We tried the new Turtle Bay in Sheffield and this is what we thoughtÂ

It was a long time coming to Sheffield but Turtle Bay finally opened its doors in June this year, but how's it doing three months on?
Turtle BayTurtle Bay
Turtle Bay

We got there on a drizzly Monday evening, expecting to enjoy a meal and a couple of cocktails in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. 

But what we found couldn't have been further from the truth. 

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Even on a Monday night, the new restaurant on Barker's Pool was heaving with huge parties, families with young children and couples enjoying a romantic meal. 

Maybe this isn't all together surprising; after all Turtle Bay is billed as '˜the best Caribbean restaurant and bar in Britain' and that shows by just how many locations it boasts. 

Customers come for the incredible Happy Hour 2-4-1 cocktail deal, available until 7pm every day, and stay for the vibrant colours and tasty food. 

But, it seemed we weren't the only ones shocked by just how busy the restaurant was.

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After waiting awkwardly at the door for a while with no joy, we walked past the rushed waiters and headed straight to the bar instead. 

We weren't the only ones who had this idea and there was a tight squeeze to join the rest of the waiting customers. 

There were only two bartenders working that night, with one seemingly to be serving one of the large parties, so it was left to one young woman to hurriedly prepare everyone's drink orders. 

After a fifteen minute wait at the bar, we were slightly disappointed to learn from the exasperated barmaid that they were out of Mojitos so we instead plumped for a Passion Rum Punch (two for £7.50).

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We were eventually shown to our seats, with the refreshing dark rum blending perfectly with the orange & passion fruit juice quenching our thirst.

After a quick scan of the impressive menu, the Vital Veggie Platter (£13) took our fancy for starters followed by two curries, one aubergine and one chickpea and callaloo (both £10)

When the food arrived, it was instantly clear that it was definitely going to be worth the wait. 

The platter came with sweet corn fritters, crispy okra, jerk pit grilled mushroom & peppers with spicy jerk, halloumi and mango flatbread, plantain and a super green salad. 

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For any halloumi fans, this starter is a must with the juicy mango taste complimenting the savoury finish of the flatbread. 

The starter was dispatched with quickly and our curries were just as impressive on the eye when they arrived.

Served in beautiful ceramic pots, the curries were packed with beautifully sweet flavours with the seasoning announcing itself soon after. 

Although the rice and the curry was separated in the pot, it was a joy to mix the two together and appreciate the full taste as the rice absorbed the potatoes, aubergines and spices. 

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At the end of the meal, an incredibly polite waitress apologised for the service (caused by the obvious lack of staff).

We reassured her our meal was delicious and promised we would return in the future, hopefully to see a few more staff to share the workload. 

Star Rating (out of 5)

Food '“ 4

Service '“ 2

Atmosphere '“ 4

Value '“ 5

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