Our review of the Turtle Bay Restaurant, Cheltenham
After having the best Jerk sauce we have ever had at the Bikini Bar in Lamai, Koh Samui, Thailand, we decided to see if the Turtle Bay Restaurant in Cheltenham was up to the same standard. Here is our review of the Turtle Bay Restaurant in Cheltenham.
Booking
Booking was really easy via their website, and confirmation was prompt via email.
First impressions
First impressions were that it was a busy restaurant, well laid out, with sufficient space between tables so not to be intruded by your fellow diners. It had a really good vibe with reggae music playing in the background.
Our table was booked for 6pm, we arrived a little earlier than planned so sat at the bar and studied the menu.
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Cocktails
Luckily it was happy hour 4pm-7pm and cocktails were 2 for 1, normal price £6.95, the only stipulation being that the two cocktails had to be the same. We decided on the Hummingbird, which consists of white rum, tia maria, banana liqueur, cream, fresh banana & coconut. We were not disappointed, in fact, one of the best creamy cocktails we have ever had!
The Food
We didn’t have a starter, and decided on the jerk ribs and jerk chicken.
Jerk Chicken at Turtle Bay, Cheltenham
The jerk chicken is marinated and grilled in a 12 spice & herb jerk sauce and served with sour orange chutney and Caribbean slaw. You also have a choice of rice ‘n’ peas, sweet potato mash or sweet potato fries, we chose the rice ‘n’ peas. The cost was £9.95 for 1/2 chicken or £15.50 for a whole chicken. The chicken was really moist and done to perfection.
Jerk ribs at Turtle Bay, Cheltenham
The pork ribs come covered in jerk sauce and a honey bbq glaze, sour orange chutney, Caribbean slaw, and sweet potato mash, which cost £9.85. The meat fell away from the bone so easily and the sweet potato mash was great.
Service
Service was good, staff were very informative, the only negative was being served by numerous staff. We were greeted by a very smiling individual, seated by another, had our order taken by a 3rd, food bought by a 4th and the bill bought by the 5th. Maybe we are bit old fashioned, but prefer to be looked after by the same person throughout our meal, that way it is easier to make judgement on the amount of tip you would like to leave.
We really enjoyed our meal, can definitely recommend it and I’m sure we will be back for a 2nd visit.
Our Verdict of the Turtle Bay Restaurant
So the question is…..do we think the jerk sauce was as good as the Bikini Bar’s?
Verdict – Not quite! The jerk sauce was excellent, it was very difficult to choose, but this time we think the Bikini Bar pipped Turtle Bay to the post!
Location
Turtle Bay Restaurant was easy to find, it is situated on corner of Pittville and Albion Street in the centre of Cheltenham.
Have you eaten at the Turtle Bay Restaurant? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
See our other restaurant reviews –
Marinades Caribbean Restaurant, Cheltenham
Koskinou House Restaurant, Rhodes, Greece
Sunday Lunch at the Edgemore Inn, Gloucestershire, England
Connolly’s Tapas Bar, Tiddington, Stratford-upon-Avon, England