Tortuga

Good vibes and great food are promised by Tortuga, dishing up the authentic taste and welcoming nature of the Caribbean and Africa in a space as vibrant and bright as the dishes, with plenty of red and yellow hued fabrics and furniture, and a framed picture of Bob Marley.

Fragrant, joyful, happy and mouth-watering says the website, telling us the core of the restaurant is the kitchen where the “chefs put their heart and soul into every dish that is being sent out to our valued customers”. There’s a lot of spice mentioned too, and of course jerk chicken is top of the list for the plates from the grill; tender lamb chops are next. There’s a mixed grill if you fancy trying a bit of both, and beef ribs are slow cooked then glazed in a BBQ sauce before being shown the flames for the final flourish. Worth a look too are the grilled salmon fillet or sea bass, served with sautéed peppers and onions, plus the garlic, chilli and lemon Caribbean prawns, listed under starters and served with toasted ciabatta. Bound to transport your tastebuds to island shores is the chickpea curry, bountiful with coconut milk, while the chicken Rasta pasta gives classic Italian a Scotch bonnet hot kick with its jerk sauce infusion. Among other dishes, the kitchen’s secret herb and spice mix is used in the vegan bean burger and also to marinate the steak for the wrap, and don’t forget to look at the sides: no trip to the Caribbean would be complete without fried plantain, Jamaican rice and peas, corn on the cob and dumplings.

Sweet treats include exotic-sounding ginger and lime kiwi slices with mallow meringue and coconut shavings, but we’re torn between the mango and passion fruit bavarois and the passion fruit and mango cheesecake, both with zingy lime sauce and mint leaves.

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