Michelin-starred chef Robert Thompson MBE is inviting Island businesses, families and friends to celebrate Christmas in private dining rooms beneath his Ryde seafront restaurant.
The Cellar, located beneath RT Café Grill, offers 2 exclusive dining spaces for festive gatherings, with a 3-course Christmas menu priced at £49 per person.
Accessed via a private staircase beside the restaurant’s main entrance, The Cellar comprises 2 individually designed rooms, each featuring a single long dining table and offering exclusive use to one party at a time.
The larger room, known as The 1945, accommodates between 12 and 20 guests and features its own private bar.
The 1982, meanwhile, seats between 8 and 16 diners and offers views into the restaurant’s kitchen and wine cellar.
For larger celebrations, both rooms can be booked together to accommodate up to 36 guests. The same festive menu is also available upstairs in the main restaurant, where tables of any size can be accommodated.
Robert, who personally designed and made one of the tables, said:
“I knew what table I wanted in here, so I made it. When you see it come to life and you see guests enjoying it, it’s such a buzz.”
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The festive menu will be available from Thursday 26th November until Sunday 20th December, with lunch and dinner served Thursday to Saturday, alongside Sunday lunch.
Starters include duck liver parfait with plum and red wine, Scottish smoked salmon mousse and roasted cauliflower velouté with tandoori spices.
For the main course, diners can choose from poached and roasted turkey with chestnut, cranberry and thyme stuffing, herb-crusted fillet of hake or a pithivier of butternut squash, wild mushrooms and chestnuts.
Desserts include spiced crème brûlée, a dark and white chocolate bombe, and pineapple carpaccio with coconut and lime ice cream.
Vegan options are available across all 3 courses.
Bookings must be paid for in full in advance, with a full refund available for cancellations made at least 14 days before the reservation. A 50% refund is offered for cancellations between 7 and 14 days beforehand, while cancellations within 7 days are non-refundable.
Groups must also submit their menu choices on a single pre-order form at least 7 days before their booking.
Beyond the festive season, The Cellar is available throughout the year for breakfast meetings, corporate working days, private dinners and boardroom-style gatherings. Further information and tailored quotations can be requested from Vickie Broughton.
The restaurant’s final festive service will take place on Sunday 20th December, before closing for Christmas from 21st to 29th December. It will reopen on Wednesday 30th December, with New Year’s Eve lunch reservations available between 12:00 and 17:00 and dinner reservations between 20:00 and 22:00.
Robert Thompson made culinary history in 2009 when he secured the Isle of Wight’s first Michelin star while working at The Hambrough in Ventnor.
His current restaurant, RT Café Grill, is listed in the prestigious MICHELIN Guide.
£49.00 a great bargain price for such a quality meal by a
qualified chef, many inferior pubs charge nearly as much.
I know where I am going.
Well done Robert.