Turtle Bay - Birmingham

At the weekend I returned to the Midlands to visit my Mum for a couple of days. On Saturday we headed into Birmingham city centre for some lunch and shopping. We happened to stumble upon Turtle Bay, which I had heard lots of great things about from my friends. After a quick glance at the menu, we were sure we had to try it.

The interior has a really laid back beach feel to it - brightly coloured painted metal, aged wood and colourful murals on the walls, pulled off without looking at all naff. On every table sit an array exotic looking sauces, offering a variety of traditional flavours to add to your meal (although the food wasn't at all lacking in flavour!)

Having not tried a great deal of Caribbean food, we were keen to explore what Turtle Bay had to offer. The menu is really reasonably priced and is made up of a wide range of dishes, including a lunch menu, offering a variety of simple, ligher dishes perfect for midday munching.

The cocktail menu is extensive for a restaurant and features an array of exciting cocktails included in a 2-4-1 offer, much to our delight! The cocktails aren't your bog standard mojitos or daquiris, they are an eclectic medley of spirits, fresh fruit and homemade sodas - and wow do they pack a punch! My mum and I both had a raspberry and white rum concoction followed by a 'Marley Mojito' (Appleton Special rum, midori, fresh mint & watermelon, home-made ginger beer) and they were both delicious!

We ordered 2 starters (or 'cutters' as TB call them) to share; firstly Jamaican fried bait - which is whitebait to you and me. Being a personal favourite for both my mum and I, we have tried our fair share of whitebait, but it was the coriander and lime mayo that made it stand out for us. We also ordered duck rolls, which were served with the most delicious orange chutney, that I can only describe as tasting like Christmas.

For our mains, we chose from the lunch menu. We both ordered wraps; mine jerk pulled pork with fries and my mums shrimp and mango with salad. Although the wrap itself was a bit of a let down for both of us, the fillings were delicious. My pulled pork was melt in the mouth, sweet and spicy. The fries I had must have been tossed in some sort of Cajun-esque seasoning, and they were perfect.

Overall, my mum and I really enjoyed Turtle Bay. The food was delish, the service was excellent and the cocktails were cheap and tasty (not to mention strong!). Although sadly there currently isn't a Turtle Bay in London, I will definitely be the first punter through the door when they do open one!