[GIFTED] I Went To The Caribbean... WITHOUT FLYING!

I think I should state now, before you read on, that this three course meal was free in return for photography and a review. None of this post was paid for or otherwise. All opinions are my own and not of Turtle Bay. Thank you.

Turtle Bay is somewhere I've been tempted to visit for a while, and when I was emailed with the opportunity to try three courses, I was overjoyed. It's not somewhere I can afford to visit on a daily basis, what with my college student budget and all! So I took the opportunity for my boyfriend not to have to pay for date night this month with both hands and booked a table.


We were greeted with a smile and a handshake (fancy that, I've never been an 'important' person before!) and asked whether we wanted to sit by the window or in the VW Campervan... OF COURSE WE CHOSE THE VAN! Who wouldn't? And we were given a few minutes to settle down and decide what we wanted to drink.

The waiters were friendly and a pleasure to spend time with, and when we were ready we ordered our starters. It was here I realised that my boyfriend isn't too big of a fan of spicy food, so the options were (slightly) limited for him, but he didn't let that ruin his evening.

For my starter, I tried the Duck Rolls: which is slow roasted shredded duck, with sweet onion, soy sauce and chilli, served with sour orange chutney. I'm a fussy eater, and for me to eat something with any kind of onion in it is a big thing for me, and while a lot of the onion was picked out and left in my dish, I thoroughly enjoyed trying something I wouldn't usually order from anywhere.


I didn't eat the orange chutney, because again, I'm a fussy eater and there's things I just wont put in my mouth, but the meal was lovely. It wasn't too hot, but it wasn't mild and boring either. 

Reece [my boyfriend] chose the Crispy Chilli Squid, which is spiced panko coated squid with mango mole, fresh lime and coriander mayo. His bowl, compared to mine, was empty. I guess he's just not as fussy as I am.

For drinks, Reece ordered a coca-cola and I tried the Pineappleade, which was delicious and refreshing. I loved it, and ordered a second one further along our meal, and I let Reece try a sip, but he didn't like it. Oh well, more for me!

For mains, it took us a while to decide what we wanted. I was tempted by the sirloin steak, or the babyback pork ribs, but I went with the Two Way Chicken Burger: a spicy panko crumbed chicken fillet topped with pull jerk chicken, crisp gem lettuce, fresh pineapple chow and herb mayo in a sweet bun. I ordered this without the pineapple chow, because, you guessed it, I'm a fussy eater. But, going against my fussy-ness, I did eat it with the lettuce and the tomato, AND THE MAYO. It's so unlike me to eat something without picking off the salad garnish and ordering it with the mayo. 


Reece ordered a very similar meal of the Street Shack Burger; a pure british beef burger, spicy pull jerk pork, pork rind, crisp gem lettuce, sweet red onion chutney and herb mayo in a sweet bun.

We're not the sort of couple to be all over each other on date night. When there's food, that's all we focus on. And boy am I glad I got to put all my attention into these meals. They were delicious. Unfortunately, I remembered (too little too late!) that bread does stuff to me - I'll be very open here, it makes me bloat to the point where I look like I'm about to give birth and I get very farty - but I'm not holding this against Turtle Bay at all. This is 100% my fault, and I couldn't finish my burger. Luckily for me, my boyfriend could. This was a delicious meal, and I did get one or two weird looks from other customers for opening my burger up and eating the insides, leaving 2/3rds of the bun, but that's on them. I really enjoyed my burger, and Reece did too.

The Two Way Chicken Burger was a lot hotter than my boyfriend's burger, but he managed to get it down. (Unlike me, which we'll get onto later...)

For dessert, I'd already picked out what I wanted about five days before actually going. It was definitely the Banana and Toffee Cheesecake, which I don't think I have to explain to anyone what that is. It was delicious. It soothed my stomach somewhat, and hit the spot as I was craving something banoffee for about three months prior. 

To say I sat there in food heaven is an understatement. We both had to sit for about half an hour afterwards just sitting and holding our stomachs. It was wonderful. I do kind of wish I'd have gotten more toffee sauce, but I was already feeling so full I felt sick. I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life. After sitting with a second serving of the pineappleade, and Reece a glass of water, we said our goodbyes and left. 

Standing at the bus stop, I started to feel my stomach roll. The world was spinning and I was like.. OH. I've just eaten spicy food. I love spicy food, but my stomach doesn't. Oopsies. I had to run (luckily one minute away) to the nearest McDonald's to use their toilets. I had to throw up. Spicy food doesn't agree with me. I love it, though, and I won't say this was Turtle Bay's fault. It was mine. I loved my meal and it was cooked and served to perfection. 

Thank you Turtle Bay for this review meal, I loved it. I'll love to be in your company again.