Soup of the day at Fox’s was potato and leek. We knew without even asking that it would be potato and leek. Potato and leek soup tells you a lot. It tells you to expect warm, simple fuel. It tells you that you might go away feeling quietly satisfied... Read more
Did you know Dan’s Kitchen in St Helens had closed? No? You’d been trying to get a table at that popular restaurant for ages, hadn’t you? And you didn’t, did you? Well, now you can’t. And nor can we, which is a shame, because it was good. But hold... Read more
Archive review: The Hungry Bear at St Helens has moved and is no longer open at this location. Where do you need to go to find an rhea’s egg on the Isle of Wight? A long time ago it was Fakenham Farm, in St Helen’s. The rheas are no... Read more
We’ve long wondered about the mysterious circumflex at Shêd, in Bembridge. Does it indicate some exotic influence? Or imply some strange pronunciation that only those in the know could deliver correctly? Well, don’t get your hopes up because we still don’t know. In fact, by the time we got... Read more
As exciting as the Needles is with its internationally famous chalk stacks, geologist-stimulating coloured cliffs and the thrill-seekers’ chairlift; you can get a bunch of similar experiences at the eastern end of the Isle of Wight. OK, there aren’t any chalky pinnacles stretching out towards Selsey, but there is... Read more
Cruising at a height of about five feet, we saw the welcoming lights of Bembridge airport and guided our transport down to rest conveniently close to the Propeller Inn – a long-standing venue once frequented by keen aviator Sir Alan Sugar, and recently reopened after a very comprehensive refurbishment.... Read more
“From the humblest acorn, can a mighty oak tree grow,” so said Confucius. Or was it Don Estelle? Probably neither. It’s a hackneyed phrase that no self-aware food blogger should use. So how do we describe the inexorable rise of street food and its steady integration into conventional restaurant... Read more
Ganders, St Helens
Uncategorised 31st August 2015 2
The gravy pooled on the plate; it was not piped, spotted or smeared into a comma. There was no danger at all of bread appearing in a cloth cap, nor vegetables in a flowerpot. Even chips in a bucket seemed a little unlikely. Nothing was deconstructed – on the... Read more
The Dome, Bembridge
Uncategorised 19th July 2013 1
A while ago, Dining Club founder member and inveterate Ventnor baker Klaus lent Matt and Cat a book by Kerstin Rodgers: Supper Club: Recipes and notes from the underground restaurant. This substantial tome told the story of how Kerstin went from keen amateur cook to running the country’s most... Read more
Beach Hut, Bembridge
ReviewsUncategorised 25th November 2012 6
Unless it’s in the resort of Ryde, Sandown or Shanklin, any beach on the Isle of Wight usually earns the title of Locals’ Secret Location. This sobriquet is bandied around so often that one could assume that the majority of the Island’s coastline is a hidden gem. Which, to... Read more