The Journal.

Every storyWhere to eat in Ryde, what's in season, recipes and the occasional piece of news, from Chef Robert Thompson MBE's kitchen on the Ryde seafront.

Stories

1. 

   Plan a visit

   Where to Eat in Ryde: A Local's Guide

   The pier, half a mile of sand at low tide, and a town that eats better than its reputation suggests. Where to eat in Ryde, by time of day.

   17 September 2026

2. 

   Kitchen and cellar

   How to drink from our wine list

   Two hundred and sixty bins, and no obligation to know what any of them are.

   18 September 2026

3. 

   Occasions

   Christmas Parties On The Isle of Wight

   Not a function room with a paper hat. A private room beneath the restaurant, one group at a time, and a kitchen that cooks in December exactly as it does in June.

   17 September 2026

4. 

   Occasions

   Planning a Milestone Birthday Dinner

   A fortieth, a fiftieth, a seventieth. What we've learned watching several hundred of them — and the decisions that separate the memorable ones from the merely fine.

   17 September 2026

5. 

   Occasions

   The Christmas Gift Guide

   Gift vouchers, afternoon tea, tasting evenings and meal kits — what to give when they already have enough things.

   17 September 2026

6. 

   Occasions

   Where to Propose on the Isle of Wight

   The setting carries more of the weight than people expect. Where to propose on the Island, from the other side of the pass.

   17 September 2026

7. 

   The Island

   Sea-View Restaurants on the Isle of Wight

   The whole appeal of an island is the water. But a great sea view and a great meal don't always land in the same place — here's where they do.

   17 September 2026

8. 

   Occasions

   Small Wedding Meals on the Isle Of Wight

   A meal with the people closest to you. Practical advice for a small wedding celebration, rehearsal dinner or gathering the following day in The Cellar.

   11 September 2026

9. 

   Plan a visit

   RT Café Grill or Thompson’s? Which Should You Book?

   One address, different ways to eat. A clear guide to RT Café Grill, the Thompson’s tasting menu and when to ask about a private room.

   10 September 2026

10. 

    Occasions

    The Chef’s Table: Dinner in The 1982

    Eight to sixteen people, one long table, and a window onto the kitchen. What a chef’s table is actually like, and how an evening in The 1982 runs.

    10 September 2026

11. 

    Kitchen and cellar

    The Isle of Wight Larder: What's in Season, and When

    What the island grows, catches and makes — season by season — and how it lands on the menu.

    10 September 2026

12. 

    Kitchen and cellar

    Fish and Seafood in Ryde: How To Read The Menu

    The species is only the beginning. How to read a fish menu, choose the preparation you actually want and ask the useful questions about what is on the plate.

    9 September 2026

13. 

    Plan a visit

    Cocktails in Ryde: The Bar at RT Café Grill

    Where to drink a proper Martini in Ryde, what to order in summer on the terrace, and the Island bottles worth trying.

    7 September 2026

14. 

    Occasions

    Planning An Anniversary Dinner On The Isle of Wight

    A good anniversary dinner feels like the two of you. Choose the meal you would actually enjoy, make one detail personal and give the evening room to unfold.

    6 September 2026

15. 

    Plan a visit

    Dog-Friendly Dining in Ryde

    A practical guide to lunch with your dog at RT Café Grill, from the booking note to leaving enough of the day for the beach.

    4 September 2026

16. 

    Plan a visit

    Breakfast in Ryde at RT Cafe Grill

    Eggs, something sweet, or coffee and a pastry. A guide to breakfast at RT Café Grill and giving the morning a little of its own time.

    3 September 2026

17. 

    The Island

    A Rainy Day In And Around Ryde

    A visit to Quarr Abbey and a table by the window give a wet day a good shape. How to plan it without spending the afternoon between stops.

    2 September 2026

18. 

    Occasions

    Group Dining In Ryde

    A group dinner is organised long before the first guest arrives. How to settle the room, the menu and the money, then enjoy the evening.

    1 September 2026

19. 

    Kitchen and cellar

    Steak on the Isle of Wight: The Grill at RT Café Grill

    Fillet, ribeye or the tomahawk for two. What comes off the grill at RT Café Grill, how to have it cooked, and what to drink with it.

    13 August 2026

20. 

    The Island

    An Isle of Wight Food Weekend, Based in Ryde

    A producer visit, a dinner to look forward to and something to take home. A suggested food weekend based around Ryde, with time between the meals.

    8 August 2026

21. 

    The Island

    Outdoor Dining in Ryde: The Terrace at RT Café Grill

    A full lunch outside or a drink with something to share. How to choose between garden dining and the garden bar, and how to book for the afternoon you want.

    1 August 2026

22. 

    For business

    Entertaining Clients in The Cellar

    A client dinner has one job: give people a few hours together without interruption. How to host one in The Cellar, from the room to the bill.

    16 July 2026

23. 

    For business

    Recording a Podcast at Royal Maritime House

    Two private rooms, quiet days when the restaurant is closed, and a kitchen that can feed a crew. Not a studio, and we won’t pretend otherwise.

    9 July 2026

24. 

    For business

    Filming at Royal Maritime House: A Location Guide

    Interiors with real colour, a terrace above the beach, a sea wall and a kitchen that looks like a kitchen. A location guide for photographers and production teams.

    3 July 2026

25. 

    For business

    Launching a Product on the Isle of Wight

    A launch that involves a boat trip gets a different kind of attention. How a launch day can run at Royal Maritime House, from the crossing to the last drink on the terrace.

    2 July 2026

26. 

    Kitchen and cellar

    Where Our Food Comes From

    A kitchen is only as good as the people who deliver to its back door. Here are ours, from a farm in Ashey to a sturgeon farm that started on Exmoor.

    17 June 2026

27. 

    The Island

    Dinner on the Isle of Wight from Portsmouth, Southampton and Chichester

    The Isle of Wight is closer than it looks from Portsmouth. The boats, the timings and the last one home, for dinner on the Ryde seafront.

    14 June 2026

28. 

    For business

    Planning a Team Away Day on the Isle of Wight

    Most away days fail for the same reason: too much agenda and not enough away. A plan for a day in Ryde, with a private lunch at its centre.

    4 June 2026

29. 

    Recipes

    Chef Robert Thompson MBE’s Tarte Tatin

    Four ingredients and one pan. The apple tart Robert teaches at his cook school, filmed on the terrace in Ryde and written up for your kitchen.

    1 May 2026

30. 

    Kitchen and cellar

    Eating Vegetarian and Vegan on the Isle of Wight

    Not a token risotto. What the kitchen at RT Café Grill actually cooks for people who don’t eat meat or fish, from breakfast to the tasting menu.

    1 May 2026