Posts Tagged ‘The Dragon Brasserie’

Can you believe that I actually agreed to a number plate with the number 13????

The Dragon Hotel Mini was delivered to the hotel on the 1^st March so I was very excited to drive home that evening with only 5 miles on the mileage counter.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this new mini does not attract the speeding cameras and police cars on the M4 like the old one did!!!

Last week the Mini and I were busy playing the Easter bunny when we delivered Dragon Easter Eggs to companies in and around Swansea.  I thought it was nice to break the engine in slowly before the long journeys up to Derby and Manchester this month to drum business up for the hotel.

So if you see me at the traffic lights in the morning doing my lipstick give me a beep.

Question:- How many people can you fit in a Mini?

Answer:- If it’s a new BMW Mini and those people happen to be very flexible then the answer is 28 (5 if they’re all like me), as confirmed for a new Guiness World Record at Potters Field Park, London in 2012.

After 6 fabulous years, Rob has finally taken the jump and is moving on to pastures new! So Rob leaves Tara and Andy to take on the Personal Training in The Dragon Hotel in Swansea to the next level and look forward to welcoming Natalie and Louise to the Team!!

As with any celebration (we are sad that rob is leaving us….honest!), there has to be some celebratory drinks.

Many of the staff from The Dragon Health Club and Hotel met up on Saturday for a day of Sport and Socialising. Naturally, some of the boys had to start celebrations after a large cooked breakfast so the partying started at 12pm. Then it was a few drinks whilst watching Swansea vs Arsenal (we lost L ) and then a few more to watch Wales vs England! Woo Hoo!!! We won!!!

So there was more celebrating! This lasted into the early hours of the morning. Needless to say, after a shift of partying in excess of 12 hours (Rob struggles putting hard work in for 8 hours) Rob was a little sleepy, and managed a bit of shut eye before actually getting to bed!!

We all partied hard to make sure Rob had a good send off and we wish him all the very best of luck in his new job!!

Good Luck Rob, We’ll miss you!!

From everyone at The Dragon Hotel

xx

Looking for that unique gift for someone special who has everything?

Well look no further; The Dragon Hotel Gift Card is the perfect answer! Providing an opportunity to experience award winning dining, relaxing beauty treatments or just a break away from home, our Gift Cards can be used as full or part-payment against anything at The Dragon Hotel. (more…)

It’s once again that time where we proudly announce the member of staff who has stood out amongst all.  Our team member of the month for February goes to Jaidon Williams from Housekeeping who stands out amongst us all in more ways than one!

This is a photo of the many talented Williams family.

He was awarded employee of the month for 3 main reasons:

When Antonio chose me as his plus one for the trip to Wembley to watch the Swans play for the Capital One Cup against Bradford City my sheer joy quickly turned to anxiety when I realised this was no ordinary trip – not only were we to attend the match but we were also invited to join the club for pre and post match hospitality! How delightful but what would I wear?!

At the advice of family, friends and colleagues (because of course I had to tell everyone where we were going) I WAG’d it up for the great day and was not even late for the 7:00am arrival at The Liberty Stadium.  Even at that early hour, the atmosphere was electric as hoards of fans made their way to the waiting buses.  Having been alerted to the fact that we were to travel on the first bus to leave the stadium anxiety once again set in as no one was able to identify which bus that would be.  We quickly met others in the same situation and soon had new BFFs in Steve and Debbie.  Not before Antonio had insulted the right honourable Geraint Davies MP we were ushered onto the correct bus and our journey got underway (not like others whose bus failed to even leave the stadium!).

The atmosphere at The Liberty was nothing compared with the mood at the Leigh Delamare services.  The whole rest stop was a sea of black and white with the sound of vuvuzelas echoing throughout.  In fact every other vehicle along the M4 appeared to be a Jack Army tank with flags, scarves and streamers wildly fluttering as they made the pilgrimage to Wembley.

The journey slowed to an agonizing crawl as we neared the famous arch but we finally arrived at our destination – The Hilton London Wembley Hotel.  During the drinks reception we lost sight of Steve and Debbie so when we were ushered into the dining hall we looked out for them so that we could join them for lunch.  Finally spotting them at a corner table Antonio and I made our way and settled down – me secretly delighted that my preferred position in any restaurant – a corner seat where I can view the whole room – was available.  Once settled, I looked up to meet the other couple at our table.  My smile froze.  Debbie, Steve, Antonio and I were sharing a table with none other than David Hasselhoff and Glynneath girlfriend Hayley Roberts.  ‘Hi, I’m David’ says The Hoff, shaking hands with us all.  I’m afraid I spluttered as the day took a decidedly surreal turn.

The meal, as delicious as it was with a Chicken Liver Parfait to start followed by a Fillet of Beef that could be cut with a butter knife and a Lemon Tart for dessert (almost as nice as The Dragon Brasserie!), was not my main focus as we chatted about swimming with sharks, touring Australia and brining down the Berlin Wall – as you do.  To be fare, David admitted that he really couldn’t be credited with bringing the wall down singlehandedly as was reported at the time; he just happened to be there at the right time with the right song, the very apt Looking For Freedom.  ‘In fact’ he said, ‘I was only over in Europe because Knight Rider had recently come to an end and a friend had told me that I had some fans in Austria!’  Indeed, I finished lunch with a better opinion of The Hoff than when I started, especially after he was gracious enough to pose for photos despite earlier in the conversation detailing how grueling this could be.  My only regret was not following his advice on placing a bet (apparently his last remaining vice) on Swansea winning by a large margin.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing…

Completely exhausted from the day’s activities we returned to the hotel for some afternoon tea and celebration.  Mixing with the players’ friends and families I quickly realized that my earlier angst about what to wear was completely unnecessary.  Swansea City may well be a Premier League team; it may also be a League Cup Winner and is heading for the Europa League next season however, Swansea City is as down to earth as it ever was.  We met a host of delightful people and even felt helpful as we (Ok, Antonio) chatted in Spanish with those not so comfortable with the English language.

Before we knew it, the evening had progressed into nighttime and it was time to leave London.  The drama, however, was not over yet as we learnt that one of the bus drivers had been knocked down during the day and was now recovering in hospital!  A quick reshuffle ensued and we were homeward bound by midnight and at the Liberty Stadium by 3:30am.  This is where Antonio and I called it a night although I’m confident that some continued to party until dawn.  I cannot relay how amazing the whole occasion had been and am more proud than ever before of being a Swansea Jack – till I die.

As you may now have learned, Swansea City Football Team were successful in their efforts to win the Capital One Cup.  As a result the city will be welcoming the team home with a celebration parade.  This event will be taking place on Tuesday, 26th February 2013. 

The parade will leave the Kingsway adjacent to The Dragon Hotel at 4:30pm and make its way via the Kingsway and St Helen’s Road to the Guildhall.  It is anticipated that the event will be over by 6:30pm.

The following roads will be closed on a rolling basis:

4:30pm – 7:30pm            The Kingsway
                                        St Helen’s Road
                                        Guild Hall Road South

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause

An opportunity to manage the housekeeping department in Ascot came my way, what a fantastic chance to further my career.

This was my first time working away from home which was an amazing experience, the hotel was more rural than what I’m used to, being in the city centre at The Dragon Hotel.

I looked after the housekeeping team for a week to make sure standards of cleanliness were high in the 126 bedroom hotel. I would like to thank all the staff at Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa, for welcoming me as  part of their team and look forward to working with them again should the opportunity arise.

(Also, on a lighter note I would welcome the opportunity of working at any of our sister hotels in Portugal or Spain too!)

Love was in the air at The Dragon Hotel on Valentine’s day

Our bedrooms were presented with swans and rose petals

Valentine’s menu was a big success with our guests

Everyone including staff really enjoyed the occasion

Many thanks to Jaidon Williams for his hard work making the bedrooms look fantastic!

It’s once again that time where we proudly announce the member of staff who has stood out amongst all.  Our team member of the month goes to our ‘Kitchen Porter’ Christopher Brown!

Chris has worked for the Hotel since July 2009, since his time at the hotel he has clearly demonstrated that his commitment and determination to his job shines through! From washing dishes to helping to prepare for some of our large events, Chris has been a big support to Steve and his team of chefs!

Chris has now decided to move departments within the hotel and will be joining our night’s team later this month. I am sure that he will continue to show great enthusiasm within his new role and be an asset to Kelly and her team!

Please join me in saying ‘Congratulations’ Chris on your well deserved award and good luck in your new position!

Shrove Tuesday will be upon us so we thought we’d get in really early and make sure that not only are you prepared for some flipping good fun, but you’re also having a healthy pancake day this year!

Tara Hammett, our Health Club Manager and one of Swansea and South Wales’ top Personal Trainers (Did we mention finalist in the National Fitness Awards Personal Trainer of the Year 2012?) has shared her healthy pancake recipe that will keep your mid week healthy nutrition in check! It’s gluten free, high in fibre and massive on taste!

Ingredients: (for one pancake, increase ingredients accordingly)

For the pancake:

1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour

2 Egg Whites

¼ Cup Coconut Milk

For cooking in the pan:

Coconut Oil

For adding at the end (optional):

¼ teaspoon Truvia

Lemon

Mix all your pancake ingredients together. Firstly I whisked my egg whites up, then I added the flour and milk to a nice little batter.

Add ½ teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan and swish it around.

Add your pancake batter to the pan and cook on one side for about a minute whilst swishing (said that twice now) the batter evenly around the edges.

Then…..the next move is your shout….what will it be??

A Flip????

Or

Risk a toss???

Well…..I’m gonna put it out there – I flipped!! Which I must say is medium on the adventurous scale, because sometimes I totally bail out and cook the other side under the grill (top tip).

Cook the other side for about another 30 seconds, then slide it out onto your plate, sprinkle with a bit of truvia and squeeze some fresh lemon and tuck in!!

NOM!!

So, you’ve had fun, you feel like you’ve indulged and you can enjoy the rest of your evening guilt free!!

Macros per pancake:

139 kCals

9g Protein

6g Carbs

3g Fibre

9g Fat

Enjoy!!!

Tara x