Olivo Restaurant, Ryde

There are quite a few restaurants on Ryde's Union Street, but not all are serving food at 5.30pm. My son and I couldn't risk missing the last hovercraft of the day back to Southsea and we noticed that Olivo was open and seemed to have an interesting menu.

The area at the front of the restaurant has some low coffee tables and dark brown leather sofas for those just having a drink and a light bite. There are also some dining tables, but we were led through this area and seated at a small table just beside the bar. To the back was a further dining area at a slightly lower level.

When we were seated we were each given a standard menu as well as one to share showing the day's specials; as it was Sunday these included roast lamb. Olivo, however, is primarily a Mediterranean restaurant and has an excellent choice of pasta, risotto and pizza. Prices range from £7.95 for lasagne or moussaka to £11.95 for risotto Valencia (chicken, chorizo and mixed seafood with saffron rice, garlic and chili). There are fourteen varieties of pizza: a margherita is £7.25, but if you prefer a pizza without cheese you might go for an Adriatica with prawns, tomatoes, garlic, chili and fresh spinach at £9.50. Olivo also offers grills and main courses such as chicken tagine, falafel, duck, lamb, beef, venison, pork or locally caught fish. Prices in this section range from £10.95 to £14.95. We both ordered pasta, my son going for spinach and ricotta tortelloni whilst I was intrigued enough to choose the spaghetti eglefino with smoked haddock, broccoli, fresh tomatoes and a white wine sauce. I usually avoid spaghetti as I am not an expert at twirling it round a fork, but I had never come across this particular dish before and I love smoked haddock.

Olivo does also have a good selection of starters and tapas; as well as individual dishes there is a tapas tower for two consisting of meatballs, chicken wings, chorizo and pepper, patatas bravas, houmus and fried spicy calamari for £24.50. Side dishes are around £2.50 to £3.95 and include salads, vegetables and various potato dishes. Salad main meals are priced between £9 and £10 and are served with freshly baked dough balls. We contented ourselves, however, with a main course and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice each.

We waited around fifteen minutes before our food was served. The waitress asked if we would like any fresh black pepper, and I said I would. I had wondered whether the broccoli and tomato would go together as it seemed like a strange combination, but it worked. I loved the smoked haddock, which I hadn't had with pasta before, and the white wine sauce was delicious without being too rich. I often can't finish a pasta dish in a restaurant, but this was so good that I left an empty plate. My son was equally impressed with his tortelloni which was served with tomato and some fresh salad leaves on top.

Neither of us had room for dessert but we had half an hour to spare so my son ordered a hot chocolate and I asked for a decaffeinated capuccino. I never have great expectations of decaffeinated coffee, but the one I had at Olivo was perfect. It had a full flavour without being overly strong. My son said his hot chocolate was extremely good too – he was offered cream with it but declined.

Apart from the food and the coffee, I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the décor at Olivo. Tables and chairs are of a light wood which is also used in the roof alongside panels of glass. The walls are part open brickwork and part painted in a light cream colour. In two places a huge roll of brown paper was fixed high up on the wall, and the end was pulled down so that a list of cocktails could be written out. There are large candles on each table, and one or two floral displays add colour to the restaurant. When we arrived Spanish music was playing which switched to Nitin Sawhney later on.

I was so impressed with the restaurant that I asked one of the waitresses if it existed only on the Isle of Wight. She told us that there had been a branch in Newport (Isle of Wight) for about four years and that the one in Ryde was just coming up to its first birthday. She also said that there is an Olivo restaurant in London, but that it is much more upmarket than the ones on the Isle of Wight. When I said that it was a shame there was no Olivo in Portsmouth, she told us that the company has a cafe called Feed in the Gunwharf Quays area, so I shall definitely be tracking that down.

Our bill came to just over £28 to which we added a tip. The service had been faultless as it was polite, welcoming and extremely efficient.

The main toilets are down a few steps but there is a disabled toilet on the same level as the main dining area. There were two ladies' toilets that were self contained with handbasins, and a vase of fresh flowers added a beautiful touch.

The restaurant is open from 8am and the full menu is served from midday. On weekdays during term time Olivo offers an 'After School Family Feast' from 3.30pm until 5.30pm. The price is £10 for adults and £6 for children under the age of sixteen. There are five choices of main course, most of which come with a bowl of salad and some with garlic bread as well. Included is a soft drink for children and a glass of house wine for adults. I haven't heard of this idea before and wonder if it will catch on in other places.

I have to say that this is one of the best Italian meals I've ever had, and I enjoyed the whole experience of dining at Olivo. I have no reservations in recommending the restaurant, and only wish there were more branches on the mainland. It caters for those just wanting a sandwich or a pastry and a hot drink as well as those wanting a three-course meal. Young children are obviously made to feel welcome here, and high chairs are available. If you are in Ryde, I would definitely suggest finding the time to visit Olivo.

Olivo

32-33 Union Street

Ryde

Isle of Wight

PO33 2LE

Tel. 01983 611118

www.olivorestaurant.com

Who are you calling an oddball?

Although situated just round the corner from Southsea's main shopping precinct, Oddballs restaurant and wine bar had somehow eluded us for almost ten years. I was meeting one of my sons for Sunday lunch and was determined to try somewhere new, and Oddballs seemed to be the obvious choice, especially since it offers a reasonably priced, varied menu.

We arrived just after 12.30pm and were told that we could choose any table we liked, apart from one that was reserved. We picked a small table by a window, and menus and a wine list were brought straight away. Soft drinks were not listed, but the waiter reeled off a list and we both chose cranberry juice (£2).

We decided to skip starters, but there was a good choice available from, for example, a vegetarian soup of the day (£3.95), warm salad of chorizo, bacon and mushrooms with parmesan and balsamic dressing (£4.75), or toasted garlic focaccia (£2.95).

Main courses ranged from pasta of the day (£6.95), salmon and spinach fish cakes with salad (£7.95), spinach, tomato and pine nut tart with new potato and spinach salad and kalamata olive oil dressing (£7.95) to wild boar sausages with creamy mashed potato and port wine jus (£7.95). I was very tempted by the fish cakes, but roast beef and chicken were on offer too since it was Sunday. I hadn't had a roast for so long that I opted for the chicken (£8.95) and so did my son.

It was roughly half an hour before our food was served, but we were not in any hurry. We each had three good size pieces of chicken breast, one of which was wrapped in streaky bacon. As well as this there was stuffing, a mini Yorkshire pudding (which I hadn't expected with chicken), several small roast potatoes and plenty of gravy. A dish of vegetables to share was served separately; this consisted of cabbage, broccoli, leeks, one cauliflower floret, a couple of slices of carrot and one large slice of courgette. The waitress asked if we would like cranberry sauce, and we said yes.

We both agreed that it was an excellent roast. The was a generous amount of chicken, and it was very tender. The roast potatoes were very crisp and crunchy on the outside but still soft inside. I appreciated the variety of vegetables, and they certainly were not overcooked. The gravy and stuffing were both delicious. I had no complaints about the Yorkshire pudding, but I just couldn't finish it.

If you have the Sunday roast you can have two courses for £10.95, so the idea of dessert did seem tempting. The problem was that neither of us really had any room left. We did look at the menu, which tried to entice us with three scoops or ice cream or sorbet (£3.95), cheese and biscuits with red onion chutney and grapes (£5.25), or various other desserts including cheesecake, chocolate brownie, fruit sponge pudding with custard or raspberry crème brulee with shortbread (all at £4.50). We managed to resist all of these, however. Instead, my son ordered a brandy (£3) and I decided on a cappucino (£2.35) having studied the various coffees listed on a board at the bar. I am not easily pleased where coffee is concerned, but this cappucino turned out to be a particularly good one.

Our bill came to £27.25, so with a tip added it worked out at £15 each for an excellent roast and two drinks. For those with larger appetites, there is a set menu at £12.95 for two courses or £15.95 for three. A board on the wall advertised Saturday lunch at £5 for dish, which surprised me as restaurants offering special deals usually exclude Saturdays.

A couple of weeks later four of us visited Oddballs at around 4.30 on Saturday afternoon and were pleased to find that the £5 a dish offer was available until 5pm. We each ordered a glass of fruit juice and chose from a varied list of main courses. The pan-fried liver was off, but none of us would have wanted that anyway. Pasta of the day was linguine with chicken, bacon and mushrooms. I decided on chicken caesar salad with crispy pancetta, one of my sons went for chilli beef nachos with cheese and jalapenos, the other opted for roasted vegetables in pitta bread with hummus and salad, and his partner chose deep fried hake in beer batter with home-made chips.

We didn't have such a long wait this time as we had had on the Sunday. All of us enjoyed what we had ordered, although the roasted vegetables (courgette, aubergine, onion, pepper and tomato) weren't very filling, and another dip was substituted for the hummus. My salad included anchovies as well as the crispy pancetta, and a small serving of salad came with the fish and chips. It was very good value at £5 a head.

Not having overspent on the main course, we decided we would have dessert this time. Two ordered a chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce, one was unable to resist the temptation of vanilla and chocolate cheesecake, and I picked cassis sorbet as the lightest option. All of these were beautifully presented with a strawberry, another unidentified small fruit, and a dusting of icing sugar. They were delicious too. My sorbet had one or two whole blackcurrants inside and came with a sprinkling of grated chocolate to complement the fruit flavour. The sorbet was £3.75 whilst the other desserts were £4.50 each. Our total bill came to just over £47, not including service.

I would gladly return to Oddballs again one day, and my son felt it would be the ideal place to bring his partner's family, especially since the menu offers a good varied choice. The atmosphere of the place is welcoming and relaxed. We liked the combination of the open brickwork and the deep pink walls, although I think a few prints or paintings would improve the décor as at the moment there are rather too many blackboards around. The chairs are rather an odd assortment of old wooden ones, so if you like extra comfort you might not be impressed. Two or three large plants intertwine with fairy lights, and the main lighting is very soft, coming from wall lights rather than from the ceiling. If the music were any louder it might disrupt conversation, but as it was I did not find it objectionable.

The waiter and waitress dress very casually but are welcoming, polite and efficient. They asked us both during and after our meal if everything was to our satisfaction. I have to admit that the restaurant was not particularly busy at the time of our visit, but I had the feeling that they were out to please in whatever way they could.

There are three steps up to the toilets, which would obviously not suit anyone in a wheelchair. There were also two or three tables in that raised area, but a carved wooden screen made the door to the toilets more discreet. The ladies was not luxuriously decorated but it was perfectly clean.

I did notice a couple of highchairs, so babies are presumably welcome. Whilst we were there an elderly lady was having lunch on her own. I got the impression that she was a regular customer and the waiting staff were certainly being very friendly towards her.

Oddballs may not be the smartest or most stylish restaurant in the area, but neither is it the most expensive. It is very close to Southsea's Palmerston Road shopping precinct and just a few minutes' walk from the Southsea Castle area of the seafront. I would recommend it to families, couples or single people looking for a welcoming atmosphere, a varied menu and reasonable prices. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.

Oddballs

12 Clarendon Road

Southsea

Hampshire

Tel. 023 9275 5291