Myself and some friends went along for the opening night and enjoyed an evening of cocktails, reggae and authentic dishes.
Upstairs has a large glass exterior with a central beach bar and a laid-back feel. The decor is deliberately made to feel as though you are holed up in a wooden beach shack complete with straw roof, with colored fairy lights and open sides that look out onto the Caribbean sea. If only...
Drinks are 2-4-1 until 7pm and they start again with the deal at 10pm to catch the late night revellers heading to the City's nightclubs.
We started with 'Jammin'; a cocktail combining white rum, apple juice, ginger, lime and fresh mint, with apricot liqueur and a teaspoon of apricot jam balanced on top for good measure. We were unsure how to proceed with the spoonful of jam and wondered whether we were supposed to lick it straight off the spoon but the barman kindly pointed out that it was best when stirred straight into the drink.
After a much needed catch up at the bar we headed downstairs to our table.
Downstairs has a much more restauranty feel with dimmed lighting and set tables rather than the light, open plan and spacious setting upstairs.
After another order of cocktails, (this time I chose the Tobago Tea with FIVE- yes five!- different liquors- rum, tequila, vodka gin and triple sec, an interesting mix which was finished off with mango, lemonade and freshly squeezed lemon) we started to get a big peckish.
To begin with we were recommended the Jamaican Fried Bait which we shared. It came served on a wooden board perfect for pecking at. The fish was slightly spiced with a light crisp batter and was accompanied by a refreshingly cool lime and coriander mayonnaise. We drizzled some fresh lemon over and got stuck in.
For the main course myself and Judith went for the Mo' Bay Chicken (I'm not a huge fan of overly spicy food and was told by our waiter that this was a quite light option.)
The chicken breast was richly seasoned with a creamy jerk spiced sauce. To accompany it I had rice 'n' peas (blacked eyed peas), salad and plantain (my absolute favourite- who can resist deliciously sweet fruit fried in a light batter.) Other side options include sweet potato mash and sweet potato fries.
Akiko chose the spiciest dish on the menu- one of the 'One Pot's' which are bowls of stew slowly simmered in Caribbean spices.
Feeling brave she decided on the Blue Mountain Goat Curry which is a dish combining marinated goat, carrots, potatoes, sweet onion chutney and a grilled flatbread, served sizzling to your table.
Gemma also went for a One Pot - with shrimps, mango and sweet potato seasoned with tomato, garlic, ginger and Caribbean spices.
The food was hearty, warming and filling. All our dishes were flavoursome and unique, like nothing I’d tried before, reflecting the restaurant’s mission to deliver the rustic and authentic food that is situated at the heart of Caribbean culture.
They source their ingredients both locally and from the far flung corners of the Caribbean islands.
We chatted and sipped on our drinks, finding it hard to resist a little bop to the reggae music.
For dessert myself and Judith shared a Rum & Raisin Bread Pudding; fluffy bread slowly baked in dark rum and sprinkled with cinnamon raisins & brown sugar.
The other girls went for a night cap with dessert cocktails.
The staff were outgoing and friendly and couldn't do enough for us, in fact their energy was a little bit too much, but I put this down to the fact it was opening night and they were eager to impress their first patrons. They had an excellent knowledge of the menu and spoke expertly on the flavours in each dish.
The toilets were pretty groovy too- they had that really rustic feel going on.
The restaurant is part of a chain with locations slowly popping up all over the country.
This is definitely going to be my new favourite go-to bar in Bath.
Go to Turtle Bay for locations and your own unique taste of the Caribbean.
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