by Sarah Martin || News Editor
Beautiful Colchester!! A thriving, modern town in Essex is Britain’s oldest recorded town with a rich history that dates back over 2000 years. The high street is buzzing with activity and it’s not long before I stumbled on the one place I came to eat, Turtle Bay!
Although it was a very cloudy, cold and rainy day my mood instantly changed as soon as I walked into the buzzing restaurant. Once inside you are lovingly embraced with the aromatic smell of allspice berries, one of the main ingredients in Jerk seasoning and you can’t help by smile with anticipation of the party that will be happening in your mouth in due course. I couldn’t wait to see the menu and choose my meal!
Walking past the mock-up beachside style bar open on all sides, I noticed bottles of various exotic alcoholic drinks lined high up on a shelf around the bar which made me curious about what their cocktails would be like.
But before I even get seated by the welcoming staff I found myself swaying to the reggae music amplified from all corners of the place, I couldn’t help but tap my fingers on my thighs as I waited to be seated.
The decor reminded me of a beach sidebar, it was colourful and vibrant with a display of fairy lights hanging above me, beautiful large murals on either side of the main walls. The little turquoise glass candle holders were a delightful touch, next to a wooden table sauce holders which housed some peppery Caribbean flavoured goodness.
A one card double sided menu was then handed to me, I immediately looked at the drinks section and ordered a Passion Rum Punch cocktail which had Dark rum, Passoa, fresh passion fruit, orange & passion fruit juice, lemon & bitters. I watched as the barman pulled together my cocktail. I was so thirsty so the cool sweet taste of this exotic cocktail was a very refreshing.
For starters I ordered the 24 hour spice marinated, grilled & glazed chicken wings, with sweet mango chilli sauce priced at £5.10.
It turned up in a small white tinned bowl and smelt as good as I imagined it would. The meat on the wings fell off the bone and was full of that Jerk flavour any avid Caribbean food lover would recognise. It was delicious and I found myself wishing I had ordered two portions.
For the main course I went for the Curry Goat off the One Pot section of the menu. The curry had Marinated goat, slowly braised in curry spices, with coconut rice ‘n’ peas, sweet onion chutney, sweet plantain & dumplings, priced at £10.00. I also ordered some Caribbean spinach on the side.
It was served in the white tin pots I mentioned earlier and presented on a wooden style flat tray. The meat was succulent and the sauce full of all the right flavours. The rice could have had a little more coconut milk but it wasn’t a deal breaker. The spinach was as expected, cooked just right and flavoured and a great accompaniment to the rice. The dumplings were delicious and perfect for soaking up the remaining sauce I had left over.
Probably my favourite part of any meal is dessert time! I went for the Caymanas upside down rum cake describe as an island favourite. I got a warm golden mellow rum cake served with rum caramel & vanilla ice-cream. It had just the right amount of rum and the cake was soft and fluffy. The ice-cream rounded it off nicely, tying in all the flavours.
Overall I had a wonderful time, I loved the décor, the music was inviting and it felt like an instant escape to a tropical space in the middle of a cold winter’s afternoon.
Out of 10 I give:
Food: 7
Decor: 8
Service: 8
Overall: 7
Much Love
Sarah xoxo
