“Darling, let’s pop in for lunch at The Hut,” said my sister in her best posh English voice. “Another bottle of rosé, if you don’t mind.”
Any sailor who has ever sailed around the south coast of England would know what I’m talking about. The Hut is a beach-casual restaurant that opened in 2013 on the Isle of Wight. It initially opened as a rustic beach bar, a place for boats to dock and enjoy surf ‘n’ turf, a high-class meal or aperitif. Obviously accompanied by a glass of white wine or rosé in the English sun.
Since it became more popular, reservations are a must and they advertise for arrival by sea, land or air. Head over to Colwell Bay and a tender will arrive to pick you up from your boat. During bad weather conditions where the bay is too choppy to anchor at, you will receive a warning message and be advised to dock at Yarmouth harbour. In this case, a converted vintage landrover that fits 10 passengers in the back (included in the price) will pick you up from the Isle of Wight ferry port at Yarmouth.
All about the sea
This is how the “by land” arrivals would travel. We crossed from Lymington on the English coast on the Isle of Wight ferry and arrived at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. As for arrival by air, that’s beyond me.
The restaurant’s interior is a deck: wooden floor and cushioned seating, with a retractable roof and glass doors overlooking the bay. My visit was on a windy September day, but by 2 p.m. the roof rolled back to give a view of blue skies above.
“Our philosophy has always been to use local produce as much as possible,” says owner George Adams.
The menu is filled with mouth watering seafood dishes, from cod croquettes, fish tacos, tiger prawns to market fish and lobster. The meat options include pork belly, steak tartare and, to demonstrate its casual atmosphere, even a cheeseburger.
As you can imagine, the English coast is not everybody’s cup of tea during the winter and the restaurant is closed from November until the early spring.
Last year, a sister restaurant called The Hut Little Jumby opened in Antigua where the season rolls from October until the early summer months. The vision is similar; local produce, international brasserie-style food, delicious drinks and beachy attire.
‘Unfussy, yet refined’
The Hut, Antigua, is located on a small island accessible by ferry shuttle from mainland’s Barnacle Point, and of course for those travelling by boat, mooring is possible by reservation. The Antigua branch is situated on an idyllic white sandy beach with the possibility to lounge in a shaded sunbed with cocktails arriving all afternoon.
Both restaurants are worth travelling for, whether you are a sailor or want to experience the flavours of luxury life at sea in a relaxed, enjoyable environment.
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My mum even left her rain coat at the restaurant (yes, it’s still English weather and we always carry a rain coat just in case) and one of the hosts kindly popped it in the back of the car that was constantly driving back and forth from the ferry port to the Hut to get it back to her.
Read more from Zoë here in Dispatches’ archives.
Co-CEO of Dispatches Europe. A former military reporter, I'm a serial expat who has lived in France, Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands.
