CALL IT What You Want is a curious culinary enterprise that has popped up at Isle of Wight locations over the years and, in each wonderful iteration, rarely offers the same experience, dishes or pricing.
At the Brading version, which is housed in Cardinal's pub, there's no menu and no choice, so if you like the comfort of knowing what you will be eating in advance, this experience is not for you.
That said, we'd forewarned Call It What You Want about a food allergy, and were reassured that this could be accommodated — the chef confirming with us on arrival.
What is consistent at Call It What You Want are the Cajun and Creole-inspired meats, sides and garnishes.
Sharing platters are the norm, so bring friends and don't wear your best top. This is finger food and the copious sauces cannot — and should not — be avoided.
We had a single loaded trencher between us — the centrepiece a pile of rich, glossy Jamaican jerk ribs, stacked on a bed of soft curry rice to soak up the splendid sauce.
Marinated with a seasoned dry rub, the pork was cooked for four hours creating racks of moist and tender spicy ribs.
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Meat fell off the bones as we eagerly gnawed at them, pulling the racks apart with our hands to share.
Each of us had a pair of lime chicken wings with a smooth, moreish triple cheese sauce.
The tasty wings were presented on a South Korean red pepper and potato base, that managed to transform a simple mash into something exotic and genre-bending.
The item we all fought over was the fried buttermilk chicken. Hot, steaming chunks of tender chicken were lightly coated in a fresh, peppery batter that totally outclassed anything you've ever had from a fast-food franchise.
So Call It What You Want is back for now — until its next incarnation.
We can't say how long it will be at Cardinal's — nor whether its famous mac 'n' cheese or Louisiana three-fish chowder will be served, but we truly hope they will.
If you enjoy certainty in a menu, and quiet, respectable dining, don't go to Call It What You Want.
But if you want to take a bunch of mates to dig into the very best southern sharing plates, rush down to Cardinal's right now.
Please note: Picture shows the platter for four people
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