Matt and Cat\'s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide
Update July 2011: the Volcanic Steakhouse has closed. The essence of eating out, it might seem, is to employ an expert to cook your food and present it to you. Indeed, it’s a well-established concept, exemplified in almost every other review Matt and Cat have undertaken – the sorry... Read more
Unexpectedly finding themselves in Shanklin one evening, Matt and Cat scratched around for something to do. Tempting as My Fair Lady at Shanklin Theatre was M and C were too late for curtain up, the library was shut and Shanklin Chine was closed for the winter. So they defaulted... Read more
Lakeside Park Hotel, Wootton Bridge
The heroes swaggered through the huge glass doors and entered the gleaming, modernist palace. Spectacular lamps – several feet long – hung over the polished bar. Smartly dressed flunkies shimmered into view and escorted the reviewers to a table with views over the shallow lake, reflecting the twinkle from a... Read more

Purple Mango, East Cowes

2nd November 2008 18

The lights are shining bright in East Cowes these days. Despite SEEDA‘s numinous arrival in the town – now revealed disappointingly as all light and no heat – the brave entrepreneurs behind Saffron in Cowes have thumbed their noses at the economic downturn and opened a stylish restaurant in... Read more
Note: in July 2011 DB’s changed its name to Number 3. Matt and Cat took it into their heads to dine in Cowes. As it was getting late in the season it was pretty quiet, and they enjoyed a peaceful stroll along the parade, watching the Red Funnel ferry... Read more
This is an archive review. Mamma Mia has now closed this restaurant and opened another. This review and the comments on it refer to the former venue. Some considerable time ago, Cat was a regular patron of Pavarotti’s Restaurant in Shanklin. Its Italian staff were very welcoming, the authentic... Read more

Lugley’s, Newport

10th August 2008 9

Matt and Cat like to think of themselves as ‘of the people’ and, unlike other less popular Island on-line eating out guides (you didn’t even know there were any others, did you?), they are happy to try any size of venue from the humble to the salubrious. Often they... Read more
Alexanders is now closed. This is an archive review. What’s the way to find good fish and chips on the Isle of Wight? It’s simple – follow Matt and Cat’s easy guide. Are you right next to the sea? No good chips here – and no good prices either.... Read more

Bengal Palace, Newport

5th August 2008 11

As regular readers of Matt and Cat’s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide may have deduced, the eponymous writers live in Ryde and work in Newport. This geographical predictability means that the reviews on these pages have a tendency to cluster around these conurbations. And, dear reader, you can... Read more

Ale and Oyster, Ventnor

16th July 2008 25

Seeking, as ever, to encourage everyone to chip into the Island’s biggest and best collection of food reviews, Matt and Cat offer a ‘Suggest a venue‘ page where readers can attempt to guide them towards (or away from) one venue or another. It’s well-used and quite a long list.... Read more