It was a food review that first took us through the doors of Turtle Bay, and we loved it; the laid-back atmosphere, the inviting surroundings and of course the plated perfection, and 12 months or so on, and we are returning in an official capacity.
The lure of a new menu putting sociable dining at the fore, and promising lots of vegan options was enough to get us all booked in, and so here we are - back at The Hub MK and ready to get busy!
There are three vegan options to get stuck into from the starters; a garlic flatbread, two ‘puffed up’ bara roti flatbreads (with curried chickpeas, cucumber chutney and hot sauce) or, our choice, Sweet Corn Fritters with spring onion and hot sauce.
A short time later, two little bowls of corn delight are set down before us. Perfectly fried, lip-lickingly delicious parcels of promise that deliver with each bite. It doesn't take long until the bowls are bereft and conversation turns to the best meal starter we've had in ages!
It's not exactly complicated, or fancy, but it is a winning combination of crispness, soft side and a West Indian Hot Sauce to drool for.
For the main, we choose from the One Pot selection, and again, plant-fiends have a choice here - with a Chickpea & Callaloo Curry, and an Aubergine Curry on the menu.
The former tickles in tomatoes, garlic, scotch bonnet and sweet plantain and is served with steamed rice.
The aubergine dish is served with the rice and sweet potato, too, livened with curry sauce and served with a roti flatbread. We order one of each, and then go halves on both dishes in order to explore the heat temptations.
Both are tasty - the chickpea curry is definitely the spicier of the two, and the portion sizes are more than adequate.
It's comfort food with enough to make your tastebuds tingle, and it still feels like you are eating healthily. Yum.
A cheeky side portion of sweet potato fries and bara roti help us to mop up nicely.
It takes us longer to devour this time, but the end result is the same - and clean pots follow.
I should mention that it's 2-4-1 on cocktails when we arrive, and so while one of us sticks to water, I engage with One Love – a Caribbean flavoured sweet treat bringing together passion fruit liqueur, dark rum, passion fruit and coconut syrup. It might be a little bit naughty, but it is very, very nice!
By now, we're feeling suitably stuffed, but our ace server Jenny (full of smiles and assistance, she is also the one who suggested giving One Love a try) arrives with the desert menu.
Even here, eating vegan offers a couple of choices if you like chocolate; with chocolate ice cream or a Salted Caramel Brownie.
We take one of each. I'm not a brownie fan in particular, but I do want to see what this salted caramel baked pie, with its accompanying light chocolate ice cream, is all about.
“People have been shocked to learn that it's vegan,” Jenny said, “But it is – and they are liking it!”
And on this table, it has found another couple of fans. It's rich, but not overly, stodgy in the best sense of the word, but not hard-going, and it is bursting with flavour.
Turtle Bay has realised that good food means catering for all, and with their new menu, they are bang on the taste, too.
Visit: 5 Mortimer Square, Milton Keynes MK9 2FB
Call: 01908 397888
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