by Annie Harte
Turtle Bay is a funky Caribbean themed restaurant which has just opened on Castle Street. It brings chilled vibes, mouth-watering street food and 2-4-1 cocktails to a previously deserted corner of Swansea, and boy am I glad! Turtle Bay boasts a unique interior, complete with a central bar, rustic furniture and more fairy lights than you could ever imagine.
The menu is a concoction of BBQ jerk pits, delicious one-pots, and Caribbean style burgers, which are accompanied by a generous pot of sweet potato fries – sweet, potatoey goodness. What more could you want?! I had the two-way chicken burger (£8.50) which was sandwiched between two sweet buns and was all it cracked up to be – two types of chicken, pulled and panko-crumb, with crisp gem lettuce and the most delicious pineapple salsa draped on top. I could’ve eaten 10 more, it was that good.
Turtle Bay also has a vast vegetarian menu. It ranges from spiced okra (similar to green peppers) and mango guacamole to spicy chickpea wraps and jerk roasted mushrooms. I was lucky enough to also try the mushroom and goat’s cheese burger (£8.00); a mammoth Portobello mushroom marinated in jerk sauce covered in creamy goat’s cheese finished with a coconut glaze. The burger was delicious and had my vegetarian friends raving for more!
Finally, the main event: the cocktails! It’s always happy hour before 7 pm and after 10 pm which means there is little reason not to get one! All are rum based, which sometimes proves for a different but welcome taste. My favourite is the vanilla and passion fruit mojito (£7.15), which is topped with fresh lime and mint, resulting in a refreshing drink. The Caribbean Pimms is similarly a tropical treat. This drink just shouts summer at me – and whilst I recognise it’s not summer anymore, with this cocktail, we can pretend! Don’t worry if you don’t fancy a cocktail, they have a brilliant range of non-alcoholic Caribbean soft drinks. Peanut butter smoothies, watermelon crush and genuine coconut water (when they say genuine, they’re not joking – they bring out a whole coconut).
Turtle Bay’s constant lively atmosphere will give you vacation feelings, so if you’re looking for somewhere to eat tasty, no-nonsense Caribbean food for cheap, then Turtle Bay is the place for you.
