It's very rare that I am as excited to share my thoughts and reviews on something as I am today! A couple of weeks ago I was invited down to my local Turtle Bay restaurant in Chelmsford to try the new and exciting summer menu. Turtle Bay has restaurants based all over the country in cities such as York, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, and claim to be 'The best Caribbean restaurant in Britain' (which for the record, I think is 100% true!).
My family have been to Turtle Bay once before this trip and had such an amazing experience that we were all excited to return. One of my favourite things about this restaurant, aside from the food of course, is the perfect Caribbean theming both inside and outside. The 'fairy light' lighting and Cabana inspired seating area truly makes you feel like your about to step out onto sandy beaches and the painted wall murals are beautiful to look at. I also love the whole tea towel napkin set up, as it makes you feel like you are just popping round to eat with family.
The menu at Turtle Bay is quite small compared to other chain restaurants that I have been to in the past, but there is definitely something for everyone to enjoy. As I was invited to try the new menu, my family and I chose a selection of bits with the heart icon (the heart was there to signpost new dishes).
For drinks I decided I wanted to try something new and different to just coke. So I went for the new Pineappleade which tasted AMAZING. I loved how it came in a little bottle wrapped up, it's all about the little details with me! My dad decided to try something off of the new menu as well, so went with the Caribbean craft lager which he said was really nice as well.
Starters
For starters, I went with something completely normal for me, Garlic 'n' Herb Flatbread! This was something I remember having last time we visited and I have not had a garlic bread since that day that has compared to it. My brother had the 'Our Jerk Pit Wings' which he loved. My dad had the 'Crispy Chilli Squid' which looked amazing too.
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| Garlic 'n' Herb Flatbread |
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| Our Jerk Pit Wings |
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| Crispy Chilli Squid |
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| The remainders of the Flatbread, shared by the whole family! |
Mains
I decided before we arrived that I wanted to try something off of the new menu for my main course. After a small internal debate, I went for the 'Two-way Chicken Burger' which came with a side of fries and Caribbean slaw. I am never normally an adventurous person when it comes to trying new foods, but loved every bite of this dish! Inside, there was a spicy panko crumbed chicken fillet, topped with pulled jerk chicken and lettuce. There was also a fresh pineapple chow & herb mayo in the sweet bun. Initially I didn't understand the point on having pineapple in a burger, but it added to the flavour and texture of the whole dish.
My mum decided to also choose something off of the new menu and went for the 'Slow Braised Beef Ribs'. Her dish consisted of marinated pork ribs with a side of sweet potato fries and a fresh watermelon, lime and coriander salad, which again I thought was a little odd but she loved!
Following on with the new food theme, my dad went with the 'Babyback Pork Ribs' which was recommend to him by our lovely waitress Alex. His meal came with two pork ribs, sweet potato fries and the caribbean slaw. He commented on how succulent and tasty his ribs were, which from him is saying something!
My brother also went for the new menu and had the 'Bajan Beef Cheeks', which he actually described as being 'the dogs bullocks' when he finished his final mouthful. His meal came with six hour slow simmered beef cheeks, okra, potato, garlic and ginger served with steamed rice and roti flatbread. His food probably looked the best, and I think I will absolutely be having that on my next trip!
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| Two-way Chicken Burger £8.50 |
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| Babyback Pork Ribs £10.25 |
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| Slow Braised Beef Rib £14.95 |
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| Bajan Beef Cheeks £10.80 |
Desserts and Drinks
One of the best parts about eating at Turtle Bay is how light the meals are. Although we all enjoyed our meals we didn't in any way feel completely full which meant plenty of room for dessert (apart from my brother who was filling himself up in the form of the Red Stripe beer!). As soon as I saw the menu I knew instantly what I would be choosing. 'Banana and Toffee Cheesecake'! My dad also decided to go with this and it was definitely not a mistake. My mum went with the 'Dark Chocolate Brownies' which was served warm with vanilla ice cream. My parents also decided to get a coffee whilst we had desserts, and enjoyed a Latte and Americano. I loved the teeny tiny bottle that the milk came in.
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| Americano £2.25 & Latte £2.25 |
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| Banana and Toffee Cheesecake £4.95 |
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| Dark Chocolate Brownie £4.95 |
Overall, our whole Turtle Bay experience was absolutely outstanding. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were treated so well from everybody we met. From the smiling faces of other guests, the feeling was clearly mutual. Our lovely waitress Alex was equally incredible. She was cheerful, friendly and didn't at any point make us feel rushed or pressured in any way. Her knowledge of the menu was also very clear and she helped to guide us through the best dishes to choose from, which I would like to think they would do to every guest. One of the things Turtle Bay does well, aside from the amazing theming, is the spicy food. Spice is certainly not something I generally enjoy from a meal, but would happily eat most of the dishes from here. If the eating isn't your thing then Turtle Bay are also great with their cocktails, and they actually have a '2 for 1 happy hour' which I believe is everyday after 10pm. Seriously though, the food is incredible and both of my visits have always been a pleasure. More importantly my family and I had a lovely time to sit and talk over great food which is priceless, so we will definitely be back again in the future.
Have you ever been to Turtle Bay before?
Let me know what you think of the new summer menu if you visit!
Until next time,
*I was kindly invited to visit this restaurant to try out the new menu. As always photographs, opinions and thoughts are 100% my own and are always honest.
