The first, RTCaféGrill, will open on 7 March on the ground floor of the building and will be ‘a passionate celebration of the Isle of Wight’s land and sea’ with local and seasonal cooking.
The casual all-day venue will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with dishes to include a grass-fed beef burger; linguini carbonara; and yellowfin tuna salad niçoise.
The interior will have an open kitchen and a long bar flanked with bar stools and bar tables looking out over the Solent that leads into the restaurant area. The dining area will have clothed tables, bistro-style chairs, oversized rattan ceiling lights and a snug area with banquette seating.
Thompson will also relocate his eponymous fine dining Newport restaurant to Royal Maritime House in the autumn having announced earlier this month that he was closing the restaurant at the end of February.
Located on the lower ground floor, Thompson’s will be a more formal fine dining offer to RTCaféGrill but will be operated by the same team. It will also be used for the chef’s cooking school and for private meetings and events.
“I am thrilled to bring some great news to Ryde by introducing a new dining venue with RTCaféGrill. We are also looking forward to bringing our Newport restaurant Thompson’s to life in the same space, creating two genuine neighbourhood venues,” says Thompson.
“On moving to Ryde, we wanted to give locals, visitors and international travellers the chance to experience a new dining destination, whether they want to enjoy a bottle of wine at the bar, a family lunch with the kids, or a relaxed evening meal, discovering some of the very best ingredients from across the Isle of Wight.
“My first-class team is ready to lead my new restaurant concept that puts local talent, local suppliers, and local produce centre-stage and this next chapter is a really exciting one for our entire team and also for the Isle. We’re looking forward to opening the doors and welcoming everyone this March.”
Thompson’s longer term plan also includes the opening of Isle of Wight Garden, a farm that will help him achieve his ambition of becoming more sustainable.
