After London, we took a train to the south coast, where we picked up a rental car. Before exploring Sussex and Kent, we took the ferry to the Isle of Wight, where we stayed overnight.
Arriving in the early evening we settled into the Travelodge in Newport. Thompson’s restaurant was a short walk away through the center of town.
The menu is short, but the dishes are very creative and delicious. After two amuse-bouches, we had a rabbit croquette with some baby rabbit parts, and a mackerel ceviche with radishes and a pastry crust. For the main courses we chose the roast beef with a chicken and ricotta filled pasta and escargots, and sea bream with vegetables and samphire. Next came a pre-dessert of a take on lemon meringue, and then we shared a peach melba. With a bottle of Rosso Piceno and tip, the total was about 150 GBP.
The next morning we visited Osborne House in East Cowes, which I covered extensively on my blog:
After a very enjoyable tour of the house and gardens, we drove to West Cowes, where we had an exceptional lunch at Murray’s Seafood. We were very surprised that only one other table was occupied at Saturday lunch. I got the feeling that because the restaurant is so unprepossessing, they don’t get a lot of tourist trade. Other more trendy looking places on the same street seemed much busier. Fortunately for us, it was recommended and I checked the reviews, which were all very positive.
We ordered from the catch of the day menu. I started with 6 oysters, which were huge and delicious, very similar to the Pemaquids we have on our trips to Maine. Stanley had mussels in a garlic cream sauce, which were very plump and fresh. For the main courses, I had a whole plaice and he had bream with samphire. They were both extremely fresh and full of flavor. With a nice bottle of pinot grigio rose and 2 coffees, and tip, the total was 105 GBP. This is a gem, hidden in plain sight.
