There isn’t a steakhouse on the Isle of Wight in the way there is in a city: no dark room of red leather and a meat fridge in the window. What there is, on the Ryde seafront, is a grill in a restaurant kitchen run by the chef who brought the Island its first Michelin star, and three cuts of grass-fed aged beef cooked over it.
RT Café Grill is not only a steak restaurant. There are oysters, mussels, a whole bream off the same grill, and a vegan gnocchi that has converted a few people. But if you came for steak, this is what to order.
The three cuts
At the time of writing, the grill section of the à la carte lists:
- Grass-fed aged beef fillet, 8oz, £45. The leanest and most tender cut. Very little fat, so its flavour is quiet, which is why it suits a sauce.
- Grass-fed aged ribeye, 10oz, £38. The one with the flavour. It carries a seam of fat through the middle that melts as it cooks and bastes the meat from inside. If you only have steak once this year, have this one.
- Tomahawk steak for two, 32oz, £95. A thick-cut rib on the bone, meant for sharing. It takes longer to cook and needs resting, so order it with a starter and don’t be in a hurry.
How to have it cooked
The kitchen will cook it however you ask. If you want advice rather than permission, most chefs would say:
- Fillet: rare to medium-rare. There is no fat to render, so cooking it further only dries it out.
- Ribeye: medium-rare to medium. It needs a little more heat than a fillet for the fat to melt; underdone, it can be chewy at the seam.
- Tomahawk: medium-rare. It comes off the grill and rests, and it keeps cooking gently while it does. Rare to medium-rare at the centre, with the outside well caramelised, is the point of it.
If you want it well done, say so, and don’t apologise. It will take a little longer.
Sauces, butters and sides
Steaks come on their own, so you choose what goes with them. Sauces are £3.75 each: béarnaise, peppercorn or red wine. Or a flavoured butter melting on top, also £3.75: Café de Paris, garlic and parsley, or lemon and caper.
Béarnaise with the fillet and Café de Paris butter with the ribeye is a hard combination to beat. Peppercorn works with either.
Then the sides. French fries (£6) are the classic. The Aspen fries with truffle and Parmesan (£7.50) are the upgrade. Fine beans with salsa verde and purple sprouting broccoli grilled with lemon and almonds (both £7.50) cut through the richness. There is a heritage tomato and red onion salad, new potatoes, house slaw and a herb salad. Two sides for two people is about right; three if one of them is fries.
What to drink with it
Red, usually, and something with a bit of structure. The wine list runs to about 260 bins, so rather than choose from a page, tell whoever looks after your table what you’re eating and what you like, and let them bring you two to try. There is a longer guide to drinking from the list if you want to arrive with an opinion. If you’re not drinking, the bar makes a proper alcohol-free cocktail.
When you can order it
Steaks are on the à la carte, served from noon on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, straight through until 9pm. On Sundays the kitchen cooks a Sunday menu instead, built around the roast.
Tables for up to seven book online. For eight or more, call 01983 526118. If you want the terrace, say so when you book; the tables outside go first when the weather is good.
Coming over from the mainland
Ryde is closer than it looks from Portsmouth. The FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour takes 22 minutes to Ryde Pier Head, and the hovercraft from Southsea lands on the Esplanade. The restaurant is a short walk from both. Steak and a bottle of red on the seafront, then the boat home: no car needed. The boats, the timings and the last one home are all here.
If you are deciding between this and something more formal, RT Café Grill or Thompson’s explains the difference between the two restaurants.
Questions we get asked
Is there a steakhouse on the Isle of Wight?+
There are pubs and grills across the Island that serve steak. At RT Café Grill in Ryde, the à la carte has a grill section of grass-fed aged beef: an 8oz fillet, a 10oz ribeye and a 32oz tomahawk for two, with béarnaise, peppercorn or red wine sauce.
Where can I get a good steak in Ryde?+
RT Café Grill, on the seafront at Royal Maritime House, 17 St Thomas Street. Steaks are served Thursday to Saturday from noon until 9pm.
How much is a steak at RT Café Grill?+
At the time of writing, the 10oz ribeye is £38, the 8oz fillet £45 and the tomahawk for two £95. Sauces and sides are extra. Menus change, so check the à la carte before you come.
Can I have steak on a Sunday?+
On Sundays the à la carte is replaced by the Sunday menu, built around the roast. For the steaks from the grill, come Thursday to Saturday.
Can I get to the restaurant without a car?+
Yes. The FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head takes 22 minutes, and the hovercraft from Southsea lands at Ryde Esplanade. Both are a short walk from the restaurant.
Read next
Guides
Fish and Seafood in Ryde
If someone at the table would rather have the bream off the same grill.
ReadGuides
How to Drink From Our Wine List
Two hundred and sixty bins, and where to start.
ReadGuides
Dinner from Portsmouth, Southampton and Chichester
Twenty-two minutes on the FastCat, and the last boat home.
Read