Turtle Bay: 5 reasons why this vibrant Derby bar is the perfect venue for a working lunch

The plan was to quickly eat and move it along after 30 minutes, as I had a jam-packed day ahead.

What I hadn’t expected was that I would stay at Turtle Bay for more than two hours, comfortably making my next meeting later that afternoon.

I ordered a sit-down lunch (sans cocktails) and sorted through emails while I waited for the food to arrive and wrote an article that I filed before the deadline.

That is the beauty of visiting restaurants, mid-week for a lunchtime service as they can often be quieter.

I also can’t think of a better way to support hospitality too.

I have visited Turtle Bay Derby a few times but never during working hours.

This is because I usually take a 30-minute lunch break and find restaurant service usually takes around 90 minutes from time of order to leaving.

What made me decide to use Turtle Bay as my ‘WFH office’?

Here are five reasons why I decided to pull out my laptop and start working from Turtle Bay Derby.

1. It was warm. I cannot stress enough how important this is when finding a place to dine AND work. I have been to my fair share of eateries where it is so chilly, I have to sit in my coat and eat lukewarm food. One pub even had the doors open for the entire lunchtime service, which is probably why I caught a cold the day after. It was toasty warm in Turtle Bay Derby and this is the main reason why I chose to fire up my laptop and work from the restaurant. 
2. Lovely waitstaff provided a warm welcome. Ed was the first person to greet me at the door, in fact, I was the first person there as the restaurant had only just opened. Ed was all smiles and his chilled demeanor and sparkling smile were another big reason I decided to work from Turtle Bay.
3. There was free, easy to access Wi-Fi. Free Wi-Fi is one thing, however, wifi access requiring countless online forms, me having the patience of a saint, and the technical nous of Nikola Tesla is a surefire way to make me speedrun to the exit. I was online and logging into my email within minutes of accessing Turtle Bay’s Wi-Fi. WIN.
4. A nearby socket to power my laptop was within reaching distance. There really is nothing worse than feeling creeping dread as you expect your depleted laptop battery to be drained imminently - made all the worse when you’ve nearly finished writing an article but just need to tweak it. 
5. The menu looked ace. Turtle Bay Derby offers a wide range of options, from open bacon roti brunch dishes and starters of garlic pit prawns to sides of festival dumplings and mains of chargrilled chicken. It was nice to be able to enjoy restaurant-cooked food while working and being productive.

What's on the working-lunch menu

I ate jerk salmon which was a substantial dish.

A pan-fried fillet with the flakes still beautifully translucent was good to eat.

I especially enjoyed the jerk-flavoured gravy, and I personally would have liked to see more of it, but this is a personal preference.

I ordered coconut rice and peas as the accompanying side, which tempered the spice level of the dish, whilst a spritz of lime livened it up for a refreshing aftertaste.

Despite my initial intentions of finding a dedicated eatery where I could quickly grab food and move on, I was pleased and excited about dining and working from Turtle Bay Derby.

A point to note, is that there is music playing in the background, so if you’re used to working in a quieter environment, this is something to be mindful about.

Address: Turtle Bay, 1-5 Wardwick, Derby DE1 1HA

For more information about Turtle Bay Derby visit their website by clicking here.