Most restaurants have one vegetarian main. It is usually a risotto, and it is usually an afterthought. The test of a kitchen is what it does when you take the meat and the fish away and still have to make the plate worth £22.
Here is what that looks like at RT Café Grill, honestly and with the caveats included. We are not a vegetarian restaurant. There is a grill, there are oysters, and the kitchen handles every allergen there is. But Robert has cooked for vegetarians and vegans for years, and nobody who books here should have to hope.
On the à la carte
The menu is written seasonally, so these are examples rather than fixtures. At the time of writing you would sit down to:
- Gnocchi of artichokes and autumn truffle, with Jerusalem artichoke sauce and pickled baby globe artichokes. Vegan, and one of the best things on the menu whatever you eat.
- Burrata and ricotta ravioli, grilled courgettes, toasted pine nuts, wilted spinach and nut-brown butter. There is a vegan version.
- Masala cauliflower pakora burger, red onion and mint salad, tamarind and mango chutney, rocket and lime mayonnaise. Vegan, and it comes with the same fries as the beef burger.
- Lightly grilled burrata with heritage tomato carpaccio and a Bloody Mary dressing, to start.
- Chestnut mushroom bavarois with woodland mushrooms, mushroom jelly and toasted sourdough.
Then there are the sides, which is where a vegetarian dinner is usually won or lost: purple sprouting broccoli grilled with lemon and almonds, fine beans with salsa verde, heritage tomato and red onion salad, new potatoes, and the truffle and Parmesan Aspen fries. Order three of those and a starter and you have eaten better than most people at the table.
Puddings
Carpaccio of rum-braised pineapple with lime and coconut ice cream is vegan. So is the affogato, if you ask for the vegan version. The panna cotta, the Valrhona chocolate and olive oil mousse and the Basque cheesecake are all vegetarian.
Breakfast
The full veggie breakfast is £13: grilled tomato, hash brown, chestnut mushrooms, mashed avocado, feta and baked beans. There is also eggs Florentine, avocado on sourdough, house granola with coconut yoghurt, and whisky-glazed porridge with red fruits. Breakfast runs from 9am with last orders at 10.15am.
The tasting menu
Thompson’s is Robert’s tasting menu, served on a handful of dates each month downstairs in The Cellar, at lunch and at dinner. Every month’s menu is written twice: the main one, and a full vegetarian version of the same length. You are not getting the meat menu with the meat removed. The dates are here, and they tend to sell out about a month ahead.
Afternoon tea
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free versions of afternoon tea are all available. They need to be ordered when you book, ideally 24 hours ahead, because the pastry section builds them separately.
What to tell us when you book
- Say vegetarian or vegan when you book, not when you sit down. It costs the kitchen nothing if they know.
- Parmesan is made with animal rennet, so it isn’t vegetarian. Say so and the kitchen will leave it off.
- Tell us about allergies separately. Vegan is a choice; a nut allergy is a safety matter, and the two get handled differently.
- If you are a group with one vegan in it, say so. The kitchen would rather cook something proper than improvise at 8pm on a Saturday.
- For Thompson’s, 72 hours’ notice for dietary requirements.
The rest of what the Island grows through the year, and who we buy it from, is in the Isle of Wight larder and where our food comes from.
Questions we get asked
Is there a vegetarian restaurant on the Isle of Wight?+
There are vegetarian-friendly cafés and pubs across the Island, but few kitchens cooking at this level write a separate vegetarian menu. At RT Café Grill in Ryde there are vegetarian and vegan dishes on every part of the menu, and Thompson’s writes a full vegetarian tasting menu each month.
Do you have vegan options?+
Yes. At the time of writing the gnocchi of artichokes and truffle, the masala cauliflower pakora burger and the rum-braised pineapple pudding are all vegan, and the ravioli has a vegan version. Menus change with the seasons, so ask when you book.
Can I have a vegetarian tasting menu at Thompson’s?+
Yes. Every Thompson’s menu is written with a full vegetarian version alongside it. Tell us when you book, and give us 72 hours’ notice for anything else dietary.
Is afternoon tea available vegan?+
Yes, and gluten-free and vegetarian too. Order it when you book, at least 24 hours ahead.