A newly-refurbished bar and brasserie in Newport has been taken on by a former Newport County and Bristol City footballer. Darren Jones, whose career in the game spanned 17 years and included three stints at Rodney Parade, has become the new manager of the Queen's Hotel in Bridge Street in the city.
Darren, who is also from Newport, will run the hotel alongside head chef and general manager Iain Jackson. Iain previously worked at the Priory Hotel in Caerleon, Rougemont School in Newport, and the Custom House in Penarth.
Queen's Hotel reopened last year as Q Newport featuring co-working spaces, offices, a bar, and hotel accommodation. Local firms and organisations already occupy the co-working space, including tech fashion firm Brand Lab, with the brasserie hoping to attract workers on the lunch break with a tapas menu served Monday to Saturday.
Darren said: "The hotel is undergoing extensive refurbishments at the moment but we already have guests in the rooms we have completed. We’re a five-minute walk from the rail station and that makes us a great choice for visitors, particularly those who are here for rugby weekends and the like."
Queen's Hotel offers 29 rooms, some of which are still undergoing renovation, and an events room for weddings, corporate events, and charity days. The Grade-II listed venue which originally opened in 1863 is named after the then-reigning monarch Queen Victoria. A brasserie menu, cocktails, and luxury afternoon tea will be served Wednesday to Saturday with traditional roasts offered on Sunday.
Iain said: "Everything we serve is cooked from scratch using fresh ingredients from local suppliers and that includes all our seafood, meats, and fruit and vegetables. We have a patisserie chef on the team so there is nothing served here that is pre-packaged or pre-prepared. It’s all about the ingredients, taking the best produce we can find and letting it do the talking on the plate.”
