I’m getting used to Nottingham now. Can you believe it? 1 year in, second child here and I’m finally getting used to my new city. (Slowly but surely.) I think it takes a while to get back to yourself after having a baby, let alone in a strange place. But I have to say that I’m kinda loving Nottingham right now. Can you believe it? One of the perks is that there are a tonne of restaurants we plan on visiting. It’s a real social but chilled vibe in Nottingham. Which is perfect for a child-free date night. That’s exactly what we had yesterday at Turtle Bay, in Trinity Square, Nottingham.
Now I’m not a total newbie to Turtle Bay. When I lived in London, pre-kids and before I worked for myself, I had the luxury of going out with the girls on a regular basis. We often popped to Turtle Bay for their lunch deals. But I’ve never been for dinner and I was intrigued to try the Nottingham branch now it’s been around for a while.
Turtle Bay claims to be The Best Caribbean Restaurant & Bar in Britain. I mean that’s a bold statement! They’re all about rum, reggae and jerk. They aim to be a social restaurant with strong Caribbean vibes.
Now, I don’t know if you know, but my fiancé is half Jamaican and his Grandma makes some brilliant Caribbean food. I also grew up in South London with some of my best friends were from the Caribbean islands. So I’m pretty educated in Caribbean food and actually, jerk chicken is one of the biggest things I miss about South London. So I was intrigued to know if Turtle Bay – a large chain with dozens of restaurants across the UK – could give me the satisfaction to my craving.
First up, I loved the décor and vibe in Turtle Bay. I hope all the restaurants across the UK are the same because they’ve got it just right. We went on a Tuesday evening at 7pm. It was busy, but relaxed. The staff were friendly, busy but really chatty which was brilliant. The reggae music was loud enough to make a presence but quiet enough so that Chiino and I could actually talk to each other without shouting. That’s what makes it a really social place to go. If you want to get to know your dinner partner or if it’s a work party – you’ll still be able to converse but have a really great atmosphere. The entire décor is bright, colourful and if you pay enough attention to the detail, there are things straight out of the Caribbean.
First of all we went to the standalone bar in the middle of the restaurant that really looks the part. The staff were SO friendly. By the way, Happy Hour is until 7pm at Turtle Bay where you can get 2-4-1 Cocktails. We had a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails (because of parenting responsibilities haha!) and they were delicious. Fresh and so so tasty. If only I could have thrown a bit of rum in and then they would have been perfect!
We already knew what we were having when it was time to order. It was great to see the chefs working in the open kitchen and you could see the fire that the chicken was being cooked on so I knew I was going for half jerk chicken, rice and peas and slaw. Chiino opted for the curry goat one pot that also comes with rice and peas. We got spicy fries and roti on the sides. My mouth is watering just typing this!
The food came super quick and along with it an array of sauces. BBQ Jerk to Bajan hot sauce. I was impressed with the portion size. The main meal along with an additional side was the perfect amount to feel full but not stuffed. There’s a tonne of starters and additional side dishes you could choose from if you fancy a bit more, but the portion sizes (even for me) were adequate. I had the jerk chicken, which was soft and succulent. It wasn’t dry at all and was cooked perfect. The Jerk sauce was sweet and tangy – not as hot as I thought it would be so it’s fine if you’re a little scared of spice. You can always use the hot sauces on the table to fire your dish up a bit more if you wish. The rice and peas were could perfectly, had a little tang to them and the slaw was standard. I love slaw with my jerk chicken so I would have liked a little more but there was plenty of rice and peas.
Chiino has the curry goat one pot. It came with rice and peas with dumplings on the side. Again, a good portion and the goat was cooked well so it was soft and succulent. The curry had a tang, but again, nothing that would burn your mouth off. It was really tasty and we could have easily eaten more because it was so nice. But the portion was really good. In terms of the fries and the roti, I probably wouldn’t choose them again as they were just a bit bland. I usually love roti but his one was a little hard. Next time I’ll definitely get the plantain and I’d try the chilli pineapple salad too!
Overall the food was delicious. It was tasty, pretty authentic (although slightly milder in terms of spice but I guess that’s so everyone is happy – and you can add extra pepper if you wanted!). The sides were generous in size and washed down with the fruity cocktails, the whole meal was superb.
We’d definitely go again because we love Caribbean food and the jerk chicken and rice was pretty close to what we’d expect from Chiino’s grandma. The curry goat was brilliant too, but a little prettier than what you might expect from a homemade curry – but that’s what you want at a restaurant, right? The service was better than expected and to be honest, so was the food. We’ll see you again soon Turtle Bay!
Turtle Bay Nottingham
2 Trinity Square The Cornerhouse, Nottingham NG1 4DB
Book Here
Tel: 0115 947 5600
*Gifted Meal in Return for an honest review
