The owners of a popular and intimate restaurant on Cardiff Road in Newport list one thing as the key to their success, after winning several awards over the years.
Owner of Spanish restaurant New Olé, Antonio Bautista-Vazquez and host Fay Rowland, have said the awards have been rolling in since they opened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been incredible”, said Ms Rowland, “I’d never worked in hospitality before, Anton is my fiancé and I jumped in to support him and to push it through while juggling my day-to-day job at the M.o.J.”.
Mr Bautista-Vazquez, owner and chef of the restaurant hailing from Galicia in Spain, says he opened the restaurant just a few months before the beginning of the pandemic. Then he went on to close it temporarily, offering takeaway only, before officially opening in 2021.
Antonio Bautista-Vazquez has been in the hospitality industry for more than twenty years, while Fay Rowland is the host in the front of house, a former police detective who appears as Ground Hunter on the Channel 4 series 'Hunted'.
Ms Rowland says, "It’s just the two of us. People come, they love the experience, they write a review, then they invite their friends and family who then invite others to try it".
Mr Bautista-Vazquez says “we don’t invest anything in advertisement, always word of mouth”.
They explain to The Argus that they are on their own when the service rush happens in-house, unlike many other restaurant businesses in Newport.
“On Fridays and Saturdays, we have someone to help us clean and that’s it”, says Ms Rowland.
Restaurant Guru 2023 crowned New Olé restaurant the winners of ‘Best Restaurant in Newport 2023’ and ‘Best Croquettes in Newport 2023’.
Along with this, New Olé came top at the Welsh Restaurant Awards 2023 with another secret acclamation set to release in the upcoming weeks.
Restaurant concept
Mr Bautista-Vazquez said, “the concept of the restaurant is intimate, I cook everything in the moment. This is a tiny restaurant and we manage the timings of the tables. We want to give that experience where we’re out and with the people”.
Mr Bautista-Vazquez and Ms Rowland say that it feels like cooking for “friends and family” as opposed to customers “on a conveyor belt”.
When asked what other Newport restaurants may be missing, Ms Rowland said:
"This is a slightly different concept in terms of its very intimate and its like coming into someone's home. Whereas others, its very much about covers and money. It's about getting people in and getting people out".
Mr Bautista-Vazquez said things are different in Spain. Employees will be trained extensively on how to work in a front-of-house role, while here he said "it can be a temporary job. It's very different".
At the time of writing, the restaurant was rated as #7 out of 224 restaurants in Newport on TripAdvisor, with some reviewers saying it is "unique" while others said the prices were "reasonable" - referring to the 3 tapas for £18 offer.
“We have different dishes that are typical of Galicia that you don’t often find at other Spanish restaurants”, said Mr Bautista-Vazquez, who said there are eight different flavours of croquettes for "a big variety of flavours".
Effects of the cost-of-living crisis
"People feel welcome, they feel comfortable and they feel they are in Spain while they're here", say the owners of New Olé restaurant.
But the cost-of-living crisis has still affected this popular business.
"The octopus used to be £11-£12, now its £18", said Mr Bautista-Vazquez.
Mr Bautista-Vazquez also mentions other things that have affected them, like the price of "oil and electricity".
Ms Rowland said, "we don't want to push it [our prices] up" because this would affect other parts of the area that wouldn't be able to afford it.
She said, "there is massive deprivation here too", being based in the Pillgwenlly area of Newport.
"Profits, forget it, you know, but it is a living and an enjoyable job for us", said Ms Rowland.
A full list of the 2023 Welsh restaurant award winners in Gwent can be seen by going onto: https://bit.ly/3vokU4h
A recipe for success
"The food is good, but the service is better", says Mr Bautista-Vazquez as he looks at Ms Rowland and smiles.
Two ingredients are listed as New Olé restaurants secret to success.
"To be authentic. I've been making tortilla for 15 years so I know the key to making the best tortilla", says Mr Bautista-Vazquez.
'Tortilla' is similar to a Spanish omelette.
The second ingredient they credit to their success?
Ms Rowland says, "our customers are just amazing, really.
"If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here. They literally share, share, share. They talk about us and spread the word. We've got people coming in who have told their colleagues".
Mr Bautista-Vazquez says they always try to make the best "and they leave on a nice experience".
The restaurant owners have said they can take dietary needs into account with 48h notice for these, which can be for vegetarian, vegan or halal diners.
Address: 34 Cardiff Road Newport NP20 2ED
Number: 07877137148
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