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George Hotel Bistro - Yarmouth (HR) "Best Sunday Lunch" Award 2010, 201, 2012 2009 - I can never understand why an evening meal in a "premiere" establishment is so much more expensive than their lunch. This is a common trait albeit inexplicable. There might be the odd freebie with the evening meal but apart from that the same ingredients are used. I have been told that it is because the head chef cooks in the evening where as at lunch time it is his protégés. Does this mean we are charged less because there may be errors in the meal? Perhaps so but is this acceptable for a fine dinning eatery or any eatery for that matter. It is a chef's folly to risk his reputation to the vagaries of the lunch time cook. A brave one too or possibly foolish. An eatery with a reputation for good cooking should be consistently good whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner. Interestingly I eat lunch a lot and so do a lot of other people. I conducted a mini survey that showed me dinners would frequent expensive places in the evening rather than lunch time if they weren't so expensive. Is this one of reasons that the Ladies that Lunch, brigade has grown I wonder?? The chef at the George seems to have settled into a successful routine of good cooking. A Birthday Sunday lunch in late October proved to be a masterpiece of finesse. Sunday Lunch was to put it mildly, fantastic. fantastic fish soup, fantastic home made bread, fantastic pork terrine, fantastic, roast beef, gravy, vegetables, brilliant Yorkshire, spectacular roast potatoes, gravy was state of the art as was the horseradish sauce. Puddings, poached pear and star anis pannacota wobbled its way to the table and intense iced chocolate thingy with passion fruit sauce was a sublime balance of flavours. Service was traditional, efficient and polite. We liked the new décor too. Where is it? Yarmouth is so small you will find it on the right as you walk from the Square to the ferry Dan's Kitchen- St Helens (HR) "Best Bistro Style" Award 2012 Formerly known as St Helen's Restaurant it lost its way when Mark gave it up but I am glad to say it is now back on track under the competent hands of Dan Maskell. He used to be head chef at the Royal. He has left his fine dining hat behind and now produces quality Bistro style food. Dishes are typical of the era slow cooked pork belly, duck liver parfait with chutney, fish and thrice cooked chips. My smoked haddock risotto was creamy and runny and full of flavour --I hate dry, overcooked risotto - and the tender duck breast with creamy cabbage and roasted chestnuts was fine and rustic. I have eaten there three times in three months which says it all. Sunday Roast - was very good, with the essential crispy roast potatoes and medium rare beef. Deserts are perfectly executed, like the lemon tart which had a lip-puckeringly tangy filling in a crisp pastry case. Where is it? Park on the car park on the green. Walk across the Green in the direction of Bembridge. It is on a corner, you can't miss it. Burrs - Newport (R) 2010 - Still providing tasty well executed dishes. Scallops cooked to perfection; the sardines on toast starter, tasty and robust. For mains we had lamb with blackberry sauce that worked beautifully as a combination and a vegetarian risotto - tasty but we like our risotto to be wet. The raspberry meringues were crunchy, tangy and creamy. Burrs has been serving us good food for years and years. Their consistency for all of this time is to be highly recommended. 2009 -Normally, I visit an eatery on my own, although occasionally with a friend or maddish-mum. This means I have to judge an entire menu based on three dishes. Therefore I tend to choose dishes that are a true test, something with pastry, something that must not be overcooked such as fish, something that most cooks/chefs get wrong such as bread and butter pud or fruit crumble, something that is a classical dish such as Pheasant Normandy. This can be boring. So, when four of us descended upon Burrs this year I could choose my meal with gay abandon knowing that the others would choose differently. With four of us there was twelve opportunities for something to go wrong. This is why I have given them our Best All Rounder award. Nothing did go wrong. Every dish was professed to be excellent, good and gorgeous. We ate, unctuous goats cheese tart, full bodied tasting pate with chutney, perfectly cooked Duck with sticky (proper reduction sauce). Fresh tasting Black bream with roasted peppers. Lovely puds were creamy cheesecake, Marmalade bread and butter, and crème brulée. This little Bistro, once the Tap at the back of the Bugle Hotel - do any of you remember that? has great atmosphere. It reminds me of one of those back street Parisian cafes full of Gitane smoke and accordion music. The food at Burr's suits the surroundings. Where is it? East side of Lugley Street The Black Cat -Old Village Shanklin (R) 2010 - we eat here regularly so I will say no more Second and third visits live up to expectations, particularly the Green Curry I have always steered away from Thai food restaurants in the belief they can never be as good as the real thing. I ended up at the Black Cat in Shanklin because friend Dorene loves foreign food and it was her treat. All I can say is thank you Dorene for liking foreign food enough to try it in the UK. We chose more than we could eat but it was so exciting with its little bursts of exotic flavours that we didn't leave much. Spring rolls - packed with little surprise-nuggets of flavour. The Duck with Chinese five spice - one of my favourite flavourings but probably because it reminds me of the cough tablets (an old fashioned candy) was excellent. The Green Thai prawn curry on the magical side. The Asparagus and baby corn cooked to perfection. The decors is strange for a Thai food restaurant, reminiscent of an oldé English tea shop, but it somehow works and very cosy on Wintry nights. I loved the white chocolate and red berry bruleé , but a bruleé is supposed to be a rich custard made with egg yolks and double cream- one of my most favourite puds so it is always a disappointment to me when I do not get what I am expecting. I loved the flat screen of changing art. Where is it? Shanklin Old Village Waterside Bar and Brasserie - Wootton also known as Lakeside Park Hotel and Spa(R) I am the first to acknowledge that it is difficult to keep good chefs on the Isle of Wight. Our tourism trade concentrates largely on family holidays for those on middle and lower incomes. Higher income visitors are limited to a couple of weeks at their holiday homes in the Summer and Cowes and Seaview regatta weeks. Higher income people that live on the island are few and far between - there is certainly not enough of them to support the top wages of top chefs in more than a handful of Island restaurants - and of course they do not eat out all of the time. In the city, top restaurants rely largely on executives and bankers doing a lot of entertaining and the catchment area is huge. However, that still does not excuse poor cooking abilities in the more affordable places. So, my point is chefs come and go. It is a bit like an MOT on the day it passes but three months later for whatever reason it has a set of bald tyres. This means that some eateries take while to get on these web site. I have been watching the Waterside ever since it re-opened and I have to say food has fluctuated during that time. However, the current chef (Garry Cooke) has been there for almost a year and he has been making his mark. Nina Bulley my gourmet jeweller and I had a surprising, successful lunch just after Christmas. Not perfect but not far off either. First of all we liked the enthusiasm of the staff who seem to have eaten everything on the menu. We started with two beers, sacrilege I know but my tum has gone off wine - apart that is, from Champagne. The menu was a good read I could have ordered any of it. This is bad news because it then takes me ages to choose. Anyway I had the chicken, leek and prune terrine - I have cooked something similar my self but mine was heavier on the baby leeks and lighter on the chicken . This version came with the obligatory -these days - chutney and two thin slices of toasted rye bread. Very Nice. Nina had some crispy goats cheese concoction which looked very pretty and tasted great. For mains my roast partridge was cooked to pink perfection and came with butternut squash two ways puree and roasted and sauerkraut which gave the dish a little edge - I would have liked more sauce. Nina's braised brisket on creamy mash and rich gravy was just the ticket but uncomfortable to eat as it came in a soup plate. We shared cherry cheesecake (delicate) with cherry compote and gingerbread ice-cream which was fab. I will nit-pick as I think Garry wants to be perfect. The chicken terrine was stone cold, the partridge was difficult to cut as the wishbone was left in and the chutney wasn't the most perfect accompaniment. Personally I would have drizzled a light honey-mustard dressing over it. We are looking forward to a return visit. The moto is "use him or loose him." Where is it: Wootton, Wootton Creek on the side going up stream
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Royal Hotel - Ventnor (HR) "Best All Rounder" Award 2010, 2011, 2012 2011 - Two visits in on month plus Sunday lunch earlier in the year can't be bad. We do love to eat in the entrance conservatory so in November Dorene and I went for a late Birthday lunch. Dorene will soon be the Islands expert on pate - whatever flavour with home made chutney as predictably that is what she will order - she had no complaints with her little kilner jar |(current trend) of chicken parfait. My Gallybagger soufflé was perfectly light. The accompanying sauce a little too sweet. Dorene had and enjoyed the wild mushroom pasta and me the fried skate on a bed of linguine flavoured with crab, mussels, cream and tomato - well executed - but the skate was unnecessary. Thrice cooked chips are also a current trend so we ordered a portion between us - good. By the time we had eaten that there was only room for an intensely flavoured vanilla bean ice cream and a very tangy and delicious passion fruit sorbet. We also decided to have our celebratory Christmas lunch three weeks later. Even better with wild mushroom soup for Dorene and light and fluffy blini with smoked salmon and crème fraiche. Followed by an extremely good and robust braised beef with creamed potato, mixed vegetables and a very sticky and rich reduction sauce. We nearest we got to pudding this time was a glimpse of the menu to see what we were missing 2010 - A constant favourite of mine and all of my friends who I take with me. Along with Goodman's, Chale Stores, The Taverners, the Red Lion, Freshwater and the Bonchurch Inn at we tend to frequent the Royal on a regular basis. I have been into Sunday lunches this year, dragging my maddish mum along with me - not that she objects, her love of eating out is as great as mine. We have eaten so many fab dishes at the Royal they all merge into one wondrous melting pot. Suffice it to say we long for our next return. 2009 -The Royal changes little. Always a safe option when entertaining. The dinning room is the same now as it was 15 years ago. it is where I took my mates for lunch on my xxxx! birthday. We had pumpkin and apple soup, coq au vin and floating islands. Anyway, recently I popped in for a solo dinner. It is a hotel where you get a lot of mature solo diners on their solo holiday so I was not alone in my solo ness. I had the gazpacho soup which was not remotely like gazpacho but more of a salad soup with avocado sorbet. It was very nice and only disappointing in that I love the authentic version of chilled gazpacho so much. The main was amazing in its daftness of presentation and its deliciousness of flavour. A rock-pool presentation of monkfish, seafood and cauliflower puree. We also like the Brassiere in the conservatory at lunch time. A very recent November lunch was one of those episode where you wanted to return the next day for more. The Venison faggots with mash, curly kale, red cabbage and onion rings was possibly the best main course I have had this year. My chum Dorene had the Brill in light crispy batter, superb fresh tasting mushy peas, homemade tar tar sauce and fantastic three times cooked chips. - all very "brill". At last someone knows how to make proper chips. The best on the Island without a shadow of a doubt. A place I want to return to soon. Where is it? Drive west along the Ventnor Esplanade up the steep hill, turn left and there you are Mojacs - Cowes (HR) "Best Pudding of the Year" Award 2010 and 2011 2011/12. They still please my taste buds with good honest flavours. In fact only today 6th January I noticed that they were open for lunch so I popped in for their open omelette topped with crispy bacon, creamy brie and served with pesto. I have to say it is the best thing I have eaten for a long, long time - apart from my own Christmas Dinner which this year was Pheasant Normandy. Their meringue and raspberry pavlova is as good as ever. 2010 - last year I gave them the best pudding award and I am inclined to do the same this year for the same pudding and for the same reason. I will miss out all the superlatives and simply tell you that their soft raspberry meringue offers light sweetness, zingy sharpness and cool creaminess in every mouthful. The lemon tart at the Hambrough was a very close second but I like the robust goodness of Mojaco's pud. The lamb en crouté (posh lamb pie) was full of herby flavours, the duck in orange sauce while not being a true sauce Bigerade was light and zingy. My mate Dorene and I left stuffed and satisfied with good 80's style restaurant food 2009 - Mojac's is a bit of a dark horse. They quietly go about their business of serving extremely competent and tasty dishes. There is a hint of the 1980's restaurant food here. None of the Gordon Ramsey protein with salsa or Heston Blumenthal's world of let's destroy a traditional dish. Mojac's is serving good honest restaurant food. I went with my jeweller friend Nina Bully who enjoys nice grub and it give us a chance to discuss work and compare notes. My starter was not shy in coming forward. Sauté of chicken livers with black pepper cream one of the best I have tried and so peppery it left a delightful tingle in my mouth. Nina had the avocado and feta salad, it was fresh, cleansing and nicely dressed. My oven baked cod on smooth buttery mash with creamy peas and bacon main course was divine - again simple ingredients lovingly tended to. Nina went for the duck with orange sauce and declared it to be excellent. However, the star of the show was my dessert. I didn't have room but felt I had to have one to be fair to the readers of these reviews. A soft meringue cake with raspberry compote and a dollop of cool teasing cream. "I will just taste it" I told Nina. 20 tastes later it had all gone. It was a light, fresh, melt, tangy cloud full of love and by far the best dessert I have had this year, possibly last year too. Where is it - Top of Shooters Hill Cowes Albert Cottage - East Cowes Competent cooking at this training restaurant. Most of the dishes are what I consider to be safe for the traditional eater. Farringford Garden Restaurant- Freshwater (R) It is always good to support an eatery that shows promise and the chef at the Farringford is making good headway. No longer can we eat in the famous home of Lord Tennyson, the alternative is a smart garden room with pleasant atmosphere. Our meal was mostly highs with a few lows. The Roast sirloin was over done but the accompaniments were well done. The belly pork came as a huge slab of meat but the grain mustard sauce that accompanied it was delightful. The starter of spiced mackerel with horseradish potatoes was exceptionally good and the piccalilli that came with the pork and ham hock terrine was the best ever. This is a place to watch and encourage. Where is it? West of Freshwater Bay towards Totland |
Hambrough Hotel - Ventnor (HR) "Best Fine Dining" Award 2010, 2011,2012 2011 - Fine Dining is not for everyone. It's a bit like telling someone to buy a Kandinsky painting when they'd really prefer a Constable. Fine Dining is about showmanship, about a chef turning a range of ingredients into a complex and complimentary collection of morsels and presenting them to the discerning diner. The best chefs manage to combine technique and flavour as one perfect and memorable melody. Of course the chef who chooses this style of cooking is really putting his neck on the line. Judgement is far more ruthless when only excellence is allowed. You will pay a lot of money for not a lot of food. You are ( or should be) paying for a culinary experience that is like no other. So, I was looking forward to my experience as was my jeweller friend Nina Bulley. Our meal began with a couple of freebie "sweeteners" which was a strong reminder of my own days as a chef. The first was exceptional, savoury proffiterole filled with a light cream cheese and served warm, followed by a mini foamy, delicately flavoured celeriac soup. I began my experience with a simple quail salad - quail pink and juicy - and Nina had a medley of seafood that looked very much like a rock pool and tasted delicately of the sea. My main was creamy textured and again pink, calves liver, just as it should be with whipped and light mashed potato and a few runner beans - I have to say that the way I prepare my runners is better. The gravy was a light reduction of stock. Nina ordered the squid stuffed with a capsicum concoction and professed t to be tasting delicious. Nina's brulée desert was silky smooth and my blueberry and white chocolate cheesecake was again delicately flavoured. For a smoker delicate flavours can come across as bland, fortunately I do not smoke but I still like and expect intense flavours that excite the palate. Apart from the squid and the proffiterole, everything was rather delicate. Where is it? park on the sea front, walk up to the Winter Gardens and cross over the road. Turn left up the little lane and it is on your right overlooking the sea. Priory Bay Hotel - Seaview (HR) End of 2011 brings yet another new chef. He happens to have flown over form the Hamborough so we should have high hopes. Maddish Mum and I went for Christmas Eve lunch. It was busy and warm-full with holiday guests adding to the atmosphere. Like the current Hambrough, flavours are on the delicate side. The partridge, chicken liver and pear terrine was succulent but overpowered by the accompanying chutney. I really liked the caper berry sauce with the warm salmon which came the size of a canapé. One tip though, it came with braised fennel which was a good match, except I was expecting a nice slice of whole fennel not the bit I would normally chop off and throw away. Again the mains of slow cooked pork and the Bouillabaisse took on delicate rather than robust flavours. The chocolate tort was in fact chocolate pie the accompanying cherry sorbet was excellent, full of depth and flavour. This is a chef worth encouraging and I look forward to him making his own statement on the food he offers. 2010 brings another new chef tries out his style at the Priory. The result is lots of plusses. The butternut squash risotto was perfection. Firm rice in a tasty kind of loose sauce - as it should be. The lamb dish and the duck dish were full of flavour. All the dishes are home made and the vegetables from the kitchen garden. The crème brulée was also perfect. Unfortunately the overly ambitious apple dumplings with chocolate sauce didn't quite work out. - I would have preferred cool cream or ice-cream and smaller doughnuts. I discovered that the new chef is Spanish which may explain the miniscule amount of vegetables. The Pond - Bonchurch (R) Sometimes I love it here and other times I don't. When they get it right it is wonderful. Scallops cooked to perfection. "Gazpacho" one of my favourite soups when done properly is tasty but their version is not gazpacho and it wasn't chilled. The salmon with pesto was perfectly cooked but unexciting. It is one of those places I want to do well because I like the venue so l every year I give it another go. Perhaps a certain well know chef is taking on too much. Having said all of this it is better than the other 90% of eateries on the island Where is it? opposite the Pond at Bonchurch Olivo - Newport (R) 2011 - I have watched Olivo over the years and have enjoyed many dishes in the process. They normally excel at soups and puddings but I have also enjoyed their main courses. In fact this year I was fed my favourite fish dish of the year. Occasionally they get it wrong for instance Minestrones soup that wasn't, French onion soup that was oddly white and creamy albeit tasting delicious. I would give the confit of lamb a miss - they need to check their recipe, but apart from that I have enjoyed many of their dishes. I used to see this eatery as a cafe/bar and indeed it does serve sandwiches, wraps, pasta and pizza but the main dishes are definitely restaurant standard. Earlier in the year maddish Mum and me possibly joining her in the maddish stakes had a superb Sunday Lunch. Everything we had tasted good from to creamy smoked haddock soup to the potato galette with pesto, from the roast leg of lamb with fresh vegetables and good jus to the belly pork on a big pile of perfectly cooked spinach. We only had room left for one pudding to share, we had the special and special it was - poached pear, chocolate ice cream, baked ricotta lemon cake wit the poaches pear syrup. It was one of those made in heaven combinations. I recommend that you stick to the pasta dishes, daily specials and puds. Where is it? St Thomas Square Newport. Seaview Hotel Restaurant - Seaview (R) I have mixed feelings about this place. Quality of cooking can be a bit up and down. Recently I went with my chum Dorene, we have been eating out together for over 30 years and have eaten in many of the Countries best. My a starter of lobster risotto topped with truffle foam was in fact, divine. A nice bit to the rice and a loose wet texture - this is important as risotto will continue to cook and thicken as you are eating it. I thoroughly enjoyed my Confit of Duck leg which was full of flavour but the panna-cotta dessert was too firm - Chefs need to be brave and reduce the amount of gelatine if they want to achieve that silky smooth wobble. Where is it - Seaview seafront
I strongly object to credit card fines for not spending enough - I have to ask what kind of customer service that is? |