms, played with cockney aplomb by the... Read more
Community Café, Ventnor
1st February 2010 0
Hippies, eh, with their free love and beads. Ventnor’s bloody full of them. In the 1960s they say all the beardy-weirdy sandal wearers ended up in this most southerly town because it had the perfect climate for growing cannabis. Whether or not that was the reason, it seems that... Read more
Ocean View fish and chip shop, Ventnor
1st February 2010 29
Fish and chips, unlike revenge, is not a dish best served cold. In fact, cold chips, unlike cold pizza, is a meal fit only for seagulls. For this reason, Matt rarely gets to sample fish and chip takeaways unless they are quite close to his home town of Ryde,... Read more
Bombay Palace, Ryde
24th January 2010 7
You know how it is, just when you think the world has coughed up the last bunch of ‘celebrities’ larking about for our amusement, the apparently bottomless barrel is scraped for more. January is the month of Celebrity Big Brother and Cat has outed herself as a fan of... Read more
Little John Eater, Ryde
24th January 2010 2
The famously mis-spelt Long John Eater has spawned a sidekick – and Ryde Esplanade has gained another fish and chip counter. The Little John Eater is more than a counter opening onto the esplanade – but not a great deal more. For sit-down meals there’s the Long John next... Read more