Girls Night Out At Turtle Bay

Up until last night, it had been ages since I'd been out with the girls from work. My anxiety had kept getting the better of me. Not any more though! (Granted my friend did give me a lift so if I had tried to back out she'd have no doubt dragged me kicking and screaming from the house... Ha ha!) For the first time in as long as I can remember, I was honestly excited about venturing out. Progress!

I've never tried Caribbean food before so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The first thing that hit me when we wandered into Turtle Bay was how busy it was. It's obviously a very popular place.
Pretty lights were strung throughout and what I'm assuming was either Caribbean or Jamaican music played in the background. (Well I say background but it was pretty loud, I found myself shouting to talk to the others but I guess that's a sign I'm getting old! :P)

There was so much choice on the menu that I worked in reverse picking my dessert first, then my main then starter. If you know me then this will probably come as no surprise.
Dani and I shared our starters. We had 'Duck Roll' and 'Garlic 'N' Herb Flatbread' between us. The duck was slow roasted and shredded with onion, tamarind, soy sauce, chilli and sugarcane. It was served with sour orange chutney. The flatbread was stone baked with herb, chilli and garlic butter. Both tasted heavenly but the flatbread did have a bit of a kick and I found my eyes streaming somewhat. I can't handle spicy food so don't let this put you off, the average Joe would be fine.

The girls (apart from those driving) tried various cocktails and rums whereas I stuck to my white wine. Hangovers and I do not go down well! I did however try a sip of Kiera's 'Island Iced Tea' out of curiosity. If I could hold my alcohol I would have been trying everything because happy hour was on from 10pm which meant cocktails and wine were on a two for one deal.

For the main I opted for the famous 'Jerk Chicken' that I have heard so much about. I have to be honest. I had no idea what jerk chicken was. The name has always reminded me of those dog treats. Anyone else know what I mean? But after being assured that no it was in fact NOT dog food - ha ha thank you Jody - I ordered it with cheesy fries. The chicken itself had been marinated for twenty four hours and grilled. It was served with sour orange chutney and coconut shavings.
As soon as it arrived - well, after taking photos for the blog of course, I must have driven the girls mad! - I tucked straight in. I didn't bother adding any extra sauces because it had enough flavour without and I devoured the lot.

Although I didn't taste any of the other mains, the girls gave positive feedback on all their dishes.

'Banana and Toffee Cheesecake' was my go to choice for dessert. I am a HUGE cheesecake fan. And this one didn't disappoint. In fact it didn't even touch the sides.

 

 

Overall it was a brilliant evening and not too expensive either. The food was fantastic, the staff friendly and of course I was with amazing company - see what I did there girls?? :P

If you have a Turtle Bay near you, definitely try it. This evening gets a ten out of ten! Bring on the next... Until next time xxx

 

Turtle Bay links:

Website: http://www.turtlebay.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Turtlebayuk
Facebook: https://twitter.com/Turtlebayuk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turtlebayuk/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TurtleBay2012?feature=watch