I first became aware of The Met when they started advertising via a promotional video on Wightlink ferries a few years ago. I have thought for a while that it looked like a nice place to go but I had just never got around to going there. While we were on the island last week a very good friend of mine suggested we try it.
On the day that we visited we had not intended to have lunch at The Met. The plan was to go in for coffee then take a walk over the cliff down to Steephill Cove for lunch. However when we arrived in Ventnor it was fairly windy and I was dressed in a flimsy little summer dress that was going to be a bit of a problem so we abandoned the plan for the walk.
One of the reasons that we wanted to go into The Met was because we knew it had WI Fi and we needed to check our email and a couple of web sites.
When we arrived by coincidence the good friend that had recommended this place was already there so she joined us for coffee.
On entering I immediately got a sense of a nice relaxed but buzzing atmosphere. There were already quite a few customers enjoying lunch but there were also some free tables.
The Met is right on the seafront at Ventnor down on the esplanade and has great views out to sea. There is also parking all along the front with a larger car park at the end of the esplanade.
We looked at the menu and as a bit of a coffee addict I was really pleased to see a whole page dedicated to coffees and other hot drinks. I was also very surprised to see that they did a “flat white”. For those of you that don’t know this is the most common coffee drunk in Australia London so finding it on the Island was a real surprise. I was also pleased to see decaffeinated coffee advertised as I normally have to ask for it. The cakes on display looked really tempting.
All food and drinks are ordered by going up to the counter. Now you might think that this is a bit “café like” but on this occasion I disagree. It gave me a chance to get a close up of the specials boards where there was all manner of extra dishes advertised and also to get a good look at the “behind the scenes” operation. I am pleased to say that it was all very efficient and clean and tidy. You also pay when you order. I am not sure if it works the same way in the evening? I would hope that the order would be taken at your table. I shall have to return to find out.
Although we only ordered coffee at first, our friend had to leave to get to work so we stayed behind with the intention of having another drink. When she had gone we looked at the menu and tempted by what was on offer and what we had seen other people have we decided to stay here and have some lunch.
Therefore instead of another coffee I had a nice glass of rose wine while Craig had a coke. There was a nice range of wines including several options by the glass which is always good at lunchtime.
The menu had a good range of tapas with something for everyone. The idea is that you order several small dishes each and combine them to create a meal. I love this way of eating as it gives you the opportunity to try things you would not normally order. The dishes included meat, fish, vegetables, dips and breads. To supplement all of this the special boards had a number of other dishes. One dish we noticed was a half local lobster grilled with garlic butter. This was priced at around £11 which we thought was really cheap. We saw the same thing on the menu somewhere else a few days later at nearly £20!
To start with we ordered some warm pitta bread with some houmous and Tzatsiki. The dips came in a dish together and reminded me of the yin and yang symbol. Both dips were excellent with the houmous being a nice smooth consistency and the tzatsiki having a nice tang of garlic going on. It was a nice light dish to have to get our appetites going before the main course arrived.
For the main course we both went got the Mets signature dish of devilled crab and prawn ramekins. The crab and prawns were submerged in a lightly spiced cheese sauce, topped with breadcrumbs and then baked until piping hot. It was served up with some crusty bread and salad. The bread helped us to mop up every last drop of sauce which was so good there was no way I was going to waste any of it. It was slightly spicier than I expected it to be however it was still great. The salad garnish was nice except for the raw chunks of red onion. If it had been thin slices it would have been nicer to eat.
After we had finished eating I asked one of the waitresses if she could get the recipe for me as I really wanted to make this dish at home, however when she asked the chef he said no as it is a family secret. That’s fair enough and I shall have a go at making it and see how it comes out but I doubt it will be as good as I had.
Our verdict, we love the Met and are really pleased to have discovered it. We did book to go back for dinner while we were there because we liked it so much but unfortunately we had to cancel. We will be going back again next time and I urge you to give it a go even if it’s just for coffee and cake.
The Met Wine Bar
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