My friend has just booked the holiday of a lifetime to the Caribbean this winter for her 30th. My dad has also been, as have many of my other pals, so you’re rest assured I’ve seen plenty of pictures of what may be one of the most beautiful places on earth.
But when it comes to Caribbean cuisine in Aberdeen there’s one place most would venture, and that is Tango Turtle.
My boyfriend ditched me for the night a few Saturdays ago and so I called my sister to see if she’d be up for heading out for a bite to eat. I couldn’t get Tango Turtle out of my head so we risked rocking up and headed into town.
Tango Turtle
The restaurant is on Little Belmont Street so she parked at the Bon Accord Centre and we walked round. Located on the first floor of the building, we followed the colourful stairway to the dining room entrance.
It wasn’t busy, but it was around 5pm so that wasn’t surprising.
The stairs leading up to the restaurant entrance. Picture by Kenny Elrick.We were shown to our tables by our server who seated us by the window which overlooks the road it is on – the perfect place for people watching.
A kaleidoscope of colour is served up here with murals of Bob Marley and paintings galore.
A big table of ladies, who were now finished, were giggling away in the corner while considering their options of the next bar to frequent.
It was a gorgeous evening and the sun was shining down on those we could see enjoying The Old School House’s beer garden. I ordered a can of Ting (grapefruit soda) and Nicole tried a Jamaican ginger beer.
There’s no specials here, so you really rely on the menu to excite you – which it easily can – with dishes like tacos, panko shrimp, jerk chicken, fried plantain and other items on offer.
The food
When the staff member returned with our drinks we finalised our choices and ordered the chicken wings with banana guava glaze and the Bajan flying fish cakes to start.
For mains my sister was tempted by the callaloo with chicken while I couldn’t ignore the jerk ribs and chicken on the grill section.
As time went on the venue slowly started to fill up, with other sections of the restaurant now opening. I could hear people, but struggled to see them as the front of the building is slightly raised.
We waited quite a bit for our starters, which I didn’t mind as it usually means they are being cooked properly, and from fresh.
The wings (£6.45) were first to grace the table quickly followed by the fish cakes.
They were grilled and the skin had been slightly singed giving it that classic barbecue charcoal grill flavor. The chicken was succulent and came off the bone easily.
There were four wings and the banana sauce, which had been drizzled over, was very sweet. There was a tinge of spicy seasoning, chopped spring onions and a wedge of lemon, too. Other sauces included Jerk barbecue and a hot habanero guava.
At £5.90 for three fish cakes, I felt the size of them was just right. They were served on red and white checked parchment paper and they crispy on the outside and smooth within.
The jerk aioli had a strong garlic meets Cajun spice taste and the cakes themselves weren’t overly fishy. There was plenty chunky pieces of veg throughout.
Service began to slow down around this time and became less attentive.
My sister’s chicken callaloo ( £14.95) with rice, peas, plantain and bread hit the spot. It looked really inviting.
She had never had plantain before and described it as “sweet, almost like a banana.” It was fried and was soft and she mentioned the bread reminded her of what a naan bread would taste like if it was crossed with a buttery, but sweeter.
The rice and kidney beans mix had a nice spice to it, but it was the curry, which reminded her of a Thai green curry, that she loved the most. It was a big portion and in the curry made with coconut milk was chicken, squash, okra and green veg like spinach and green beans.
I’d asked for my half and half – jerk ribs and chicken (£15.80) – to be served with dirty jerk fries and coleslaw, however it was just regular fires when it arrived. It was hard to get anyone’s attention so I just carried on.
The half rack of ribs were delicious and the star of the wooden board. The pork slipped off the bone and there was plenty succulent meat.
The quarter chicken however was a different story. While it was cooked through it was barely warm. The juicy part started and ended with the skin, which did taste good, and the centre of the chicken was very dry and hard to go down. I ended up leaving some as it was proving hard to eat.
As for the chips, they were nice and crisp – no complaints.
We fancied something sweet to finish and waited more than 20 minutes to try and get ahold of a dessert menu. In our saga of trying to grab someone’s attention we searched online instead and viewed the menu that way.
Bounty patty parcels with rum caramel (£5.40) caught my eye. When someone finally passed our table again we asked to place a dessert order. They them cleared away our dirty plates.
The dish was a Bounty sweet wrapped in filo pastry and fried. Much like a deep fried Mars Bar.
My sister’s was really gooey while mine wasn’t as much, and we split the last one between us. Three pieces would have been hard to eat on your own as it was so sweet, but for me, it was the rum caramel sauce that stole the show. It would have been perfect if it was warm.
The light pastry was crisp and made a crunch sound as we tucked in, but we couldn’t help but feel it was a little overpriced for being a Bounty wrapped in filo.
Trying to pay was a mission and I eventually took myself to the entrance where I could track someone down to take our payment. No one really seemed in a rush despite customers looking for assistance.
The verdict
While Tango Turtle is certainly a feast for the eyes, a little more attention to detail is needed when it comes to service and some of the dishes.
I think there are some menu items that are great value for money, and others that maybe need to be revisited or adapted to make them worth the price.
Service was good to begin with, but it seriously lacked towards the second half of our experience and just got worse as the evening progressed. It wasn’t even that busy to warrant the lack of attention given and I know our table wasn’t the only one.
There’s some great options on the menu and I’d encourage you to be adventurous when you visit.
Information
Address: 9a Little Belmont Street, Aberdeen AB10 1JG
T: 01224 561409
Price: £53.10 for two starters, two mains, one dessert and two soft drinks
Scores:
- Food: 3/5
- Service: 3/5
- Surrounding: 4/5
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