Cantina in Ventnor is one of those places that Matt and Cat get asked about a lot, and recommend a lot, too. But those conversations don’t always go to plan. It’s not unreasonable to ask what kind of food they serve at Cantina, but there’s no easy answer, because... Read more
Well, what do you know – the boy has done it again. He’s only gone and opened a restaurant right in the middle of Newport. What, Newport? Seriously, the place where there are two Wetherspoons? That’s the one. Not only that, but in a former cafe overlooking the bus... Read more
Planet Buffet, Shanklin
Uncategorised 31st August 2015
The all-you-can-eat buffet is a curious animal. Almost an equivalent of the popular Sunday carvery – but without the vast sweaty bird – the nature of the buffet system is to prioritise quantity over quality. In places like Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth where you have huge crowds of hungry... 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
This is an archive review. The Ponda Rosa is now closed. A pensioner, a teenager and a toddler walk into a pub and demand lunch. As much as this may sound like the beginning of a joke it is, in fact, a scenario played out every Sunday at Ryde’s... Read more
Archive Review: Burrgrills, Seaview
Uncategorised 28th July 2015
Archive review: this pop-up is now closed. Street food, the sort of nosh that you buy from a hatch in a wagon, is so popular that now they’re opening restaurants dedicated to it. No, seriously. And, to prove that it’s not all fuddy-duddies in faded red trews, the poshest... Read more
The Hut, Colwell
Uncategorised 30th June 2015 4
It’s a ‘hotly’ contested accolade; the Isle of Wight declares itself the Sunniest Place in Britain, despite some vigorous but unsuccessful chest-beating from Eastbourne. An old sun recording machine from Shanklin is in Matt’s possession and, although the natural light in his humble dwelling never troubles its sensitive needle,... Read more
Archive review: Blaze has now closed For many years Matt and Cat took advantage of generous offers punted under what was, until recently, “Orange Wednesday”. The buy-one-get-one-free tickets at the cinema and BOGOF pizza at Pizza Express made for a cheap date night. However, also until recently, Pizza Express... Read more
Seaview Hotel
Uncategorised 21st March 2015 1
There’s something fishy going on at the Seaview Hotel – something fishy and good. It’s always been a decent place for something to eat, but if you haven’t been there in the last year or so, Matt and Cat politely suggest that you rectify that. Chef Bruce Theobold first... Read more
Winter Gardens, Ventnor
Uncategorised 13th December 2014 1
It should never have happened. Only a few years ago the Hambrough Group was sailing unassailably high on the choppy waters of fortune. A Michelin star safely on the wall, expansion was in the air as the Pond Cafe and other properties came successfully under the wing of this... Read more
