Geshmak Café in Newport City Centre opened six months ago and is already a popular independent business in the community.
The small dynamic café, bistro and bar nestled on 17 Charles Street opened in April and has been providing the people of Newport with high quality cooked food.
Former MasterChef contestant, Francesca Keirle, was teaching at Caerleon High School last year when she gave all that up to run the restaurant.
She said: “It is going well, I am enjoying the experience. It's more of a restaurant than a café and my menus are bistro, and they change every week.
“Lots of fresh fish and sea food, people seem to love it and customers are coming back again and again.
A Curry coconut sea bass dish served at the bistro. Picture: Geshmak Cafe bar & Bistro
“I really like Charles Street as it has a nice indie vibe. I was really drawn to this particular space because of the potential for the outdoor area.”
The outdoor space behind the shop will be developed in the future to include stalls, little markets, and potential pop-ups with music and outdoor dining.
As the cost-of-living crisis is impacting many businesses across the city, the plan to develop the huge back space is on hold until the restaurant is established.
She added: “When you open a business, you don’t really expect to make any money for the first couple of years and I have structured my expectations knowing I have to support the business.
“My customers have been good, as due to rising food costs my prices have gone up and I was a bit reluctant to do that, but my customers urged me to put them up as my food is a really great quality.
The outdoor space has so much potential for the future. Picture: Newsquest
“They know they are getting a chef cooked food, an exceptional quality and its not as expensive as you would get elsewhere.”
As the Newport Food Festival is set to hit the city on Saturday after a two-year absence, Geshmark will not be having a stall at the festival but they will be open for business.
They do plan to serve Spaetzle pasta, with the opportunity to sit under the archway near the side of the restaurant for outdoor dining or go into the café.
Inside the qurky little Bistro. Picture: Geshmak Cafe Bar & Bistro
She added: “I am really close, Charles Street is a bit further up but is still in the centre of the town so ill put some tables under the arch, weather permitting.”
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