Review: Turtle Bay’s Late Night Eats

There’s something charismatic about the charm of Turtle Bay. Whether it’s the Caribbean themed decor, the central open bar with its talented bartenders, or even the kitchen and friendly servers; Turtle Bay has a warm, culturally infused homeliness about it which makes it the perfect cocktail bar and late-night restaurant. 

Now, throw in a £23.50 deal that nets you four cocktails and two small dishes/sides, add in the fact that you get all four cocktails at once, and that’s when you get Turtle Bay’s value for money Late Night Eats deal! For a great price, and an efficient way to drink, there’s very little to fault Turtle Bay with on this occasion, with only niggling preferences that seem more nit-picky than deal breakers.

The way the deal works is you turn up, get seated by the server, and when they come to take your order, you say you want the “Late Night Eats deal” – simple enough. From there you order your two sides or small-plate dishes (from a selection of 25 dishes!), and then proceed to choose your two cocktails (which you get 4 of because it’s done on a 2-4-1 deal). It’s as simple as that, and while being confronted with a list of over 20 cocktails makes choosing hard as it is, our only peeve was having to order all the cocktails together which resulted in a long line of cocktails being presented to us all at once. Sure enough, this maximises efficiency and cuts out that awkward trying-to-wave-down-a-server moment, but it also creates a problem if you’re a slow drinker or when the drinks come with a lot of ice. Thankfully though, this was the only gripe of the night because from there everything else was mostly faultless.

On choosing food, one of us rather boringly ordered spiced fries (Sam likes to play it safe) with the delicious sweetcorn fritters, while the other ordered Caribbean dumplings and plantain. The dishes came out and, to our surprise, were rather larger than we expected, making them excellent value for money. The fritters were perfect, and the chips were reasonably spiced; the Caribbean dumplings were deliciously fluffy and went excellently with Turtle Bay’s range of sauces – particularly Aunt May’s Bajan Pepper Sauce – and the plantain provided an excellent addition of sweet flavour and soft texture.

However, it was the drinks that we were most eager to try – and we certainly weren’t disappointed. Our choices were the Marley Mojito, Strawberry Daiquiri, Coconut and Grapefruit Mojito, and Mai Tai Punch. The cocktails came out within 5 minutes of ordering, and the sheer amount had the two of us worrying about how our heads would feel in the morning.

Our favourite was easily the Marley Mojito, with its mixture of fresh watermelon and ginger beer combining perfectly with the rum to create a deliciously fresh blend of sweet and spicy. The Coconut and Grapefruit Mojito was also a great addition, with a healthy dollop of mint infusing it with classic mojito flavour. We then moved on to the Mai Tai Punch; a new take on the classic cocktail which uses appleton, amaretto and falernum, fresh lime, and pineapple for a sweet blend of flavours. The night finished with a Strawberry Daquiri – a simple but effective concoction of white rum, fresh lime, and berry and strawberry flavourings.

Overall, the night was a great success. If you’re looking for an affordable – yet expensive tasting – evening out, then this deal is for you. For a great price of £23.50, you can find yourself with an armful of drinks and some mouth-watering Caribbean snacks; the perfect way to get those late-night island vibes!