Tortugas, 19-21 Friar St, Worcester, WR1 2NA (01905 27673). Starters £5-£8, mains £8.50-£21, desserts £6-£7, cocktails from £7.50.

Among the restaurants in Worcester, Tortugas is the relative ‘new kid on the block’ and honestly feels like a breath of fresh air blowing away the cobwebs in the fusty old city whilst boasting a favourable spot on arguably Worcester’s oldest and most interesting street.

Worcester has no shortage of restaurants – however, especially in the city itself it can often feel repetitive and all very similar with the endless supply of chain restaurants. It is therefore a very rare occasion when a new independent restaurant opens its doors with a smorgasbord of new and exciting different dishes to feast upon.

First impressions of this quirky little place are simply joyous - the minute you arrive outside, before even stepping through the door you are greeted by an explosion of colours and smiling friendly faces. Being guided through the restaurant to your table it becomes clear that the Caribbean theme is anything but subtle – and nor should it be! It brings a certain element of fun to your dining experience and when paired with the relaxed energy for the staff, it immediately makes you feel comfortable in your surroundings.

Waiting to kickstart our meal we went straight in for the cocktails with a ‘Shroudbreaker’ and ‘Hurricane’, the beautifully presented fruity punch of flavour set the tone for the meal and certainly built-up excitement for the upcoming food courses.

We didn’t have long to wait as our starters were fast approaching our own corner of the Caribbean. Elegantly presented, the food reiterates the point that through all the fun and laid-back energy, this place is one to be taken seriously!

We started with ‘tiger prawns – accompanied by garlic and thyme butter and served with a salad with honey and lime dressing.’ As well as a ‘baked callaloo & cheese soufflé – served with a tomato and red onion salsa.’

The soufflé was simply delicious! Rich and indulgent, whilst remaining light and airy, a real savoury treat! The salsa provides a nice, sweet tang to counter the natural saltiness of the cheese, the only thing missing perhaps was another form of texture to the dish, something to give a slight bite or crunch.
The tiger prawns were simple but effective, cooked to perfection and paired perfectly with the butter, they were a real hit. With this dish it wasn’t that it was missing another element, it was that it was missing more of the same. The portions were just a little small with a total of two prawns, it meant that as much as the starter was enjoyed, it was also over very quickly. Just a couple more tier prawns would have made it a more well-balanced start to a meal.

After a laugh and a joke with the waiting staff the main courses were waiting in the wings, ready to take centre stage and delight our stomachs. We confidently decided upon the ‘jerk chicken burger – served in a toasted brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle and coleslaw along with a side of fries for an additional £4.’ As well as the ‘red snapper fillet – served with pan-fries, yam and sweet potato gratin and Pak-choy.’

The burger went down very well indeed, as did the cocktails to which we were now onto our second round of ‘Hurricanes’! The brioche bun is always a winner with a burger, and it is surprising just how many restaurants decide not to offer them, but of course Tortugas did, and the sweetness of the toasted bun perfectly counteracted the punchy jerk spices of the chicken. The creamy coleslaw was the perfect combination with the burger as was the generous portion of triple cooked chips! It could have done without the pickle but that is purely down to personal opinion and taste and I’m sure there would be many people who heavily disagree with me.

The red snapper fillet was the real star of the show! The presentation was nothing short of stunning and incredibly enticing. The fish itself was cooked to perfection and well-seasoned offering a tasty saltiness every now and then, the yam and sweet potato gratin was also a real winner. Something extremely different but successfully satisfying, offering a world of flavours in just a bite. The Pak-choy I took slight issue with, it was definitely essential to the dish and added a much-needed greenness to the plate, I am an enormous fan of it however, when nit-picking, with it resting at the bottom of the plate underneath the gratin and fish it went just a bit too soggy and slimy. That being said every single morsel of this dish was eaten and enjoyed thoroughly.

The dining experience (with two rounds of cocktails) came to a sum of £67.50.

The whole experience was an absolute joy, helped by the friendly service! This is a place completely unique and offers you something you just cannot get anywhere else in Worcester. The Caribbean experience will sweep you away and even leave you ready to exit wearing a grotesque Hawaiian shirt and a mini umbrella tucked behind your ear, or perhaps that was the cocktails influence?

Taking everything into consideration, Tortugas proves itself to be one of the best places to eat in Worcester, standing out proudly as a heavyweight of the city’s independent restaurants alongside heavy hitters such as ‘The Olive Branch’. Tortugas is a step in the right direction and definitely something the city needs more of.

Bar + Block Steakhouse, 3-6 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, B2 5PG (0121 227 5139). Starters £4-£14, mains £11-£29, desserts £6-£7, wines from £16.95.

We stumbled upon this place whilst navigating the busy streets of Birmingham, a game more dangerous than even the likes of Squid Game. Looking for a reasonably priced suitable lunch to fill our bellies we were drawn into this stylish modern steakhouse. 

On first impressions Bar + Block ticks all the right boxes, a clean, well-spaced fusion of classic American diner and stylish British steakhouse. Marvellous. I wish this segment could have been simply left on such a high note. There were however, to put it bluntly, niggles! Upon entering a restaurant you would generally expect to be greeted by a member of staff and swiftly seated as soon as possible, not too unreasonable right? 

Unfortunately this was not the case, we were left standing lonely by the door for quite some time with no member of staff in sight. This is easily forgiven and understandable in a busy restaurant at peak time, but this was none of the above, there were a maximum of only three tables being occupied and at around 2pm afternoon they were not exactly rushed off there feet! Eventually we were seen to by a pleasant, albeit mildly clueless lady. 

The next disappointment was being dished up and soon to be served to us when enquiring about gluten free options. My partner has an intolerance to gluten (not coeliac however) and it has become extremely interesting to see how different establishments react to catering for such needs. It is 2021 after all and with the wide range of different dietary requirements, personally I firmly believe there is no excuse to not being able to adjust for these needs. With a majority of the express lunch menu being served inside some form of bun or bread it was a simple question of "do you have gluten free options?" The response was what I can only describe as a rabbit in the headlights, the waitress looked blankly as if we were questioning her on the solution to the climate crisis in fluent Latin. 

Several minutes later, after desperately flicking through the allergen handbook and seeking confirmation from the senior manager we had successfully established that there was, indeed, gluten free bread. We were shown to our table and handed our menus, I must say there was a tempting selection of classic dishes and it took some time to decide which direction to go in. Service was good, attentive and friendly with complimentary beef dusted popcorn alongside our drinks while we wait. It was a nice addition there's no doubt, flavoured just enough to become moreish but not overwhelming it kept the hungry animals inside tamed before feeding time. 

The waiting time for the food was just about right, not too long to become impatient but not too quick to worry about whether we were in fact sitting inside a fast-food establishment. Soon enough the main attraction arrived! I had eagerly chosen the Open Club Sandwich for only £8, a delicious stone-baked flatbread topped with grilled dry cured oak-smoked streaky bacon, chargrilled chicken breast, smashed avocado, tomato, lettuce, mayo and a soft boiled egg served alongside French fries and £3 additional onion rings.

The first mouthful was absolutely delicious, the combination of all the flavours together was nothing short of excellent and made me eager to continue tucking into my dish. The smashed avocado had a nice gentle kick of chilli to it adding a tingling warmth to the plate, every element was nicely cooked and seasoned with the streaky bacon adding a slight saltiness to balance the mayonnaise. The meats however, in my opinion should have been warmed, it would have elevated the flavours even more as a lot of the delicious juices of the meats are often lost when chilled, they should of been allowed to run right the way through the layers and kickstart a tongue tingling party.

The fries were a nice addition and nicely cooked, crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle. The saltiness was perfectly judged and forced you to just keep going back for more! The main problem with the dish I quickly discovered arose about halfway through, by this point most of the meat had gone leaving a lettuce and mayonnaise flatbread which quickly became just a bit tiring and creamy. The solution to this issue is easy and there is multiple avenues you could venture down, the first simply being to add more meat which would postpone this problem until maybe the last few mouthfuls by which point you are struggling to finish the dish anyway. The other would be to downsize the portion by even just a little bit which would balance out the ratios of the elements just that little bit better. 

In my opinion the dish was missing something, one thing in particular, one thing that could of saved it even after the meat had disappeared. Parmesan. A sprinkling of parmesan shavings would of added something entirely new and would have shone through the creamy mayonnaise like a much needed light at the end of the tunnel. And then there were the onion rings, oh onion rings, I am very particular about these little hoops of pleasure. When done well they are the one of the most moreish additions to a dish, but I believe just like with any good TV show, you should always leave them wanting more. This was the main issue I faced with these having received exactly eight rings. Personally I would have lowered the price and served fewer as there were just too many to enjoy. Then there was the flavour, the secret to a truly great onion ring lies in the seasoning of the batter. Unfortunately there was just not enough to make them memorable and left the palette slightly disappointed.

Overall it was a pleasant lunch out, I would be very interested to see what sort of vibe this place has when busy and bustling as it felt just a little dead as if we were entering after closing hours, a factor not helped by the fact they did not properly turned up the lights until we were nearly finished with our meal.  The food as a whole was nice, a lot could be done to enhance it but as a lunch out it certainly satisfied especially with value for money as a large course each alongside soft drinks and complimentary popcorn totalled a modest sum of £24. The restaurant as a whole was deliciously clean and comfortable. However, I would certainly say work needs to be done with brushing up on knowledge of allergen guidance and options, it turns out that a gluten free buttermilk chicken burger does not come with a proper gluten free burger bun, but rather in between two slices of a regular gluten free loaf. 

Would I return? Absolutely! Would it be in a hurry? Maybe not.