Ordinarily, we would settle back with a Jumbled Julep or a Classic Mojito and peruse the menu at leisure while cocktails introduce us to an evening of tasty dining at Turtle Bay.
But these aren't ordinary times and something as simple as dining out is itself off the menu during lockdown.
Thankfully, a taste of the Caribbean can still be ours as Turtle Bay is currently cooking up a storm for home delivery at seven of its branches, including here in Milton Keynes.
As Turtle Bay diners, it felt a little strange to be dialling a delivery for collection, but we were met with the same cheery demeanour from staff that we are used to, when we called up on Sunday evening.
A little over half an hour later, we'd collected our grub and a stack of cool looking food boxes were waiting to be investigated (although it was a bit odd to be dining Turtle Bay style to a backdrop of 'Strictly Come Dancing – the results' show!)
We chose vegan and ordered what we hoped would be a feast of fabulous, with portions of Sweetcorn Fritters to start.
To be fair, they weren't a surprise - we've had them before, which is why we came back for more. These juicy sweetcorn and onion parcels in a crispy fried coating aren't shy when it comes to taste, and our senses jump to attention.
They aren't hot, but they are more flavoursome than you might imagine. Even though we ordered a portion each, we could have got stuck in to more, but there was the not-so-small issue of a main course to attend to.
Remember back when eating vegan meant a plate of veg in the blandest sense?
These days, things have moved on rather a lot, and there are some tidy choices to plough through on this menu, including an Organic Tofu Buddha Bowl, Roti Sweetcorn Wrap and a choice of two burgers; the Motherclucker or No Moo.
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This time though, the Curry Aubergine won the race. A decent portion of fresh aubergine, potato, tomato and coconut cream with a yummy sauce. Despite not being a big lover of this particular vegetable, the whole caboodle sounded pretty tasty on paper, so we hoped for the best and got stuck in.
Temperatures were soon raised too – while it won't see you breaking out into a sweat, it did have a nice kick to it, and the aubergine won us over with the accompanying flavours helping us to forge a new friendship with the eggplant.
Usually, it would come with coconut rice and peas, but we chose plain boiled rice which worked just as nicely. The curry was the perfect mix of textures and tastes, and the trio of tomatoes afforded a little sweetness.
In-between shovelling in the curry, we took time to devour Sweet Potato Fries, Spiced Fries and a portion of Sweet Plantain which continued the sweetness.
And then? We gave ourselves a moment to enjoy the fullness and a cursory glance at the empty tubs and plates which showed a job very well done.
We had decided against pudding (although the vegan-friendly choices included four flavours of ice cream, a chilli chocolate brownie and a coconut tart) and it was a wise-decision as we would have struggled to find space.
Would we go back for more given the chance? We have already considered a cheeky mid-week order, which says it all.
Thumbs up: Everything we had was great and the call and collect service was easy – the food was piping hot and ready and waiting when we arrived.
Thumbs down: Curried chickpeas are off the takeaway menu. Seriously, those little spiced peas NEED to be on the plate.
Oh, and it's not quite as much fun when you have to do your own washing-up, but we can't hold Tutle Bay responsible for that!
Need to know: Let the Caribbean festivities begin with the Christmas & New Year Menu which includes a Chestnut & Roasted Squash Curry and Sweet Berry Jerk Tofu.
Visit www.turtlebay.co.uk for menus and booking options.
To book in Milton Keynes call 01908 397888.
