One of Matt and Cat’s favourite places in Newport is the Quay Arts Centre.

Years ago, Cat was a potter with a studio in Jubilee Stores, an artists’ community supported by Quay Arts. Her wares were sold in the Quay’s shop and she even had her work exhibited at the Rope Store. That was all long ago. Since she palled up with Matt, her interaction with ceramics is a lot more as a food substrate than raw mud. She still has frequent trips to the Quay, but nowadays it's almost always to enjoy one of the best lunching-spots in town.

The Quay is nothing if not diverse. There’s still plenty of variety for Cat to get her teeth into, despite the waning of her career as a ceramicist. Not only does the centre feed peoples’ artistic needs with its galleries, craft shop and creative classes, but it also literally nourishes with its delicious and wholesome café fare. And, in the summer, it really comes into its own with the suntrap terrace adjacent to the tidal Medina. Consequently Matt and Cat are regular visitors – and not just because of the Quay’s proximity to their workplaces.

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One of
Matt and Cat's
favourites

The Quay café has always provided healthy local food in a stimulating environment. These days this something most lunching-places seem to aspire to, but even so, few can match Newport's original contender. Matt and Cat assume that everyone knows about this but, having held their most audacious Dining Club event there to date, they were surprised that some of their guests had never set foot in the building. The Dining Club evening event was a one-off, so on a day-to-day basis a diner in the café is unlikely to encounter a saffron-coated chicken’s head: but by contrast they can be sure to have a decent salad and hearty baked potato.

The Quay Café menu changes daily and, on the day that Matt and Cat visited, the options were typically varied. Sun-dried tomato, basil and goats cheese frittata; vegetable squash and Quinoa chilli; and a nice local twist on the classic BLT: dry-cure Island bacon, IW tomato and baby-leaf baguette.

The Quay Arts Centre café can be busy at lunchtimes so, as Matt sought out a table, Cat took her place in the queue, promising to choose something suitable for them both. This counter-service may not be to everyone’s liking but it is a pretty efficient way of processing the customers who, while waiting their turn and deliberating over the menu, can peek through an open hatch and see the activity in the compact kitchen.

Taking her cutlery and then her seat at Matt’s table, Cat cast her eye around the artworks on the café walls. While some venues specialise in a slow degradation of their interiors, the Quay’s café walls are kept vibrant and stimulating by a constant turn-over of art. From decorated guitars to fabulous enamel-ware, there is usually something to provoke debate - and hopefully open a few purses!

Having read the menu, Matt was hoping that Cat had chosen fresh veal liver, tomato and gooseberry casserole served with organic bread. Fortunately for him, their hundreds of meals out together has resulted in both of them knowing instinctively what the other would choose and Cat was on the money. Head chef Martyn Cutler is a specialist in vegetarian and gluten-free meals, but that doesn't stop him using the full range of ingredients when it suits him. Matt was absolutely delighted with the veal liver casserole that Cat chose. The liver was as soft as cheese, and the creamy texture of the meat contrasted splendidly with the tart gooseberries and tomatoes.

For her lunch, Cat had plumped for Bembridge crab, leek and Parmesan frittata with Quay house salad. The generous slab of frittata was delicious; flavoured with the sweet rich taste of the local crab and leeks, with a slight acidity provided by the Parmesan. The Quay’s salads are far removed from the alas too-frequent iceberg-lettuce-and-slice-of-tomato apology that often crouches on Matt and Cat’s plates. If the Quay’s salads were a band they’d be Black-Eyed Peas: flamboyant, diverse and colourful. Cat’s accompanying salad was a tasty mix of apple, walnut and Stilton, peppers, home-made coleslaw plus dressed tomato halves and mixed leaves. The dish was fabulous: wholesome without being tediously worthy, with more than a hint of local provenance and pretty good value for money.

As you can probably tell Matt and Cat love the Quay Arts. With its inspiring free galleries, unusual gifts and, of course, the yummy food, it's definitely a great place to eat, drink at the bar or just stop for coffee. It's open during the daytime all year around. The food too, is not just café fare. There's something different about the Quay café and the menus on offer, that makes your reviewers want to go back there. It consistently offers healthy and wholesome food that will suit a wide range of palates - including vegetarian and gluten-free food that even Matt will eat without protest. Matt and Cat are frequent visitors and they are confident you will be too.