Turtle Bay Norwich - New Menu Review*

It’s been a while since I last went to Turtle Bay in Norwich so when I heard that they had launched a new menu I instantly knew that I wanted to try it out. When Turtle Bay opened we had just moved house so it has been a busy few months of having no money, hence why we hadn’t returned since! This is the first big menu enhancement that the restaurant has undertaken since it came to Norwich and includes 15 new dishes, 7 new drinks and some new gluten free, veggie and vegan options. I was kindly invited to head down for a review and was allowed to bring someone with me. James and I hadn’t had a nice meal out together for a long time due to all of the house renovations so I thought I’d bring him along and turn it into a little date night for the both of us. We were greeted by Tom who very kindly took us over to our table and we started off by ordering some cocktails which I will talk about in more detail below.

The menu has been inspired by the feedback from guests but still stems from the Caribbean culture that Turtle Bay is all about. The dishes continue to celebrate Turtle Bay’s signature flavours with some fresh new twists and offer more choice for those with allergies and dietary requirements. I noticed there was also some healthier options on the menu. The classic dishes such as the famous Jerk Chicken and Curried goat that I tried on my first visit to Turtle Bay are still on the menu which I was pleased to see. We were served by Evelyn, who was very friendly and happy and always available if we needed more drinks.

For starters, I decided to go for the Sweetcorn Fritters which I had tried when I last came. I was given a little basket with 4 fritters in which was just the right amount. They were crispy and delicious and not greasy at all. I really enjoyed them. James went for the Crispy chilli Squid which he really enjoyed too. He said they had a great kick to them.

For mains, we were spoiled for choice. A new burger menu has been added which I was instantly drawn to. I love burgers and couldn’t wait to try one out with a Caribbean twist to it. The menu features a Jammin’ Lamb Burger alongside a Two Way Chicken Burger, Mushroom and Goats Cheese burger as well as the favourite Jerk ‘n’ Pulled Pork Bun. The burgers are pit grilled and come with a Caribbean slaw and either spiced fries or salad and when I come back I am definitely going to try one of these out.

Other new menu items include Bajan Beef Cheeks which is six hour slow cooked beef cheeks marinated in a Caribbean spice, okra, potato, garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, coriander and toasted coconut. This dish was recommended by Tom when we arrived and said it was really good if you are a meat eater! It comes served with steamed rice and a roti flatbread. James went for this for his main and he said it was really nice and tender. He said it was spicy but not so much that you couldn’t appreciate the flavours. Slow Braised Beef Rib also makes a new appearance on the menu and comes served with sweet potato fries and a watermelon salad. I was very intrigued by the sound of this dish! I love watermelon and wondered how well it would go with beef so I thought I would give it a try. My generous portion arrived and I couldn’t believe how tasty it was. I had a choice of 3 jerk glazes so went for the pineapple glaze which was fruity and not too hot. The meat fell off the bone and there was hardly any fat on my ribs. It was absolutely delicious. The sweet potato fries were amazing and the watermelon went surprisingly well with this dish.

Not forgetting there is now a range of new vegan and vegetarian dishes too including the Spiced Chickpea Ital Wrap, Vital Veggie Beach Platter and the Spinach, Aubergine & Sweet Potato Curry. Okra Ladies’ Fingers consist of spiced panko coated okra fingers with mango mole, fresh lime and coriander mayo and  are a new side order from the Caribbean – vegan friendly, and you won’t find them in any other restaurants in Norwich! The new Beach Salad range provides a lighter, fresher superfood option for a quick healthy bite. The salads come as three bases and you can add a choice of toppings such as avocado, mango, chicken or even squid to really make it your own. 

It’s not just the food menu that has some new additions, the Caribbean cocktail list has also been livened up. Some old favourite’s have made a return due to popular demand such as Goombay Smash and Roots Culture which join the new arrivals Rum Negroni and Rum Margarita. Speaking of cocktails, it is now possible to book a ‘Cocktail table’ at Turtle Bay and enjoy drinks and snacks anywhere in the restaurant and bar. Don’t forget Happy Hour, available until 7pm and from 9:30pm Sunday to Thursday and until 7pm and from 10pm Friday to Saturday where you can take advantage of 2-for-1. It would have been rude for me not to try one of the new cocktails so I went for the Roots Culture and the Goombay Smash, both rum based and both absolutely delicious. As designated driver, James went for a watermelon crush which he really enjoyed. Turtle Bay also continue to be the venue of choice for those not drinking with their fabulous range of Caribbean Softs. New mocktails include Elderflower Cooler and Pineappleade. 

For desserts, we both went for something we had previously tried a small piece of at the press event. James went for the Dark Chocolate Brownie which he must have enjoyed as he didn’t even let me try a piece! I went for the Banana and Toffee Cheesecake. Both dishes were fantastic and really finished the meal off. We were then offered the rum menu or a choice of teas and coffees but both of us were completely stuffed!

There are also some new sharing platters on the menu to really get a feel for the laid back ‘liming’ culture of the Caribbean. Overall we had an amazing meal at Turtle Bay. So much that we are going to book to go back soon and really make a night of it. After your meal you can move to another table and continue the night with some cocktails! I love the laid back atmosphere in the restaurant, service was amazing and everything we ate and drank was absolutely fantastic. Thank you to Turtle Bay, especially Tom and Evelyn for having us and making it a really great night.

You can find Turtle Bay on Facebook, I visited the Norwich branch.

Turtle Bay Norwich
8 Swan Ln,
Norwich NR2 1HZ

*I received this meal free of charge for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

Just Lobsters Norwich - Review*

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Just Lobsters in Norwich for a complementary meal via their twitter account. I brought James along with me as a paying customer. The restaurant is on Tombland in Norwich and is clearly visible by its bright red Samson and Hercules statues either side of the door. They even use Lobster font for the boards outside! The building previously used to be a nightclub that my parents remember as ‘Ritzy’s’ amongst other things and was built around 1656. Beneath the site there is said to be 5000 victims of the plague buried. Just Lobsters is the newest business to take hold of this building and I couldn’t wait to try it out.

We arrived at 7pm and were promptly seated by a friendly member of staff. We were offered the choice of 2 tables which was nice so we picked the bigger one so we could fit more food on the table! I wouldn’t say the restaurant was jam packed but there was a steady flow of people coming and going from the tables. The restaurant has been designed and decorated with great care and attention to detail There are lots of ‘lobster red’ colours and lobster themed artwork hanging around the room. Our drink orders were taken. I went for a frozen lemonade which was served in a mason jar style glass and James went for cranberry juice. Shortly after the waitress took our food order.

Having never had lobster before I was excited to try it. The menu is packed with tasty options ranging from just plain lobster to lobster rolls, steak and burgers. There is something for everyone, even those who aren’t too keen on the thought of lobster! Just before our main course were served the waitress asked if we wanted to wear a lobster bib. I love this little touch! I was happy to protect my clothing from any mess regardless of how silly I looked and besides, everyone else in the restaurant was wearing one.

The food arrived very quickly which was good as we were both hungry and could smell the delicious food cooking in the kitchen behind us. James went for the Surf and Turf – Just Lobster Style. This consisted of half a lobster and a juicy 8oz sirloin steak served with fries, salad and coleslaw. I must say it looked delicious and very filling. This is priced at £25 which I think is very reasonable. He said it was really nice and cooked to perfection.

I went for a dish called Lobsters & Crab Au Gratin. This was half a lobster stuffed with creamy crab claw meat and baked with breadcrumbs. This was served with chips and a corn on the cob. It was really delicious. Creamy is a good way to describe the filling and it all came served lovely and hot. The chips came in a silver bucket and were piping hot. Everything was really delicious. My only quibble was that as a complete newbie to the lobster thing I had no idea how to crack the claws or what you could or couldn’t eat. James just made it up as he went along and ate everything he could scrape out. I gave him my claw in the end too!

As we were paying the bill I briefly chatted to some of the chefs who were all very friendly and asked if we enjoyed the food. There was also a man walking around in a suit who I assume was the manager and he was chatting to some of the diners on the other tables. He told us that there is also a new bar section to the restaurant in another room serving cocktails. I had a quick peek in there and it seemed to be quite popular and somewhere I would like to visit again.

As previously mentioned, I was invited by the Just Lobsters Twitter account which isn’t actually run by the restaurant but a management company. This caused some confusion when it came to get the bill and an awkward moment of not wanting to tell them I was offered a free meal. I hate awkward situations like this and the manager had no idea I was coming. Despite all of this, it was all sorted in the end and as James was paying for his meal they even gave him a discount which I thought was nice. I think the fact they thought we were paying customers and not just there to review the food showed them in a truer light which was good. I didn’t receive special treatment to sway my review as they had no idea I was there for that reason.

Overall I had a really nice meal and James and I will definitely be going back. There are so many options on the menu that I want to try. What do you think of lobster?

*I received my meal free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Nandos Relaunch - Norwich #NandosRehatch*

Who doesn’t love a cheeky Nandos?! When I was invited to the new relaunched and revamped Nandos recently for a meal I couldn’t wait to get my teeth into some tasty chicken! Nandos invited some of the Norwich Bloggers along for lunch and I was joined by the lovely Charley - I've just discovered her YouTube channel and I love it! The Nandos on Red Lion Street, Norwich has recently undergone a revamp and I could instantly see the difference. It even smelled new!

I ordered the 4 chicken drumsticks which came with 2 sides. I went for chips and coleslaw as I was in the mood for something naughty after being really good lately. It was delicious and served hot. The coleslaw was really creamy which is just how I like it and the chicken hit the spot. I also got myself a drink. Nando's do bottomless soft drinks and even have a new touch screen drinks machine which I enjoyed playing around with.

We were served quickly and efficiently by a smiley member of staff. I love that everyone in here is so happy and it just makes the atmosphere feel really good. We were asked by multiple members of staff if everything was ok or if we needed anything else and they were very attentive.

We were kindly given a tour of the new restaurant by a lovely friendly lady called Claire who was very knowledgeable about the refurbishments and talked us through all of the changes. She even explained that all of the different light-bulbs had different names which I thought was interesting. The decor looks really modern and unique, it's not like anything I've seen before. They've really done a great job of opening it up and it just feels brighter overall. There's even a living wall of plants! 

Overall,  I really enjoyed my meal at Nandos and I really like the new look. The atmosphere is amazing, service great and food is awesome. Will you be visiting soon?

*This meal was free of charge in exchange for a blog review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

The Town House Norwich – Crown Carveries*

I love eating at new places and trying new food so when I was invited to The Town House in Norwich for a meal I couldn’t wait to sample the new Winter menu. The Town House is on Yarmouth Road in Norwich overlooking the River Yare. I was interested to find out it was the final resting place for one of the Kray's! It’s a lovely family pub famous for its amazing carveries, how could I resist?

The Town House recently launched a new menu with some amazing winter warmers and new additions such as Shepherd’s Pie, Gammon and Eggs and Chicken Balti Pie. The menu also offers more traditional dishes like Fish and Chips, Sausages and Mash and plenty of vegetarian options. This place really is much more than a carvery and there really is something for everyone. I arrived convinced I was going to have a carvery as the Traditional Carvery is available from £4.39 on a Saturday but the other delicious menu options really threw a spanner in the works!

When we arrived we were greeted by Phil who kindly took us over to our table and let us look at the menu. I decided to have a bottle of wine which came in an ice bucket which I was impressed by. 

As we were sampling the menu we decided to go all out and have 3 courses. For starters we ordered a selection to share as it was such good value! We ordered the Hunters Gammon and Cheese Melts for £2.59. This consisted of a  garlic bread baguette slices topped with gammon strips, BBQ sauce and melted cheddar. They tasted delicious, the BBQ sauce came on the side so I could add as much or as little as I liked. We also went for the Southern Fried Chicken for £3.19 which was delicious. The skin on the chicken was crisp, they were cooked to perfection. Our third choice was the Nachos for one which was £2.89. The tortilla chips were layered up with cheese, salsa, sour cream and jalapeños. We noted that the cheese was layered throughout the nachos which we were really impressed by. Often you go to a restaurant and the nachos only have cheese on top so after the first layer it’s all gone but The Town House Nachos really hit the spot! The starters were served hot and came quickly after we ordered them. The waiter who brought them out to us couldn’t have done enough for us, he was very kind and helpful.

For the main course I had to go for a carvery to see what it was all about. The traditional carvery is £4.39 on a Saturday and I decided to go large for an extra £1.50. Going large meant I got a giant Yorkshire pudding and a sausage added to my meal. My plate was stacked with carvery meat. I had the choice of Gammon, Turkey, Beef or a mixture of all 3. I went for Turkey and then piled my plate with all the veg, potatoes and gravy I could have wanted. I was absolutely stuffed by the end of the meal. It was all served hot and I noticed the food was regularly being rotated at the carvery station. All main courses come with unlimited accompaniments. We could help ourselves to as much chips, vegetables, mushy peas, baked beans and sauces as we liked.

James had Gammon and Eggs which was £5.09 and couldn’t believe how much Gammon he got. The waiter told us to let him know when we were ready for our mains and they would make sure there were fresh eggs ready which was great service. Although you can’t see the eggs on the plate, James said they were cooked to perfection with the perfect runny yolk. He filled his plate with chips, beans and for some reason cauliflower cheese. That’s the best thing, if you want to add vegetables you can! You can really make the meal your own and if you want a healthier option you can skip the chips and just add vegetables.

By dessert we were pretty stuffed but couldn’t leave without sampling the sweets available! The selection was great, the menu boasts both hot and cold desserts and there’s something for all tastes. James decided to go for the Mega Chocolate and Cookie Dough Tower which cost £3.29. He had a layer of chocolate brownie, cookie dough and caramel topped with chocolate sauce and cream. It looked absolutely amazing and he only just managed to eat it all. I had the Rocky Road Sundae which cost just £3.49. The sundae was layered with ice cream, chocolate brownies, shortbread and chocolate sauce with cream and a Cadbury’s flake. The serving was plentiful and well balanced with the ice cream and the added extras. I’ve been to other restaurants and had similar desserts for £6+, I couldn’t believe how nice this was considering the great price.

Overall, the meal was really lovely and I can’t believe I have never been here before. Some people use the phrase ‘you get what you pay for’ but this really isn’t the case at The Town House. The food is excellent value for money and tastes great. I had absolutely no complaints. It is also good to know that the pub continues to support the Armed Forces and Emergency Services through participation with the Defence Services Discount Card and Blue Light Card offering 10% discount on food for serving personnel so I will definitely be returning in the future with my discount card. I would love to return for breakfast, an adult ‘unlimited breakfast’  served with bacon, British pork sausage, free-range eggs, hash browns, plum tomatoes, beans, toast and fried bread, together with porridge, cereals and toast available as lighter options for just £3.99!

We really enjoyed our meal at The Town House, Norwich. Thank you to all of the staff who contributed to a great night! Have you ever been here?

*I was provided with this meal free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.