Turtle Bay, Newcastle - New Summer Menu Review

Turtle Bay is one of my most visited restaurants in Newcastle. Since its launch at the beginning of last year I've been there on date nights, had catch up meals with friends and even held part of my Geordie hen party in the bar. I just can't get enough!

So when I was invited to try out Turtle Bay's brand new menu for Summer I was there before you could say "Rum Punch". The chance to transport myself back to my Caribbean Honeymoon and an excuse to use the turtle emoji! Yes please!

The new Summer menu is the first big change at Turtle Bay since it arrived in Newcastle. Featuring 15 new dishes and 7 new drinks, the menu has been inspired by customers feedback and has some truly delicious additions.

I started my evening with the new dish on the Starters Menu - Okra Ladies' Fingers (£5.10) - spiced panko coated okra fingers with mango mole, fresh lime and corander mayo. I will admit I did have a little look on my phone to see what Okra is (what on earth did we do before Google?) and discovered it's a "flowering plant from the mallow family", it reminded me a little of an asparagus and tasted so good in the panko coating.

One of the things I love most about dining at Turtle Bay in Newcastle is how friendly the staff are. I had such a great natter with our lovely waiter and he gave me some fantastic recommendations on the new menu and was really helpful at explaining the levels of spice in the food. Whilst there are plenty of super hot dishes at Turtle Bay there are plenty of options for a spice wuss like me so it's great that the waiters at Turtle Bay are so good at ensuring you pick a dish you'll enjoy.

There are a few new sections to the menu at Turtle Bay but it was the new burger menu that really caught my eye, I couldn't resist. I ordered the Jammin Lamb Burger (£10.95) - grilled lamb & mutton burger topped with crisp gem lettuce, tomato, fresh mint and onion salad, herb mayo in a sweet bun with pineapple jerk glaze. Lamb isn't something that I'd usually order but I was curious to see how it'd work in a burger and was impressed at how delicious it was. I almost ordered a salad to accompany my burger but in the end just couldn't resist Turtle Bay's sweet potato fries - they are some of the best around.

Of course, if you're being far better behaved than me and want something a little healthier in the Summer months, Turtle Bay have launched a Beach Salad range as part of the new Summer menu. I was very tempted by the delicious sounding Avocado, Butternut Squash and Mango Salad (but that was before I discovered the burger menu!).  Vegans and Veggies will also be happy to with loads of new dishes launched including 16 options for vegans and 23 dishes for vegetarians.

My friend Kelly ordered another of the new dishes off the menu, the Slow Braised Beef Rib (£14.95) Marinated beef ribs, slow cooked and jerk pit grilled with sweet onion chutney and green seasoning.  Served with sweet potato fries, fresh watermelon, lime & coriander chow salad with a choice of jerk glaze. I had a lot of food envy when her order showed up and she had an entire board covered in food. It looked seriously delicious and I think I'll be ordering it myself on my next visit.

Of course when you're a spice wuss dining at Turtle Bay it's important to make sure you have a lovely refreshing cocktail by your side. I ordered the new Goombay Smash (£7.15) - Cockspur rum, Koko Kanu coconut rum, apricot liqeur, bitters, shaken with orange and pineapple and Kelly enjoyed an Elderflower Cooler (£3.60) Elderflower, cucumber ribbons, fresh mint, lime juice topped with soda.

If you love the cocktails at Turtle Bay as much as me you might be interested to hear that you can now book a "Cocktail Table" in the restaurant or bar to enjoy drinks and snacks!

By this point in the evening we were both feeling so full but the new dessert had really caught my eye and I couldn't resist. The Passion Pie (£4.95) - sweet pastry topped with zesty passion fruit curd, soft baked meringue and fresh passion fruit sauce sounded right up my street.

The portion was huge and turned up at the table with two spoons, luckily for me Kelly wasn't indulging so I got to scoff the whole lot myself. I loved when our waiter came over to check if I was enjoying my dessert only to discover that I'd already polished it off!

As always I loved my visit to Turtle Bay and was so happy to try more of the menu. There are so many fantastic sounding dishes I think it'll take me a good long while to work my way through them all - the perfect excuse to return I think you'll agree!

Let me know your favourite Turtle Bay dish and what I should try next!

We received a complimentary meal for two in exchange for this honest review.