Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2008 | Page 87

FOOD & DRINK

life

foodanddrink
Ryde’s melt-in-the-mouth Good local food, at a price
Malaysian
we can all afford.
Special Lunch
“served as
we have it in
Malaysia,” says
Tring, consisting
of small portions
of coconut rice,
curried chicken,
satay and a hot
chilli dish, costs
just £6.50. Unlike
most restaurants
on the Island,
Yanwoo also
does takeaway
and delivery.

Owner Tring loves to introduce
new food and flavours to
people. That’s because she
is so enthusiastic about food
herself. And when you visit
Yanwoo in Ryde, you can taste
that enthusiasm in every dish.
This is the Island’s only
Malaysian restaurant, and while
for some customers this meant
a welcome end to the trek
across the water to seek out
authentic Malaysian, for others
it is a totally new experience.
Tring, her husband Lim and
friend Janet met in London.
The well travelled trio brought
a cosmopolitan feel to Ryde
when they opened three years
ago. “We wanted to bring
affordable and authentic
Malaysian food here,” says Tring.

Malaysian
food is, explains Janet, “a
combination of Chinese, Malay,
Indian and Thai food.” The
dry beef curry at Yanwoo is
marinated long in advance, so
the complexity of the flavours
emerge slowly as you eat. It is
melt-in-the-mouth stuff. And if
you’d like something you’ve tried
elsewhere but can’t see it on the
menu, they are happy to oblige.
“If we’ve got the ingredients
we can cook it,” says Janet.
“Most people know about
Chinese food, and we cook
Chinese here, but it is Chinese
food cooked with a Malaysian
twist,” explains Tring. “It is like
everyone having their own way of
cooking their roast in the UK!”
59 Union St, Ryde
Tel: [phone]

Island Life - www.isleofwight.net

The trouble with some pubs
nowadays is they charge
restaurant prices for pub
service and food, writes
Martin Potter. But let's face
it, a pub is a pub, in most
cases not a restaurant.
So, it was refreshing to visit
the newly refurbished Three
Bishops located in Brighstone.
Now I must confess that
generally I tend to favour
restaurants for eating out. So
it was a refreshing experience
when I was shown the new
menu at the Three Bishops.
Firstly I was told that
wherever possible the
produce was sourced locally
– a claim I viewed sceptically
when I looked at the cost
of the dishes. Surely this
cannot be local produce at
such reasonable prices?
But when I chatted to Chris
Hessey, proprietor of the
Three Bishops, well-known
Island names tripped off his
tongue: Hamiltons, New Barn
Farm, Farmhouse Fayre,
Phillips Fine Foods, the list
went on. I was slowly being
convinced that you can use
local produce without charging
an arm and leg for it.
Chris explained: “Although
I want to do volume this
does not have to mean that
the quality has to drop. It's
because I intend to do volume

I can keep the prices where
they are. After all I have
over 130 covers and early
signs are looking good. We
are attracting a good flow of
customers, all because I cook
with good local produce