This eatery on Ventnor Seafront has been through many guises to now with a massive revamp. Basically the place has been de-scaled, gutted and marinated into a pristine white condition. The only colour you will see is the hue of the sea and sky through the window morphing from cool greys to aqua blues.

The menu is mostly fish, touched with flavours of Asia bonded with a slither of Italy. I have admired Adam’s cuisine for many years. I like his down to earth approach of using current modern influences.

Ventnor being a sort of fishing village fresh fish makes sense. I ordered the seafood risotto. It was a very tasty thing albeit not strictly a risotto being drier it was more of a pilaff. It was brimming with clams, haddock, topped with a crispy topped, moist slightly pink in the middle chunk of salmon. Quite delicious.

I also dived into the tiny passion fruit panna cotta with raspberry sorbet and a shard of meringue. The latter was not necessary. I have been back since.

Where is it: Ventnor seafront

Tel: 01983 855938

www.tramezzini.co.uk

Dishes are well cooked and unpretentious, Chef Neil likes to present an eclectic menu with interesting touches.

Confit of duck tart topped with soft red oniond and balsamic dressing. Crips short pastry, rich and moreish filling. My pan fried sea bass came with lovely pea an potato croquette with an interesting warm salsa Verdi. I loved the pudding a simple baked apple with a walnut and maple syrup sauce and walnut ice cream.

The whole meal was carefully cooked, full of flavour and great value for money. I paid a second visit few weeks later and standards and consistency were right up there. Here is a classic example of an eatery with a plan and makes it work.

Two visits in less than a month is saying something for me, although one of the visits was planned by others.

Charlie and his family have turned The Duck into a bright and airy restaurant which has a truly cheering factor.

The menu is not too large – good start. I hate a long menu a) because it is difficult to maintain quality and freshness and b) It takes me ages to choose what I want. A small menu is easy because like most people I have certain foods that I always go for, duck, game, cod, crab, mackerel.

There is an element of creativity interspersed with traditional. I chose my first course based on the fact it seemed like an unusual combination and had the be tried. The seafood soup had an excellent flavour and creamy texture it came with breaded, crispy whitebait. It was an inspired pairing. The rump of lamb main course was pretty traditional and well executed. Desserts are typical brulee, brownie etc but presented in an very pretty and tempting way.

Where is it? - Ryde seafront going towards Seaview. On the corner opposite the boating lake.

Tel: 01983 613925

www.theduckiow.co.uk

I really like consistency. There is nothing more disappointing than having a great meal one week then taking your friends back, having raved about it, only to find standards have dropped, chef has changed, the menu is significantly different. No such thing happens in Dan Maskell's kitchen. A dish this year of Roast Partridge with boudon noir was beautifully prepared and came with perfectly cooked vegetables, excellent black pudding (not the supermarket variety) and the rich sauce reduction. Dan tries the odd unusual thing which I applaud but not always successful such as the cold tomato soup with avocado sorbet. Both were good in their own right but it was a disjointed marriage. I used to make a hugely popular chilled tomatoes and red capsicum soup Recipe below. when I had my restaurant. The trick was that it had to be ice, ice cold, very fresh and strongly flavoured.

I asked him If I could mix up his puddings so that I ended up with soft wobbly ginger jelly with Rhubarb sorbet. This is an obvious and well tried combination and it was a joy to eat. But not for long because the ration was far too small. I like my puds to last more than two mouthfulls. Small portions are fine if it is a taster menu.

Tel: 01983 872303

www.danskitchen.com

The main storey is Robert Thompson is back in the kitchen..

I never talk about drinks because the WGFG is all about the food but I must make an exception. I had never heard of it until I popped into Thompson's for a bar snack one Saturday lunchtime. I was given the none alchohol drinks menu and saw a small range of cocktails that really grabbed my attention. The description included words like herbs and seeds. I chose one that sounded light and fresh with the main ingredient of Seedlip Garden 108. It is the best drink I have ever had. It was very expensive. I googled it with the intention of buying a bottle of the cordial and discovered why the cocktail was so pricey. Having said that I am looking forward to drinking the cocktail again – very soon .

When  an eatery has a reputation for being too expensive for the average pocket of a foodie, like me who is not rich, but eating out is their hobby they will go for the lunch menu which is normally cheaper. This is their first adventure into a fine dinning restaurant and it has to be a good experience if the eatery wants them to return for the higher priced a la carte menu. The risk with fine dinning is that because portions are miniscule if the flavours are not an instant "hit" all is lost. It is one thing to be eat with ones eyes but  My job is to see through that and test for taste.

This year I have popped in for bar snacks. I have thoroughly enjoyed the rabbit skewer marinated in buttermilk and grilled and an intense chocolate delice was wonderful. Desserts is something that Robert Thompson excels at.

I would love to be a regular customer at Thompson's. It is the only place on the Island where you can try the latest food fads and ingredients cooked with skill but because of this guide I have to spread the money load.

On my last visit with my chum Dorene we both went for the mushroom and butter bean soup. Silky smooth, tasty and stock rich.

I then enjoyed the pink duck breast with a confit of duck leg, roast potatoes and a red berry sauce. This is the first confit of duck leg that I have eaten on the Island (I have tried many) that has been cooked correctly.

The legs should be slowly stewed in duck or goose fat that has been flavoured with mace, juniper berries, thyme, garlic and bay leaf until it virtually falls off the bone. It can then be left on the bone and grilled until the skin is crispy. If I was making a dish with it I would take it off the bone, press it into a metal, bottomless ring, pour over some thick reduction, top with a creamy layer of mashed potato, parsnip or celeriac and grill until brown. Or, wrap it in flaky pastry and make a mini pie to accompany the duck breast. I used to serve both versions at Lugley's in Wootton some 25 years ago.

Dorene had the slow braised beef with superb potato mash; it was simply flavour rich and unctuous.

Unfortunately I am stuck on their raspberry meringue. Many Island eateries have started to produce raspberry meringue in recent years but none have come up to that of Mojacs. It’s not just about meringue, it’s their meringue!

One way to tell whether an eatery serves good food is when a breakaway chef rides off the back of it. A sort of back handed compliment. In the world of advertising a company will pay substantially for a celebrity to promote its products - giving it their seal of approval. However, in the world of eateries to boast that you worked in a famous Michelin starred restaurant or some other acclaimed local eatery comes, bizarrely, for free. Unfortunately such behaviour could damage their mentor by stealing trade or destroying their mentor’s reputation with poor cooking. Fortunately the public are fast learners. On a more serious level there is the issue of intellectual property theft.

Changed handsend of last year. Similar cuisine as before

The food at Burr's suits the surroundings.  Burrs is intimate and very French in style. On the menu was skate with butter sauce. I love skate with beurre blanc and capers but lately I have been cautious. Skate if not super fresh develops an extremely unpleasant taste and smell of ammonia. Burrs version was competently cooked and tasted fresh. Before that I had the scallops with sweet chilli sauce. Scallops are difficult to cook and timing is of the essence – it is more a case of setting the protein rather than cooking it. Chef Matt Burr’s timing was immaculate.  The raspberry meringue to follow was very nice indeed. Matt has been running Burrs for getting on for 16 years and added he is not. Food is as good now as it ever was.]

NB - Avoid the table by the door on a winters night you will be blasted with ice cold air every time the door opens

Where is it? - Seaview High St.

Tel: 612711

www.seaviewhotel.co.uk

Tel: 01983 852186f

www.royalhoteliow.co.uk

What makes a gourmet burger? Is it the quality of the bun, the freshness of the salad, the juicy beef patty that has not been cooked to death but has a nice char grill flavour. Is it the variety of tomato, the dill pickle. Is it dressed with bought in or home-made mayo and American mustard. Is the bun toasted or soggy. Are the accompanying chips skinny, thick, bought in or home-made. Or is it just the fact you are being charged more. The problem with skinny fries is they go cold quick and it is a French concept as is the brioche bun. In a desperate attempt to justify the high cost of a gourmet burger it  has to be de-Americanised and Frenchified. I also think it is an attempt to attract off the street punters into what is essentially a high end restaurant, or is it the recognition that having money does not guarantee good taste so giv-em a burger.

The Little Gloster has a small menu selection. I like this. Large menu choices fill me with dread. How long has the food been hanging around? is it pre- made, frozen then re-heated? Is the eatery so busy that there is a quick turnover of food so a large menu of fresh food can be carried?

The disadvantage of a small menu is choice is limited (not a problem I suffer) so you need to like most things or be prepared to try something new. A slight downside is that their small menu rarely changes.

www.thelittlegloster.com

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It returns after a couple of years in the doldrums as a new chef enlivens this eatery. The funky, misspelled menu has gone. The interior however remains the same. The one major change is that it wants to be a restaurant and not a pub. But it can’t make up its mind whether to offer table service or bar ordering service. I think the eatery prefers the former but the staff are not fully trained to be constantly on the alert.

So, the food. My bet noir regarding risotto was assuaged. I had the tomato and chorizo (fusion?) it was perfectly cooked, rice firm and overall a loose, creamy, texture with an abundance of flavour. Risotto can be boring so flavour has to be nothing less than moreish.

On a later visit I thoroughly enjoyed the pan fried seabass with a giant crab cake and a wonderful tomato, caper and tarragon sauce. The reputation of an eatery can be destroyed in one fell swoop on a head chef’s day off if the second chef is not properly trained. Head chef Dan Mitchel need not worry his second in command did him justice. I am looking forward to a return visit.

These days wherever you go menus are totally predictable, gourmet burger, slow cooked pork belly (reheated yuk), crab cakes, cod with chorizo, goats cheese with beetroot, sticky toffee, panacotta, brownie and so on. Whilst this is more acceptable in a pub than in a restaurant I expect a higher level of creativity as well as first class cooking in a restaurant.

What makes The Taverner’s exceptional is that Chef Roger does offer the odd run of the Mill dish (oddly he no, longer makes his own burgers but buys in local lamb burgers) the majority of his menu consists of eclectic dishes. Yeh! why waste your time on moulding a burger when there is so much more to be created in the kitchen. Indeed all the so called gourmet burgers that I have eaten this year are only better by a very narrow margin. The Brawn who has got fed up of eating out with me recently told me that he prefers a thin rather that fat home made burger because the beef is browned/charred over a greater area and therefore more tasty. I think he has a point.

I remember that when I ran my restaurant foody magazines were far more sophisticated than the publications of today which have been dummed down.

I like this eatery, mostly for the venue - opposite a nature reserve, but the food is great too. I always pop in on a casual basis just for coffee, a snack or to meet up with a chum for lunch and a catch up. It’s that sort of place. I normally park on the edge of Yarmouth and walk along the path past the wetlands, binoculars in hand. Last time I spied a family of teal. The time before  bar tailed Godwits.

Yes they do burgers but give that a miss and go for the Railroad Ruben. A toasted ciabatta brimming with slow cooked slices of brisket, dill pickles, celeriac slaw, melted cheese and some sort of wonderful dressing. But the pièce de resistance is their  dessert. So good I went back two weeks later for more. A glass tower, three crystal clear layers, each one filled with some lusciousness. The bottom larger layer was filled with poached plums in some sort of almond alcohol, the next contained a raspberry sorbet on a puddle of mango puree and the top layer was pooled with intensely flavoured purees, mango and raspberry with something tangy and sharp and garnished with a sort of minty crumb. This has got to be this year’s best dessert. Although that is not to say the Mojacs’ raspberry meringue

More than anything I love their attitude towards feeding the children. Don't expect chicken nuggets!!

Tel: 01983 761 600

www.offtherailsyarmouth.co.uk

www.isleofwightbeachbar.co.uk

Part of a small complex that many moons ago used to be The Brading Wax Works.

There has been a mixture of eateries coming and going at this venue since the Wax Works closed.. Emma (also of the Beach Hut, Bembridge) is now giving it a shot.

What I like about Emma is her massive, unwaning,  enthusiasm and hospitality as well as some jolly good cooking. Her hot crab ramekin is in situe as is her lobster bisque and her magic touches.

From the off you are made to feel very welcome - I am sorry to say such hospitality is sadly lacking in many places on the Island. Clearly Emma can't wait to cook for us and her joy seeps deeply into her fare. Emma is only mildly influenced by current foody fashions. She cooks her own cuisine to her taste.

Food is rustic and tasty served in a cosy setting that has Emma's name written al over it.

Where is it? Brading High St. park in the village car park and walk the few step down to the main entrance.

Tel: 01983 402222

www.theauctioneerwinebar.co.uk

Some eateries have a certain charm that captures the imagination. This tiny eatery accessed up Dickensian staircase emerges into a sunny, slightly retro 50’s room. Even the music is nostalgia ridden.

Food is simple, jacket, ciabatta or wrap with choice of interesting fillings. Soup of Day (SOD as they say in the Antipodes). Cakes are their speciality. homemade on the Island – whatever that means - and extremely good. Definitely of the home-made species. At least three are gluten free and one vegan. I particularly enjoyed (on different occasions) lime and coconut and spicy orange and walnut). Coffee has a good smooth flavour.

Gluten free is so “in” there will come a time when “GF” won’t have to be advertised. They taste as good if not better than wheat based cakes. The same can’t be said for GF breads that are on offer in the Supermarkets. It is getting better, but there is still room for improvement.

They don't serve a perfect cappuccino but the flavour is superb, the best I have tasted on the Island thus far (by the way no one on the Island knows how to make a perfect cappuccino)

Where is it?- St Thomas Square, Newport. Above the fashion shop

How many ways can you make burger and fries or chips. It’s not rocket science yet the eateries that specialise get it right and the rest tend to miss the mark.

If you remember Hard Times in Shanklin in the late 70's you will recall it was burger in a sesame bun, dill pickle, bacon, cheese, hash browns and plenty of cocktails. It really was the in place to be, busy whatever time of year

Before the beefburger took hold it used to be the hamburger at the local town cafe or the Wimpy bar.

Then Hard Rock arrived in London in the late 70's and with it the burger revolution.

These days a beef burger is serves in a brioche bun and at The Smokehouse comes with lots of tasty options. beware portions are generous so don't go overboard unless you are entering a strong man/woman competition

The Smokehouse offer a good beef burger at a good price and it comes with dirty fries - i.e other things piled on top making it a meal in itself. It is aimed at the young and trendy but all ages gather there especially the children of the 60's. If they put in some proper heating I would go there in the Winter too.

A new entry to this guide and a new concept for the Isle of Wight.

Well Bread has a mission statement,  a sort of religious resurrection based upon old fashioned values of honesty and friendship. Basically you order nothing, help yourself and be honest about your consumption when you go to pay.

I was quite excited by the concept and felt as if I was acting in a communal play, a sort of interactive art installation. It may leave some customers feeling uncomfortable but if they stay the course in another way it is confidence building.

Basically Well bread is a bread shop that also sells giant tray bakes cut into good sized wedges. But as well as buying bread you can beak bread with your new found friend on the long scrubbed refectory table. I won't give it all away because this is an eatery to be discovered. Putting it simply it is a DIY cafe that sell fantastic bread. Go, try.

Where is it - Cowes High Street walking towards Bath road

Leaps and bounds is how I now describe this great little eatery. Beach Kiosk favourites such as sausage and chips are dwindling in favour of some rather interesting Summer Holiday wonders. Spain? forget it. Stay on the Isle of Wight and frequent this and several other well run summer eateries.

You can still get chips and burgers but why bother when there are more interesting things to chose from.

They are now literally Sky High with a fab upward extension giving even better views over the ocean

They serve the best crab cake I have ever tasted - ever, anywhere in the whole wide world - this alone deserves an award!  Also many wonderful home made soups; including rich mushroom, intense pumpkin with crispy bacon and mozzarella balls.

Island chefs should do themselves a favour and pop along there on a sunny winters day for a warming special.

Where is it? The first kiosk at the beginning of the walk along the revetment to Shanklin.

Tea House  - Ventnor (R)

Tea House offers a very short menu of simple well cooked lunch time dishes. Soup, sandwich, savoury tart, little salad. All very fresh and nicely cooked. You are confronted with an array of home made cakes displayed on the front counter. Staff are relaxed and easy going which makes for a comfortable drop-in.

Tea House: 40 High Street, Ventnor

Tel: 01983 856478

Piano Cafe - Freshwater (R)

Of course this is not a tea house with bone china cups, chintz curtains, and waitresses in black with frilly white aprons. This is the sort of tea house where your would expect to see a coterie of poets huddled in a corner eulogising over the importance of syntax. definitely in keeping being so close to where Tennyson lived.

This year I thoroughly enjoyed there wild mushrooms on toasted ciabatta. There is currently a trend for this dish in several eateries. This was one of the better ones. On another occasion I gave their burger a go. All OK for the price. Now for me there are not many ways that you can improve a burger which is why I rarely order them. But this year I decided to test them where possible. The criteria is as follows....First of all it has to be 100% beef with a touch of seasoning and NO rusk. Nicely browned but not burnt. Bun must be toasted on one side - the inside. 1 lettuce leaf, dill pickle, mayo and mustard mix dressing and maybe a slice of tomato. I am happy for it to come with bought in fries but not if I am paying more than £10.95

Piano Cafe closes during January which probably upsets a lot of people in the West Wight - where else can they go!!. Their menu is simple and uses the freshest ingredients.

Piano Cafe: Gate Lane, Freshwater, just past the church with the thatch roof

Tel: 472874

www.thepianocafe.co.uk

Steephill Cove   is a dream holiday destination for alfresco eating and a cool windy August deters no-one. I have to say that I could spend almost my entire summer eating in this little gem of a place. Coffee and cake, crab sandwich, lobster salad, grilled mackerel.

The Boat House - Steephill Cove (R) PC

My first visit here was over 8 years ago. I fell in love with it. The venue alone filled me with happiness and ephemeral joy to be remembered like a holiday romance. In 2010 the concept is exactly the same. With fresh seafood from boat to table on a daily basis, now as it was then. People ask me why I have given cafe with a small menu offering the most basic of cooking a Highly Recommended award. They have a mission and they deliver it - it's as simple as that.

Imagine the tropics, imagine alfresco eating under the gentle shade of a palm-fringed veranda and you have The Boat House. What a joy, what bliss. What pleasure and how clever to think of planting a piece of the South Sea Islands on our own Wighty shores.

Where is it? . Proceeding by car from Ventnor, the lane leading to Steephill Cove is 50yds short of the Ventnor Botanic Gardens. Cars cannot descend to the cove, but parking is available on the main road; or park at the top Ventnor esplanade car park and take the cliff walk. Approx 30 minutes.

Tel: 852747

www.steephill-cove.co.uk

Crab Shed - Steephill Cove (HR) PC

Simplicity always works providing the ingredients are well chosen and of top quality. Small menus always work and means specials really are specials and not an attempt t get rid of yesterday’s left-overs. The Crab Shack serves the best green salad anywhere on the Island. It is dressed delicately the leaves are fresh and juicy not prickly with rocket and it is lifted with a few circles of wafer thin red onion. It accompanies super fresh fish (usually mackerel) and seafood (lobster and crab) and crab pasties. No puds just ice cream and excellent homemade Victoria sandwich. One of my favourite places. I often walk to Steephill Cove from Ventnor car park. I’m ready for my lunch by the time I get there.

Tel: 01983 855819

Cove - Steephill Cove

Quarr Abbey Tea Shop (R)

I am amazed they manage consistency. Since opening there has been many changes of chef yet the food remains consistently good. The menu is a boring read, paninis, ciabattas, soup, a few specials. But the cooking and presentation raises it the food to a higher level. They buy in their cakes but they are very good. I particularly like the chewy lemon bar and the special Quarr cake which is like a simnel cake. Soups are hearty and flavoursome. I refuse the bread so they give me a few chips instead. This winter I had the baked camembert with a dressed side salad and again with French fries instead of bread – a very posh sort of cheesy chips.

The waitress service has gone much to my relief

Please read previous reviews for more...

01983 898543

www.quarrabbey.org

Where is it - In the grounds of Quarr Abbey which is between Wootton and Ryde

Cooking tip - Beef burgers cooked rare or medium rare should be put into an oven (150-80c) to warm through. The length of time depends upon the thickness but generally peaking a home made burger will be thicker than a bought in one and its edges will be curved rather than straight. Then remove from the oven and cooked on a hot heat either in a pan, clean griddle - that has no residual black bits - or under a hot grill.

This also applies to rare and blue steak