Matt and Cat\'s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide

Spitbank Fort

Uncategorised 22nd February 2013 1

Although it is a mere four miles away from home, Spitbank Fort luxury hotel and restaurant is not the sort of place you can just rock up at – it’s a sea-castle in the middle of the Solent for crying out loud. Vessels have to be chartered and lunches... Read more
M&C visited the Priory Bay Hotel for the first time in September 2011. Unexpectedly, their conclusion back then was a less than ringing endorsement. They said “The meal satisfied the tongue, but didn’t stimulate the imagination. And when dining at this level – and at this cost – one... Read more
It’s all over. The sun has resolutely taken off its hat, brushed it down and stashed it away until next year. The summer of 2012, with its diamond jubilee, record-breaking rainfall, Olympics and Paralympics is a distant memory. Wenlock has closed his vast single eye and Mandeville’s name is... Read more
It is often said that the Isle of Wight is England in miniature. With its castles, tube trains, Neolithic stone monument and Doveresque white cliffs, it’s easy to see why the comparison is made. But it’s not just topographically that the Island reflects the rest of England. Visitors and... Read more
After another hard day toiling down the corporate salt mine, Matt and Cat were sat in traffic inching their way homewards. Some might imagine the reviewing duo plotting their next visit to some unwitting restaurant, but nothing could be further from the truth. A typical debate ensued: should they... Read more
England is a country simply dripping with history. Colonials, when visiting, just can’t get enough of it – understandably, maybe, as they have so little at home. The Isle of Wight is no different. Famous as the last place in England to convert to Christianity, later history is equally... Read more
It’s confusing enough that the Island has so many eating-places named The Boathouse. Matt and Cat know of at least four. Of these, two clearly were once boathouses; one other, with some stretching of the imagination, could have once accommodated some modest vessels. But the fourth – the Boathouse... Read more

The Fountain Inn, Cowes

2nd May 2010 3

For once Matt and Cat aren’t going to start a review of a Cowes eatery with jibes about yachties and DFLs. Instead, let them tell you about how lovely this waterfront town was looking on an unexpectedly clement Saturday in May. The sun was shining intermittently though fluffy clouds... Read more
The Reef, Sandown

The Reef, Sandown

Reviews 1st May 2010 8

In the heat of a summer’s afternoon Sandown Esplanade might be mistaken for the Spanish Costas with its towering beach-side hotels, miles of golden sands and the aroma of Ambre Solaire. However, on a miserable gusty evening in April it was more like Skeggie than the Costa Del Sol.... Read more
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