The Isle of Wight Experience!

May 2007

 

Visited May 2007

 
Five people, two boats, sun, sea, food and drink what more can people of a certain age ask for?
 
We started eating Friday 18th May moored in East Cowes within walking distance of The Lifeboat Inn at East Cowes Marina, tel: 01983292711 (Read about this pub on www.weymouth-marina.co.uk/news.htm pic above taken before the refurb. ) Really strange arrangement of not being able to order starters - they are called Light Bites - and main courses at the same time!  Needless to say we asked to speak to the Manager and a very nice polite guy advised that this was company policy so the orders did not get mixed up!!  We decided to go for just main courses from a typical pub grub type of menu with good choice.  We had steaks, duck Caesar salad, seared liver and Vietnamese 5 spice chicken.  All only OK.  Steaks had to be cooked a bit more so only 6/10  cost £ £ £ wheelchair access, loos average. Own car park and easy boat mooring access!
 
Saturday 19th May  We had to go to the Folly and do an update!  They are still dancing on the tables and serving excellent food especially considering how busy it always is.  Friendly efficient staff and great atmosphere.  We enjoyed chicken curry, chilli, steak and kidney pudding, lamb shank and garlic and paprika chicken.  All excellent 8/10  £ £ £ £
 
Sunday 20th May - Lovely day again and as the wind had dropped we cruised round to Yarmouth and started off at Shenanigans - see Guest Book entry on March 20th 2007 - sorry we can't agree on this occasion.  Dreadful service, only 1 woman serving and doing the food and 1 man behind the bar serving drinks and taking orders. Neither of them seemed to know what they were doing, surely they cant be the new owners??  As the sun was shining it was busy and could be a gold mine with the right staff - perhaps we just got the wrong day!  We decided to just have a drink as people were leaving having waited 40 mins for a baguette which when it appeared and the waitress/cook was told the people had gone she threw them away and said all food off, only sandwiches available!  8/10 for location 1/10 for everything else!
 
We therefore had lunch at The Wheatsheaf, Bridge Road, Yarmouth, Tel: 01983760456 same company as the The Lifeboat (see Friday) but much better.  Our food choices, a fisherman's lunch  which is soup of the day, salad, crusty bread and cheese £8.50.  Caesar salad as an extra, fish cakes £7.95 and filo prawns £9.75.  All very well presented, friendly staff. Good choice of puds at £4.75 each.  The homemade apple and raspberry crumble had unfortunately sold out so we had just one summer pudding to share!    Wheelchair access OK, loos above average, good decor I would think fairly recently refurbished.  Yummy factor 7/10 £ £ £.
 
Excellent weekend was had by all; with summer fast approaching I recommend you go over to Island to enjoy a laid-back experience for yourselves!!

Report  SM (don't ask how long it took to get over the hangover!)

 

The higher the "Yummy" factor, the better the food & service.  The higher the number of £ signs the more expensive.  ( Roughly one £ sign = £5 per head )
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