True Food Kitchen — Restaurant in England

We stumbled on True Food Kitchen on our first night in IOW, what a find! Everywhere was fully booked, but these lovely ladies took pity on us and told us to come back at 8:30 and they would fit us in, even advising where we could go for a decent cocktail while we waited! We consider ourselves so lucky to have secured a table, having looked at the menu we decided there was too much choice that we would opt for the 7 course tasting menu at incredible value £70pp. Starting with some IOW carb and tomato we knew we were in the right place, followed by a chilli beef dish, also delicious, Hake Kiev with a satay sauce, on hearing that I don’t eat lamb the kitchen sent us a lamb ( for my other half) and pork for me with crispy chilli fries and , pickled cabbage and mint yoghurt, everything left us wanting more!!! Followed by a trio of dessert -delectable chocolate mousse, pandan doughnut and a cheesecake/mousse maybe peanut? And lastly a waffle with Baron Bigod and truffle honey. An absolutely exceptional meal, looked after by two very kind and caring front of house who clearly love and believe in the product they deliver and cooked by 4 dedicated and talented chefs who clearly love what they do judging by the smiles on their faces and their eagerness to hear what we thought about our experience! If you find yourself in the IOW we would urge you to pay these guys a visit, incidentally we went to another restaurant the following night which is supposedly the best on the island and felt it was only half hearted in comparison to TZ TFK. This place made our impromptu visit to the IOW more special and if/when we go back it will be for this reason! Many thanks!...

Upon arrival we had a very cheery and welcome greeting by the manager Poppy who made us feel completely at home, she had an amazing knowledge of anything we asked about the drinks and menu etc. We were handed over to Matt who also looked after us for the evening. Very warm, professional and accommodating. We were surprised to learn it was only his 3rd shift!

We ordered small plates from the specials menu as well as from the daily. We noticed that the prices were slightly elevated from other restaurants, however when the food arrived, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The oysters were the best I’ve ever tasted, the Lobster bao buns were packed with delicious tail and seasoning, the squid was cooked to perfection with a mouth watering chilli dip and the tempura crab was really flavoursome, soft and delicate. Deserts were amazing too, we had the sticky toffee pudding and the dark chocolate Namelaka, we could have licked those plates clean. No grumbles about anything.

Another thing I like about the restaurant is the food is cooked in full view. The chefs are very professional and you can overhear them checking in with the waiting staff constantly to make sure what they are cooking is to everybody’s satisfaction.

There is definitely a vibe here like a little bee hive, very well organised, everyone working together and like a well rehearsed autonomous team. All the food comes out in perfect timing, no long waits, they seem to have this down to a T.

Bottom line, I took my partner her for a valentines meal and she was very impressed as much as I was, the staff are lovely and the food is amazing so big thumbs up and a massive thanks...

A day earlier we had ventured down the path that brings one to wonderful Castlehaven, an unexpected culinary destination, only to find that despite being all outside, it hadn't manage to open yet. The chef behind it, Adam Fendyke, is mainly responsible for putting cookery in Ventnor on the map. He also has a place called Tramezzini in town. Having sussed out that they do a take out offer in the weekend, I slipped in an order for pick up just before the ferry back. And, I'm very glad I did. The menu was cleverly designed to be eaten by hand. The bao bun first coarse was a true delight: sesame, soft crab, sea weed. A little explosion of flavour and texture and probably the dish of the menu. The surf and turf burger served in a dramatic charcoal bun proved a fantastically succulent combination of well cooked beef and sweet prawns held together by some great sauce and glaze. Perhaps the prawns were a bit subtle to stand up to the rather large burger, but the pleasure of eating was unreserved. My only slight criticism is the saltiness on the nicely crisp fries. I found the saltiness too strong to want to combine it with the carefully balanced burger. The macaron creation at the end was accompanied by an accomplished raspberry sorbet. Great flavour intensity and while the firmness of the filling of the suave looking macaron made it a bit heavier than directly melting in the mouth, it helped so much with edibility on a town park bench. No doubt this was the most decadent takeout I have had, and I could return to the mainland satisfied to have had an introduction to...