If you're hungry for lunch and in Newport you're probably in the right place.

From traditional cafés like one-of-a-kind Chapel Coffee Lounge to international identikit fast food franchises, the town has a good range of offerings. Admittedly, in the evening the choice is a bit slimmer, but for the busy shopper or office drone Newport's rarely a let-down for a mid-day repast. If, like Matt and Cat, you'd built up a substantial appetite staggering blank-eyed round the post-Christmas sales in an attempt to shake off the festive cabin fever, you could eat at dozens of revitalising places, each with its own personality.

And of those many lunching-places, none is more central than the Blue Door, located in the shadow of the Victoria memorial in the very middle of town. Most of the year, this busy corner has a little group of tables outside, where Matt and Cat often while away a happy lunchbreak in the sun, watching the world go by and almost invariably passing the time with someone they know. Such is Island life.

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Back to the cooler days of winter and M&C popped into the Blue Door for their lunch. Although the owners had optimistically placed a table or two outside - perhaps as a concession to the hardier smokers who hadn't yet resolved to give up their habit in the new year - the less insulated Cat demanded a table in the café's snug interior.

The Blue Door is certainly a cosy venue but that's not to its detriment. In fact, by dint of having such close proximity to the staff and other customers, it's hard to maintain an icy demeanour. Like the occupants of a lift, Matt and Cat found themselves nodding a vague acknowledgement to their fellow diners before passing the time of day at the café's counter. And who should they meet there but the new proprietors, Andrew and Emma Morgan. When reviewing, M&C don't normally introduce themselves to anyone, but in this case they couldn't help but greet the chef, as they know Andrew through his former employment at the Seaview Hotel - in fact Andrew was the urbane manager who smoothly co-ordinated one of the most memorable and diverse of Matt and Cat's Dining Club events last summer, arranging not only a meal, a wine tasting, but also a trip around a farm, some alpacas to stroke and a talk from the farmer. So after such a tour de force it was with surprise that M&C heard that Andrew and his wife Emma had taken the helm at the Blue Door - and yet, somehow, this fellow seemed as much at home in the apron of a busy café cook as he did with the collar and tie of a hotel manager.

Fixated upon soup, Cat was unable to choose between the flavours on offer and sought some counsel from chef Andrew. The spiced parsnip came highly recommended as did the tomato and basil, but Cat quite liked the sound of chicken and mushroom. In an obvious, albeit off-menu solution, the Blue Door showed that it was easily able to match the commitment to service that you might find at a big hotel. Rather than let dithering Cat fuss any longer, she was offered a masterful solution to her indecision: have all of them. A trio of soups was recommended, and Cat readily agreed. Matt, being a creature of habit, chose all-day breakfast. Sure he could have had smoked salmon with scrambled egg, or the Blue Door three-egg omelette with prawns - but he didn't deny himself what he really wanted.

Taking their cutlery and clutching glasses of chilled tap water, Matt and Cat passed through the archway into the dining area. The chef was half-surprised to see that they knew the indoor seating was there. Apparently some of the Blue Door's customers imagine that it's a only counter with some outdoor seating. Far from it - in all weathers, if space allows there's somewhere to eat in a small but pleasant seating area with half a dozen tables.

The trio of soups was a great hit. Cat, whose eating attention span is usually quite short (unless it's dessert, in which case she can manipulate a spoon for a surprisingly long time), was delighted with this elegant variation. Too often soup is served in a mighty bowl which takes forever to cool down and as long to sup up. With the tasty soups served in smaller cups, they became a tongue-tolerating temperature quicker (although never growing cold) and, once Cat had got the measure of one, she moved on to the next. The recommendation was wholeheartedly endorsed: the parsnip was the best. Spicy and thick but without the monotony of that other vegetable soup mainstay, leek and potato. The tomato and basil was nice and tangy, with a slight texture inferring a coarse blend as opposed to the smoothness of your typical cream of tomato. The third soup - Cat's first choice from the menu - was the chicken and mushroom. Again, a good winter broth, rumoured to have restorative properties; just what was required on a winter's day.

While Cat was playing Goldilocks with her three bowls of soup, Matt was enjoying his breakfast which really was a sight to behold. All the standard ingredients were present and correct: sausage, bacon, egg, fresh fried mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, beans and toast. Everything was piping hot, and good quality - a generous three rashers of bacon made this breakfast particularly good value. Matt ate it with pleasure.

Having fortified themselves with their warming lunches in the peaceful little café, Matt and Cat buttoned themselves up and emerged through the Blue Door into the square. The day was decidedly chilly and, in midwinter the sun was already getting low in the sky. But after such a lunch, the shops beckoned once more, and off they went. At any time of year, the Blue Door is a really good town centre venue for a light lunch, a cuppa and a chat. Matt and Cat are delighted to see its long tradition being upheld by the new owners, and hope to see the venue develop even further in the future.