RT Café Grill

That anonymising 'RT' in the name doesn't fool us, nor will it pass over the head of anybody who has been eating out in style on the Isle of Wight over this past generation. Robert Thompson (for it is he) has been the pre-eminent figure in the island's fine dining scene for that long. Here in Ryde, he has set up a casual, all-purpose venue that feels a little like entering a grand private home, with a knock-through dining room furnished with clothed tables and abstract paintings. The menu deals in solid European bistro classics delivered with no small amount of flair. A prawn cocktail is dressed in shocking-pink marie rose sauce and served with black treacle bread, while a pretty offering of buffalo mozzarella with peas and edamame looks the part – as does bruschetta topped with salt-baked beetroot, goat's cheese and rocket pesto. Get stuck into mains that run from generously proportioned grilled lobster with lemon and parsley butter to a tandoori lamb burger with feta, avocado and minted red onion relish or pork schnitzel with capers and lemon – all served with well-crammed buckets of fries. Just in case any corner is left unfilled, along comes a dark chocolate and salt caramel slice to plug the gap. With Carlingford oysters and tempting pasta dishes on hand too, RT aims to please. Wines are a serviceable bunch, perhaps starting at a slightly higher base than the IOW may be used to – especially as the place is ostensibly billed as a café.