Tortuga - Mina Al Salam, Dubai

Tortuga is the latest place to open up its door at Dubai's Mina Al Salam Hotel. Mexican themed, this eatery promotes drinking as much as it does eating - first tick in the box for me. We were lucky enough to have been given a pair of food vouchers for Tortuga entitling us to a 3 course meal which was brilliant news as I had been dying to try out the new hot spot for a few months... and first impressions definitely didnt disappoint. I instantly knew it was going to be a fun night.

On arrival, we were created my friendly looking staff, great atmosphere and an Arabic-style, wooden-clad jetty, propelling the diners out into the Madinat waterways (and the turtles!). The tables - all different heights - were heaving with happy customers, each one of them tucking into a delicious looking cocktail. After a name at the entrance we were whisked off to our table for two, tucked up near to the water. After a bit of hustle and bustle, we were presented with a food menu followed by a cocktail menu which appeared to be more like a book, not a drinks list. Page after page of delicious cocktail peered out in front of me - not only Mexican classics, but international favorites too. After a lot of umming and ahhing we went for frozen margaritas - my companion went for the bloody orange, whilst me, the mango. To compliment this massive drinks menu, there was also a section on concocting your own version of a classic Mexican-inspired beverage as well as tips from the chef about which dish goes best with which cocktail.

The food menu was equally as fun, with a vocab display running down one side explaining 'whats what' in Mexican terms. Like most Mexican menus, the classics were all there including Guacamole, a selection of tacos, ceviche, burritos and fajitas. To start, we had guacamole and beef tacos followed by Tuna and Seabass ceviche - perfectly light and full of flavor - this was swiftly followed by Tuna steak and Beef Fajitas with a divine pot of re-fried beans. Accompanying the fajitas came cute dishes will with all the fajita amenities including cheddar, sour cream, guac and salsa - its was safe to assume that moving was going to be hard after all this. To wash it down, we managed to sample 10 different cocktails between us, from Mexican specials like Margaritas, to Espresso Martinis and Sangria.

Before departing, I popped inside for a quick nose.. Even though it was nowhere near as busy and vibrant (it was still cool outside at the time), the inside matched the outdoor deco with many distinctive Mexican touches including woven fabrics, carved wood panels, bright colours and stain glass embellishment as well as authentic/slightly vintage looking chandeliers.

On the whole my experience was a good one. The staff, even though they seemed hectic were overly friendly and accommodating and extremely helpful when it came to choosing food and beverages. I look forward to going back for a Ladies Night - hopefully in the near future!

For more information on the nightly deals at Tortuga, please visit: https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/madinat-jumeirah/restaurants--bars/tortuga/