Matt and Cat eat out at Fighting Cocks on Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight food reviewers, Matt and Cat, visited the Fighting Cocks at Hale Common, late one Sunday afternoon in the depths of winter. Here’s what they found…
Passing a large party bearing balloons and presents, we were reminded that this is a very popular pub for big groups; even in January booking is a good idea.
For us it was all about the Sunday roast.
With a choice of four different meats, a range of vegetables, plus even more veg as optional extras, we knew we were going to get well fed.
The roasts arrived with two big boats of steaming gravy, and dishes of vegetables to share, plus little pots of appropriate sauces, depending on what meats had been chosen.
Matt had both gammon and beef, so he had horseradish and cranberry sauce.
We had a side dish of Cat’s favourite, cauliflower cheese, and, boy, was this a good investment.
A big metal dish of cauliflower was well doused in a cheese-rich sauce, which had been baked enough to turn the edges into delicious cheesy crusts.
The meat itself was fine, and the vast Yorkshire pudding was a bit dry and resistant, but with the good supply of gravy available this was not an insurmountable problem.
The numerous potatoes, roast and new, were probably the best part of the meal – apart from the sublime cauliflower.
Our lasagne was a good example of the pub grub genre, and gave the impression that the non-roast menu would probably be worth exploring on other days of the week.
Despite neither of us finishing everything on our plates, we were unable to resist desserts.
The hot Belgian waffle with ice cream was very satisfactory, but the cheesecake of the day – huge slabs of choco-coffee goodness – caused gasps of delight, and groans of satiation.
Our Sunday lunch was an enjoyable and satisfying one.
The comfortable venue, great service and very keen prices were plus points.
Amazingly, two of us dined for only twenty quid each.
A rare…
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