Turtle Bay, the laid back Caribbean restaurant and bar is set to open on North Street in the town centre on Friday 14 November. The chain was first established in 2010 and currently has 11 restaurants across the UK, with the new Guildford restaurant situated at no.1 North Street where Slug & Lettuce used to be (next to TGI Friday).
The Turtle Bay site is over 6,000 square feet, with 140 covers making it one of the largest in Guildford and will be a benefit for local employment providing around 60 jobs in total. The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11.30 in the morning and opening late at weekends until 1.30am and promises to transport diners to a tropical island paradise where they can feed their soul on jerk, reggae and rum.
Turtle Bay offers an island party atmosphere inspired by the relaxed, reggae vibe of the Caribbean. The restaurant serves the kind of food Islanders enjoy at home, on the beach or in the street cafes; rustic, authentic and always exploding with flavour. They source the very best ingredients, from both the doorstep and the far-flung corners of the West Indian islands themselves, bringing everything together in true Caribbean style- concentrating on flavour rather than fuss.
Freshly made dishes on the menu reflect the rich, authentic tapestry of island culture and cuisine and range from ‘cutters’, which are light bites inspired by Caribbean Beach Shacks and Street Hawkers, to rich, slowly simmered ‘one pots’, complimented by a traditional Jerk Pit BBQ. There is a mouth-watering combination of Jerk Chicken Wings, Jamaican Fried Bait, Blue Mountain Goat Curry, Rastafarian Run Down and Double Dipped Steak on offer that will have you salivating from the moment you read the menu!
There is a lively central bar offering up an exclusive range of wines, rums and cocktails, as well as home-made ginger beer, Caribbean smoothies and Jamaican-style lager (Red Stripe) on tap. Upcycled wooden furniture and corrugated iron, Caribbean beach shack style, completes the West Indian backdrop while up-tempo reggae tunes keep diners in the island vibe until closing time.
The General Manager at Turtle Bay Guildford, Antony Butcher, says the restaurant promises to be one of the most exciting the town has ever seen, “Eating and drinking are at the heart and soul of the Caribbean culture and our aim is to capture the essence of that way of life, transporting our diners to a different world, where they can relax with friends and family in an informal environment, with excellent service.”
James Martin