VENTNOR'S CANTINA, one of our favourite venues ever, is under the proprietorship of two familiar faces on the Ventnor hospitality scene: long-time Cantina front-of-house Dita Kristopaviciute, joined by chef Adam Edmunds, a veteran of the Spyglass Inn.

The cosy venue is as welcoming as ever, serving breakfast and lunch, but we were there for dinner.

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To start, Matt had Welsh rarebit; a slab of sourdough toast bore a lavish slathering of hot, bubbling cheese sauce, with the distinctive tang of a good rarebit, loaded with plenty of prosciutto and fresh rocket, and dusted with grated parmesan.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The tasty turkey Milanese.

A popular main course - one we saw coming out to several other tables the night we were there - was turkey Milanese.

This boldly simple dish is a big flattened cutlet of turkey in breadcrumbs. A fried egg was the surprising topper, with a garnish of rocket and parmesan.

The soft, moist turkey actually worked very well in what was an unexpectedly subtle combination of tastes and textures.

Next we boldly ordered the fish of the day without even asking what it was. Chef Adam repaid our vote of confidence handsomely with a splendid sea bass fillet.

This is a well-known dish that could be found on a dozen pub menus across the Isle of Wight, but again it gets the Cantina treatment, coming with crisply fresh steamed green beans and a generous portion of sauteed potato that was described as Romanesco.

The fish itself was done to a turn. With those perfect just-browned edges, the soft flesh fell off the sizable fillet.

For dessert, a chocolate and coffee delice with hazelnut cream. A straightforward pudding that rounded off the meal.

We can reassure Cantina fans that if like us you enjoyed the old Cantina, you're also going to appreciate the new one.

However, the unexpected suffix to this is that even if you were less keen on Cantina, you really ought to try the new one too.

The new proprietors have distilled the essence of Cantina, kept much of the good stuff, and added something of their own.

This new, confident venue has hit the ground running. We liked it a lot, and we think it's going to get even better.

MATT AND CAT'S BILL

Loaded hummus £6
Welsh rarebit £8.50
Turkey Milanese £16
Fish of the day £18
Delice £7

TOTAL: £55.50

RATING: Four stars - very good indeed; well worth seeking out

CONTACT DETAILS:

Cantina, 20 High Street, Ventnor, Isle of Wight. PO38 1RZ.

T: 01983 855988

W: cantinaventnor.co.uk

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