Mercure Hotel chef Steve White talks setting up shop in Newport

Kitchen and Bar at NP20 is the eaterie inside the city’s new Mercure Hotel, which dominates the city skyline.

Set inside Chartist Tower – Newport’s tallest building, the restaurant and bar caters to hotel guests, but is also available for members of the public to enjoy.

And what’s more, the man responsible for cooking up tasty dishes is likely to be a familiar face for those who move in fine dining circles in the Gwent area.

The head chef is none other than Steve White, who can list fine dining establishments such as The Celtic Manor and The Cwrt Bleddyn on his resume, along with local pubs such as The Ruperra Arms in Bassaleg.

Chef Steve White, on the Mercure Hotel's launch day

Explaining his decision to make the leap and move to the Mercure, Mr White told the Argus: “I’m a Newport boy, born and bred in Newport. I’ve worked the areas of Newport and I’ve got a good name for myself.

“I’ve worked food festivals and done demonstrations, I’ve worked for independent bars and pubs, and I just wanted to go back into a brand and have the opportunity to put my name on it as well.”

What can diners expect?

While many hotels follow a similar – and often low risk approach when it comes to creating a menu for its customers, Mr White revealed that while Interstate Hotels – the operators of the Mercure brand, gave him a bank of menus for inspiration, he was given free reign to create a menu of his choice.

But, his choice was made easier by the facilities on hand at the state of the art venue.

The kitchen inside the hotel was kitted out with a pizza oven, which inspired Mr White to create a Welsh-Italian menu, with something for everyone.

Chips, along with grilled chicken supreme, mushrooms, gnocchi and asparagus in a cream and white wine sauce. Served at Newport's Mercure Hotel

But, while the Italian inspiration is clear to see in the pizza and pasta dishes, there are a fair few nods to Newport and its history to be found, too.

He said: “The first time when we went into the kitchen, we noticed a pizza oven there. So, we were looking at maybe going down the Italian-Welsh theme.

“We’ve got a few Italian dishes at the moment, and then looking at changing things seasonally, so four times a year. We’ve also got new things happening like afternoon teas, Sunday lunches, and stuff like that.

“I’ve been cooking now for 32 years, since the age of 14, but it is just trying to find a niche on how you can do that. With the brand – Interstate Hotels, we’ve been given a bank of menus to follow.

“We’re, I think, one of the only hotels which has done its own menu. So I’ve gone through and seen what Newport needs. We’ve put on, different names for dishes – like the Frankie Lodge burger. He was singing in John Frost Square, so we’re looking for local and iconic names to name different things.

“It’s just trying to find that niche around what Newport needs.”

The restaurant

Located on the third floor of the 15-storey tower, the bar and restaurant are light and spacious – though the star attraction is a little beyond the main dining area.

Just off from the bar, there is a rooftop terrace area, perched above the hustle and bustle of Commercial Street below.

On a warm sunny day, there is definitely an argument to be made that it is one of the best places in the city to stop for a drink.

Inside The Kitchen and Bar at NP20, in the Mercure Hotel

That being said, there are more than a handful of destinations within that conversation – including the newly opened Indoor Market, and a number of establishments along the Riverfront, to name just a few.

Mr White said: “It’s amazing. The theme of the hotel is around the Transporter Bridge, all the cast iron. You’ll see that through all the carpets and rooms, and also as you walk through to the reception area, where you’ve got the big background of the Transporter Bridge and then you can see different pictures on each floor of how it was built and stuff like that.

“Yeah, (the restaurant) is really picturesque, especially the third floor rooftop terrace. We did say it was a rooftop so everyone was thinking it was going to be up on the 15th floor, but the insurance there is a bit too dodgy!

“It’s lovely when it is all lit up and everything, but yeah, it is going really well now. We’re starting to pick up functions, we want to try and keep saying that it is not just for hotel guests, we want local people to book and order food, or come up and have a drink.”