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Red Lion - Freshwater (R) My most recent visit with my maddish mother was Dec 2010' The consistency of the cooking here is so welcoming. No wonder it is always so busy. Portions are generous. Some effort is made to make the vegetables more interesting - a talent that seems to have vanished at most places, not just on the Island either. The food here is really to restaurant standard. Carefully cooked calves liver. Pork cooked to tender perfection and well executed sauces. most recently a huge steak and Kidney pudding, rustic and tasty with rich gravy. Pub Specials Board - Island round up. I have virtually given up on the puddings at most pubs as they seem to have little time to prepare anything homemade let alone decent by the time they have churned out the nuggets, chips, jackets, and daily specials. The pub eateries below make an effort The Pier View - Cowes. They serve excellent home-made burgers with a nicely toasted bun. The chips are bought in and the salad garnish needs dressing. But I am dreaming of eating another burger there soon. Seaview Hotel Pub -Seaview. Good menu mostly home-cooked but less salt please. Lakeside Bar/Restaurant - Wootton April 2010 -The lunch food is adequately cooked but lacking excitement. Chicken on a bed of mash with sauce was competent but kind of ordinary. The venue is fab, I have even seen a kingfisher diving into the river. Jan 2010 - Although I don't actually think this dish works it is served at many eateries so I keep on ordering it wondering if I'll ever "get it". The Lakeside version of Roast cod on a bed of chorizo, and dried, soaked beans with a tomato sauce was acceptable. The cod was perfectly cooked, moist and fresh, the beans were undercooked and the tomato sauce on the delicate side and I still don't understand why chorizo is married with cod - time for a divorce I think. The apple crumble with ice cream was very nice although not strictly speaking a traditional version of crumble. I like the venue, the staff are pleasant. As the rest of the menu reads well so I will return soon.
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Bonchurch Inn - Bonchurch (HR) "Best Pud" Award 2012 2011 - It was music to my ears when the bar man informed apologised for the wait because they cooked their risotto from scratch - quite right too, there is no other way. While I waited I enjoyed the mouth watering aromas from the adjacent table who had been served with beef bourguignon and chicken breast in stilton sauce. Judging from the silence as the six tucked in I assumed it was all good. By today's standards Bonchurch Inn is primitive. The decor is old and smoke tinged. It has clearly escaped the thuggery of the brewery make-over. The ladies loo is outside and the kitchen on the other side of the courtyard, where dished are rushed over in the rain. The only thing that is missing is the wood burner. The risotto Milanese, when it arrived was excellent, the rice had that magic micro-bite, the flavour so intense it did not get boring and the mixture was nice and loose with enough liquid to allow for the continued cooking in its own heat. Now the pudding, Tiramisu like no other, creamy, rich, boozy and moreish. Not only the best on the island but but better than the version at Jamie's Italian in Portsmouth. 2010- This is not just a step back in time but a leap into another world. The small bar at Bonchurch Inn reeks of nostalgia. Pubs when pubs were real pubs - not family eateries. Old men sat around a crib table, ladies in felt hats with their glass of stout in an atmosphere that is dark, quite and restful. It's not really like that but you get my drift. The courtyard entrance tells a different tale of Provincial France, where an ancient stone walled alley leads to a hideaway known only to the locals. The Inn is run by an Italian family steeped in tradition. A few basic dishes such as scampi and chips are available for those frightened of food. Then a typical Anglo/Italian menu with little embellishment, lists lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise, pasta carbonara, and pizza. Actually, I don't like pizza (Posh something on toast) and I am not mad on pasta (just a bland floury vehicle for a sauce) But when I visit this often forgotten inn I love both. The pizza at Bonchurch Inn is a must. The base is tender and freshly baked, not like the hard defrosted rubbish you get in most places and the tomato and cheese topping is intensely flavoured. Their pasta is light and deliciously prepared. They also serve and antipasti platter - great for sharing. They also make the best Tiramisu on the island. In the Winter cuddle up in the tiny bar and on a hot summers day chill out in the Courtyard. By the way beer comes from the barrel. Where is it? - From Ventnor to Shanklin turn right towards Bonchurch pond. Drive slowly or you will miss it. it is on the right half way down the hill. If you get to the church you have gone to far. Over heard in an Island Pub "I'm sorry we haven't got Chardonnay, the nearest we have to that is a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc"!!! New Inn - Shalfleet (R) 2011 - I suspect there may be an air of competition between the New Inn and one of its partner the Boat house at Puckpool. I know which one I favour but things may change. On this visit we, maddish mum and tried the two pork dishes, Sunday roast pork and the belly of Pork, the latter was the best choice. We were having a late lunch and the roast potatoes were not crunchy and the whole meal lacked that vivacity of just being cooked, however it tasted fine, my large slab of belly pork fared better. The highlight of the meal was the steamed syrup and orange pudding. The light and sticky pudding was covered with a layer of orange slices and added another dimension to the pudding. The New Inn has been serving seafood as its mainstay for over 30 years. Chefs seem to come and go. Sometimes it is good and other times it is not so good - largely because of odd combinations and disappointing puddings. My recent visit after a break of 12 months was rather enjoyable. My cod with brown shrimp butter and runner bean vinaigrette was good to eat - I may have added some tarragon to the dressing but that is nit-picking. It came with nicely cooked vegetable -proper al dente and not crunchy. There is nothing worse than undercooked squeaky French beans - they really put my teeth on edge. The new potatoes were maris piper and very tasty. Wisely ,the delicious Ginger pudding with hazelnut ice-cream came from Calbourne Classics, it was v. good made better by their in-house addition of hot molasses sauce. Where is it? By the traffic lights at Shalfleet. |
Taverners - Godshill (HR) "Best Pub" Award 2012 2011 - I continue to enjoy the cooking 2010 - We visit regularly and have enjoyed many dishes. Love the lamb burger and much more. 2009 -The flaky pastry turns out to be baked suet crust which shows what a delicate hand the chef has with pastry. I have never had suet pastry as light and crisp as this. I pop in here quite often for homemade soup, and snacks. Most recently we, maddish mum and I, have enjoyed smoked haddock en cocote with Gallybagger cheese and delicious homemade chips, rich mushroom soup, pumpkin and apple soup, apple crumble with proper custard. Their Sunday roast is also good rustic fare. Where is it? At the Newport side of Godshill Village I strongly object to credit card fines for not spending enough - I have to ask what kind of customer service that is? The Boat House - Puckpool (R) In 2011 the Boathouse still pleases. A Sunday lunch in November with maddish mum and me was very pleasant. The herb crusted cod on a bed of crushed potatoes presented a moist, nicely cooked piece of fish and the salmon with a creamy red wine sauce on a ed of wilted spinach was unusual and married into a nicely flavoured dish. MM declared the sticky toffee pudding to be wonderful and my Vanilla demi-freddo (half frozen ice cream - with warm strawberries and rhubarb was a good combination. We will be back. Used to be know as the Battery Inn. It has been completely refurbished and changed hands again. The new hands have found a voice. Their menu is not over ambitious which allows for some competent cooking. We have tried all the puddings and liked them all. The loin of pork on a bed of apples and walnuts with a cider cream sauce was just the ticket. The Sunday roast beef was respectably traditional with crispy roast potatoes, freshly cooked vegetables, nice gravy etc, etc. I have also had very nice fish pie - a strangely difficult dish to get right! Where is it? Just past Puckpool and just before the old toll road towards Seaview Reef - Sandown This is not the place to go if you are in a hurry. Whilst it is good to know freshly prepared food requires a wait I have found it difficult to comprehend as much a 50 minutes for a Sunday Roast - which was very good and ticking all the boxes - or 45 minutes for a delightful stuffed chicken breast dish and a perfectly cooked haddock roulade, when maddish mum and I are the only people in the place. I can only deduce that the chef deals with one dish at a time and he works alone. Thankfully they have a flat screen to watch which helps to fill the time. Last year we were entertained by Laurel and Hardy. This year by a Father Christmas story, and in January a fun surfing video full of hunky men!! I frequent Reef regularly in the winter, largely because maddish Mum lives up the road, it has a nice view (of the sea) and the food is very pleasant. Already this January we had a lovely Roast Sunday lunch. The beef was cooked to pink perfection, and well sourced - tender and full of flavour. It came with the best Yorkshire pudding I have eaten for over 12 months. It is not fine dining but it is very tasty and better than the majority of pubs on the Island. It is just a shame about the wait and the lack of home made puddings. Where is it? Sandown sea front
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