As a blogger that loves to write about food, it's pretty shameful to say that I don't give chain restaurants much of a chance. Having eaten in nothing but these for as long as I can remember, these days I try to find new, independent places to try, and often overlook chain restaurants. That being said, I'm always happy to give one a chance, and this post is one such occasion. If you look back on my previous posts, you will see that I have reviewed chain restaurants before and have been happily surprised, so when I was asked if I would like to review the new Turtle Bay restaurant that opened in Leeds, I couldn't wait to give it a try. They have restaurants based all over the country, in cities such as York, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. I have actually visited a Turtle Bay before, in Leicester, with two of my friends from university. I had not however tried the food before, only taken advantage of their "2 for 1" cocktails, so this was a whole new experience for me!




Turtle Bay Leeds opened on 15th December 2015; I was actually invited to their blogger event a few days before, but I couldn't make it. Instead, I was asked if I would like to review a meal at a later date, which was incredibly kind of them to ask - it's very rare that it happens! We were able to make it down on Sunday 20th, so not too long after it opened - and it already seemed to be incredibly popular, even at the late hour that we were going. I have to say that I didn't really know what to expect, as I had never had true Caribbean food before, and knew it could be spicy. I'm not the best with heat if I'm honest (I'd love to be but for some reason I get violent hiccups when I eat spicy food - please tell me I'm not the only one?!), but I'm always happy to try new things. When we arrived, I was immediately impressed with the decor - I loved the eclectic mixture of colours, textures and artwork that were apparent as soon as you walked in the door. From tyres on the walls, to fairy lights hanging from the windows, large portraits and funky wallpaper, it was pretty hectic but somehow it all works. I definitely got the "Caribbean" vibe that they promote so strongly in their restaurants (and rightly so), and the atmosphere matched that; full of laughter, upbeat music and the smell of amazing food was forever in the air.



During our visit, we were looked after by an amazing server called Grace, who went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we wanted - and more, as it turned out! She really took her time to get to know us, and ask us about ourselves, which was a nice touch. We were also introduced to the restaurant and floor managers as well, which was a little unexpected but again, very much appreciated. This has never happened in any previous restaurants I've reviewed before, so we weren't expecting it at all! First, Grace got us started off with a cocktail each, and I fancied trying something that I normally wouldn't go for. I decided to pay homage to my time spent at university, sipping coconut rum cocktails with my friend, and chose the Koko Colada; Koko Kanu white rum, pineapple, coconut & cream and grated nutmeg. This was so sweet and creamy, it made it very easy to drink and I had to work hard at not downing it too quickly! It's definitely one to choose if you have a sweet tooth, or want a drink to help balance out the spiciness of the food, which I found that this did extremely well. Martin's first cocktail was the Rude Boy, consisting of 126 proof Wray & Nephew rum, Woods 100 rum, Falernum and fresh lime, served Martini style. Two rums were certainly going to make it into a pretty strong cocktail, and I wasn't wrong. Let's put it this way, you only needed that small glass to send you to happy places! The sweetness of the syrup toned it down a little, but it's definitely one to sip delicately at, unlike mine.




I had already been eyeing up the starters, so knew exactly what I wanted; the Jamaican Fried Bait, served with fresh lime and coriander mayonnaise. This dish is an old favourite of mine, and I wanted to play it safe to start off with, knowing I would be trying something completely new for my main. These were excellent, with crunchy batter and distinctively strong taste, but I have to say that they were no different to any other I'd had elsewhere. I was expecting a spicy Caribbean twist, but actually I'm glad that it wasn't there, for reasons you will see later! However, I thought that the portion was generously sized - definitely enough for two to share - which I can only ever see as a good thing. Martin was a bit braver than me and went for the Pepper Roti; oven baked "buss up shut" roti, potatoes, carrots, peppers, cheese and scotch bonnet. Now, he's well and truly a lover of spicy food, the hotter the better, and these sounded right up his alley. I took a bite or two (for reviewing purposes, y'know) and it nearly blew my head off; there was some serious spice! Despite this, however, you could still get a feel for all of the flavours and the wrap roti around the stew-like filling did help to bring this intense heat down just a tad. It would have far too much for me, especially with what I was just about to order for my main, but Martin took great pleasure in demolishing every last morsel and really enjoyed it.





Whilst my starter was easy to choose, I spent quite a bit more time over my main. I really did want to try something I'd never had before, and push myself out of my comfort zone with something that I knew would be quite spicy (that's pretty much all of the menu, mind you). I had never tried goat meat before, and after asking Martin what it would be like and his assurance that I would enjoy it, I decided to give the Our Curry Goat a try. Made with pieces of marinated goat cooked in curry spices, scotch bonnet, potatoes, carrots, rice 'n' peas, sweet onion chutney and served with Caribbean dumplings, it was definitely something new for me and luckily I didn't have to wait long for it to arrive. This is actually one of their "One Pot" dishes, which as the name suggests, means that the meal is served in a pot much like it would be served in the Caribbean. My thought on first bite was "wow - this is very tasty!", and then the heat hit me. It's not one for the faint of heart - or maybe it is, and I'm just a wimp! But it almost had a sweetness to it thanks to the onion chutney, and the ratio of vegetables to meat was spot on. As for the meat, it was not nearly as chewy as I expected it to be; in fact, it wasn't really chewy at all. It almost melted in the mouth, and had such a wonderful, unique flavour that I really loved. It was juicy, succulent and all around delicious - my gamble paid off! The dumplings to me were really unusual, and unlike any other that I'd seen before. They appeared to be deep fried in batter, allowing the outer to be crunchy and the inner to be soft - and they was still warm too. For Martin, he chose the Jerk Pork Belly, which is not actually listed on the menu they currently have available on the website so I can't give you the finer details. However, I can tell you that it was served with extra crackling, slaw and he chose to have it with sweet potato fries, as he's not a fan of rice. Being described as "jerk" meant that it was obviously going to be hot, and that's exactly what it was! He downed quite a bit of water and his second cocktail whilst eating this meal, but he loved it all the same and loves a challenge. The pork was lovely and tender, and the crackling really was the icing on the cake; naughty, but oh so good. Again, the portion size was substantial, almost to the point where he was considering whether or not to have a dessert afterwards - however, as you will see, he was soon tempted!




Having successfully demolished our mains, I was well and truly in the need of something to cool myself down, as my mouth was on fire! I told you that I was no good with heat. We had just ordered our desserts, and were sat having a chat about the meal, when we got something special delivered to us; a Rum Tasting Board, with four different kinds of rum and a can of Ting to wash it all down with. This was a completely unexpected surprise! I'm ashamed to say that between the cocktails, and this extra addition of rum, we ended up getting pretty tipsy and I'm ashamed to say that I don't really have any idea what the different rums were! All that I remember was that the clear one that you can see peeking out at the back of the board was the strongest (I want to say at 40% ABV, but I could be wrong), and another one was The Kraken rum, which I'm familiar with but had not yet tried. I know that I had a favourite, which I think was a coconut one, and I ended up drinking that with the Ting after I had tried them all on their own. It's safe to say that me and Martin left the restaurant more than a bit giddy, which is a sign of a good evening if there ever was one. However, before we were to leave we had a delicious pudding each to devour; Martin was quickly persuaded into trying the Caymanas Rum Cake, made with rum caramel and served with vanilla ice cream. This was so good, that I regretted not getting it myself and wanted to steal it all! It reminded me of a treacle sponge, but with a boozy undertone that set itself apart from the others. It was gone in seconds, so it well and truly won us both over! I opted for the Lemon & Lime Tart, served with passion fruit sauce. This was tasty enough, but included fruit peel which I'm not overly keen on; this is just a personal preference, but I would have enjoyed it more without it. The filling was creamy and smooth, and the pastry was perfect, but I probably wouldn't order it again - not now that I know how good the rum cake is!



Overall, we left feeling extremely impressed by Turtle Bay. The service was outstanding, and we were treated so well from everyone we met. I'd like to think that everyone who visits the restaurant would receive excellent service too; whilst eating I did nosey in on other people's tables and it certainly seemed to be the case. The staff were so upbeat, cheerful and lively, I don't know how they have the energy to do it! I wasn't sure that I would enjoy the cuisine but surprised myself by really doing so; it's unlike anything I've ever tried before and definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I will say that if you don't like spicy food or can't tolerate it at all, then Turtle Bay is not for you - it's part of the culture and very much ingrained in the dishes that they create, but there are lighter dishes available. If you don't go for the food, then you must go for the cocktails. Take advantage of their "2 for 1 happy hour" (which I believe is every day after 10pm, but again I could be wrong), and you'll be singing by the time you walk out of the door. They have some fantastic creations, and I don't think there's many that I wouldn't enjoy. Of course, rum is at the heart of what they do, but there are so many varieties available, that I guarantee that you'll be able to find one that you like. We will definitely be back again in the future, and highly recommend Turtle Bay to anyone looking for something that bit different in Leeds!

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.