Archive review: Joe’s (formerly Joe Daflo’s), Newport
Uncategorised 4th January 2007
Archive review: this venue is closed. Known for many years as “Joe Daflo’s”, the Ryde branch of Joe’s was for a long time one of Matt & Cat’s all-time favourite eateries on the Island. Another branch offering a similar experience exists in Newport – this review is about that... Read more
Farringford, Freshwater
2nd January 2007 5
So, Matt and Cat boast reviews of “the most modest of burger vans to the grandest hotel restaurants”. Burger vans have been covered, but what of those grand hotels? Farringford, Freshwater Cat and Matt had some money for Christmas which they decided to invest at the Poshest Location Yet... Read more
ARCHIVE REVIEW: KFC, Ryde
Reviews 9th December 2006
Archive Review: KFC Ryde is now closed. Matt and Cat have long been occasional patrons of KFC, Newport. but rarely go into KFC Ryde. It was whilst out Christmas shopping with junior reviewers Bill and Jack that Matt decided try the offerings that KFC dishes out in its Union... Read more
St Helens Restaurant
3rd December 2006 41
St Helen’s Restaurant has closed and is now reopened as Dan’s Kitchen. The reviews and comments below refer to the previous owners. M&C will be reviewing the new venue in due course! St Helen’s Restaurant was first visited by Matt and Cat in 2006, shortly before it was awarded... Read more
Hong Kong Express, Newport
26th November 2006 14
What excitement! Matt and Cat’s favourite Chinese restaurant has opened a new branch in Newport. Visitors to the Ryde branch will recall how the Hong Kong Express interpretation of a fast-food joint made such an impression on your reviewers: well, now the Hong Kong Express magic has been applied... Read more
The Smart Fox, Brading: archive review
Uncategorised 31st August 2006
Note: the Smart Fox is now closed and was replaced by the Dark Horse, which itself closed and was replaced by Kynges Well. Brading is one of the Island’s quaint tourist towns, where, in the daytime, the coaches disgorge bemused oldsters to totter from tea shop to toilet and... Read more
Afton Park Nursery / the Apple Tree Café
27th August 2006 9
Update May 2009. Matt and Cat revisited the Apple Tree café at the suggestion of a fellow Tweeter. Read M and C’s comments below, with earlier efforts below that. Having waxed lyrical about the café at Afton Nursery, Matt and Cat were surprised but pleased to get a request... Read more
Archive review: Siam Pearl, Shanklin
Uncategorised 25th May 2006
Archive review: Siam Pearl is now closed In the middle of the last century, the mock-tudor cafe of K. Gray & Sons Ltd was an impressive feature of the High Street where day-trippers took afternoon cream teas before strolling along the golden sands. Today, this oasis of civilisation survives... Read more
Saffron, Cowes High Street
23rd April 2006 4
Cowes is like a little seasonal enclave of metropolitan mainland which has somehow become established on the overseas territory of the Isle of Wight. The closer to the summer it gets, the more that people in Cowes drive posh cars, talk loudly on mobile phones, hurry around busily and... Read more
The Seashell Restaurant and Grill has now closed. It was succeeded by the Bay Grill. Appley beach is beautiful, with wide stretches of pale sands, shoreside trees and wooded parkland. From the outside the Seashell Restaurant and Grill doesn’t do justice to its unique surroundings. It looks like a... Read more
