Fresh Start - Carte

Marenghi's

➤ 434 Chepstow Road, Newport, United Kingdom

Carte • Pasta • Coffee • Italian • European

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"My partner and I ate here last night. Wow, wow, wow. I just don't know why this place is not packed out every night? Italian food, well cooked by someone who is genuinely proud of what he produces. From the moment we walked through the...door the atmosphere was relaxed. The service was welcoming and warm, I felt like I was walking into somebodies home. The menu has pasta dishes as well as chicken and seafood. My partner and I shared an antipasti starter and then had chicken with mushrooms and breaded chicken. Both dishes were served with a slice of garlic bread and the most wonderful Italian frittata. The chicken on both dishes was tender and perfectly cooked. For desert we shared a chocolate and raspberry tart. The chocolate was dense and creamy with the raspberry pieces tangy and sharp. All perfectly balanced with a good bitter espresso on the side. This place looks like a coffee shop from the outside which may make people think this is not a fully fledged restaurant. The staff are friendly and really know about what they cook. The wine list is perfect and not too expensive. Try the Sicilian beer too. Don't hesitate, take the plunge book a table you will not be disappointed."

Gem 42

➤ 42 Bridge St, Newport, United Kingdom, IVY Cross, Shaftesbury

Carte • Wine • Coffee • European • Ice Cream

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"This place absolutely blows the competition out of the water. I didn’t believe the reviews before my first visit, but now I do. It’s not just somewhere to eat, it’s theatre and magic too. The welcome, the layout, the tableware, the glassware, the food, the drink, the environmental ethos, the location and the service are all 5 star. My husband is an omnivore and I am vegan and it’s hard to find somewhere we both really enjoy, but Gem 42 is one. I also don’t drink alcohol and was delighted to see that they have not 1 but 4 homemade kombuchas on offer! I love that you are asked to order in advance to reduce waste, and that their food is seasonal and a lot of it grown by them. I can’t think of anything negative to say about this place, except that I wish it was in Cardiff!"

The Gate Llanfrechfa

➤ Caerleon Road, Cwmbran, United Kingdom

Carte • Vegan • Cakes • British • Vegetarian

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"Had food on the 8th of December, Had the ribs to start. Was tasty with a good portion size, it came with side salad and purple coleslaw. Not knowing the portion sizes I ordered a side order of onion rings, which were also very nice. For main, I had the 20 oz T bone steak. The steak was huge. either other places had been skimping on the steak or this place is generous, either way it was cooked to perfection. I had it with chips. The chips come on a separate bowl and the steak was accompanied with a side salad on the plate. At this point I was rather full but I pushed myself to have the desert, which i chose melted Nutella with brownie. We opted for an extra side of ice cream with it. Again the pudding was delicious. The price in my opinion was well worth it. Service was great. No long delay for food and the food was delicious. Overall a great first experience and will be back. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: £60–70 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: BBQ Pork Ribs, Steak and Lobster"

Gemelli

➤ Unit G1 Tesco Store Spytty Road Newport Retail Park, NP19 4TX, United Kingdom

Carte • Pasta • Steak • Turkish • Italian

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"situated inside a large Tesco Extra superstore Gemelli comes with Strange decour that doesn't fit an Italian restaurant. It's more like a gastro pub,, with tables housed in booths on benches . Food menu is ok, fairly basic yet standard, but my gripe is that the vegetarian options are poor and seem to be the meat removed for most dishes, rather than a dedicated veggie plate. Disappointed my caprese salad came without the traditional sweet basil, yet would have accepted a variation of this simple dish, yet what I had was no dressing or seasoning making it extremely bland. No olives either. Just mozzarella, lettuce and tomatoes. This is a basic dish to get wrong. No olive oil, balsamic vinegar, or even black pepper and salt were present on the tables.Overall a very bland experience."

The Green

➤ Goldcroft Common, Caerleon I-NP18 1NG, United Kingdom

Carte • Cafés • Coffee • Seafood • European

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"The breakfast was enjoyable and cooked well. The staff were friendly, and the service was reasonably timely. However, it felt quite pricey. We ordered a large and a medium breakfast along with two cans of Coke. When you order a can, which is displayed on the counter and seems to be around £1, you actually end up being charged £2.40 for a glass instead. When paying by card, you're prompted to leave a tip with four options, starting at 10%. My daughter, being too polite, selected the 10% tip when they mentioned there would be a question before entering your PIN. In the end, the total came to over £26 for two breakfasts and two Cokes. While the quality of the breakfast was enjoyable, the overall value felt lacking."