'I'd never tasted anything like it' - new Caribbean flavours delight at Turtle Bay new menu launch

I married into a Caribbean family 20 years ago and it's safe to say I have eaten my fair share of food from Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and the surrounding areas. My auntie once told me she knew I'd be a good match for her niece when I gobbled down a bowl of pepper pot and dolloped achar on my food when we first met at her house.

Trying new food and flavours I've never eaten before is one of the many things I really look forward to at family events.

I enjoyed another version of that discovery right here in Liverpool, when I headed over to Caribbean-inspired restaurant Turtle Bay, on Hanover Street, to sample their latest 'menu drop' featuring 11 brand-new dishes. I was particularly looking forward to trying the jerk beef rib - which promised to fall off the bone - for the first time.

I've been to Turtle Bay numerous times before and I never go expecting the restaurant chain to replicate the home-cooked meals dished up by my family. Does their curry chicken and plantain taste the same as my mother-in-law's? No. Is it still delicious? Yes.

So, I always head there with high expectations and this time was certainly no different.

Alongside the food, the venue is also renowned for its cocktails, music and rum shack. However, as I was dining in the middle of the day with my nine-year-old in tow, we decided to stick to mocktails. I can certainly give a big thumbs up to the guava punch, grapefruit crush and the blue raspberry we enjoyed while taking in the beach bar vibe, with bright murals painted on wood, corrugated tin roof and white-washed boards.

But we were here for the food. The new menu items include fish tacos, beef cheek stew and the return of brown chicken, but it was the aforementioned Jerk Beef Rib - from the 'Jerk Pit' collection - that I already had my eye on. Slow cooked and glazed in jerk gravy, could it really live up the 'tender, fall-of-the-bone' claims?

I'm delighted to say it could. It was one of those occasions when I couldn't help but go 'mmmm' with every spiced mouthful. With the jerk being a gravy glaze, the dish was much more subtle than a traditional jerk chicken.

I could have done with a bit more gravy, but that is a personal thing. I am a gravy fiend. I have never had a meal in a restaurant with the amount of gravy I would give myself at home. I want to swim in it.

Sweet potato mash and seasonal greens accompanied the beef. I'm not a big fan of sweet potato in general and avoid it if possible. With that caveat in place, I have to say that this rough, spiced and seasoned mash was probably the best I've ever had. I might have been converted.

My dining partner opted for another of the new menu options: Trini cod. The Trinidad-inspired dish consists of steamed cod fillet, served with creamy mashed potatoes, roasted greens and a mildly spiced garlic butter sauce. She is not a huge fan of spiced food, but this dish struck just the right balance for her. The cod was well cooked and tender and the sauce delicious and the dish was perfect for a milder palate.

My nine-year-old opted for the classic Caribbean soul food that is mac & cheese. I have discovered to my own cost that she is very hard to please with this particular dish. I have tried and failed multiple times to produce a mac & cheese that can match grandma's high standards. However, here, she cleaned the plate (and the side of spiced fries).

The staff were excellent with us and the kids too - easily dealing with any dietary or unusual requests, which included providing a side dish of roti despite it not being listed on the menu.

With the mains and side polished off it was time for desert. The new ginger pudding - a warm spiced sponge with fresh pineapple compote and coconut ice cream - was a wonderful, if somewhat gut-busting, way to finish the meal.

With so many more dishes on the menu to explore - rum bbq wings and the beef cheek stew have already caught my eye - I'll certainly be back for yet another visit.