REVIEW: Bottomless brunch packs a punch at Turtle Bay Blackburn

But given the opportunity to go for a free bottomless brunch in return for a review, and I will be there...yesterday.

It's January 3, and my friend and I have both had a relatively quiet Christmas and New Year, so getting together on a Monday afternoon to chew the fat over food and cocktails was the perfect post festive-season antidote.

Arriving at Turtle Bay in Blackburn's Cathedral Square, we were warmly greeted by our lovely host, and shown to our table.

The music and ambience was welcoming, and with just the right amount of volume for 1pm on a Monday, we basked in the sweet reggae sounds that filled our ears.

Presented with the menus, our eyes fell not first to the food list, but to the abundant list of cocktails, our mouths watering as we scanned the enticing names, such as Passion Martini, Kingston Solero and Coconut and Grapefruit Mojito.

Our waiter informed us that our bottomless brunch commenced from when we ordered our first drink, and would last for two hours - meaning for a whole 120 minutes we could order as many cocktails and as much prosecco as we wanted. A challenge we whole heartedly accepted.

The usual price for a bottomless brunch is £28.50, which, for any item on the brunch menu plus an endless supply of alcohol is more than reasonable (it's a steal actually), but for £4 extra we could upgrade to have any main meal of our choosing, which is precisely what we decided to do.

Perusing the extensive menu, we felt spoilt for choice. With burger selections, 'soul food', a jerk offering, and West Indian curries to choose from, it took us a while to settle on something hearty.

For me, a part-time pescatarian, my choice was made easy when I came across the jerk salmon.

And for my friend, who is a stoic pescatarian, she chose the festive jerk organic tofu.

But to start, we decided to share some crispy chilli squid.

The chilli squid arrived, and we ordered our second cocktails - a grapefruit fizz for me and a pineapple daiquiri for my friend.

The squid was delicious - and with just enough jerk mayo to give it that kick, the tiny chunks of mango complimenting the spice.

Our only qualm was the crispiness - it could have done with a little longer in the fryer, but this did not take away from the taste.

As for our cocktails, they were so mouthwateringly flavoursome that we couldn't just stop at one kind, we made it our mission to sample as many as we could - next up, a coconut and grapefruit mojito and a bahama mama.

Our main courses arrived in a timely manner, and apart from a small hiccup with the accompanying coconut rice for my salmon (I ordered the rice, but it didn't arrive), the service was impeccable.

On a previous visit to Turtle Bay, the service had been a little unbearable; we were asked every five minutes how our food was and whether we wanted more drinks, which, when trying to enjoy an evening with friends, was a little disruptive and frustrating.

On this occasion though, we felt comfortable - we didn't once need to call our waiter over, he was right there when we needed more drinks, nor were we bothered unnecessarily, which was ideal - just the right amount of attentiveness for us to be able to enjoy our afternoon without feeling hounded.

But onto the food - my salmon was perfectly tender, falling apart as I cut into it, and the accompanying jerk sauce was an unusual twist, making for a delightfully spiced experience,

The rice, when it arrived, was also cooked well - soft and tasty, and not overpowering in terms of the coconut.

My friend's tofu was equally as pleasing. Whenever I have tried cooking tofu in the past, the ability to reach peak crispiness has always seemed to evade me, but this tofu was crisped to perfection; and her spiced fries were moreish too.

Our plates were cleared and another hour of cocktail sampling began, with coconut espresso martinis, passion rum punches and Kingston soleros gracing our table.

The Caribbean take on many of these classic tipples was endearing - the tropical flavours complimenting the choice of spirit down to a tea, and by the time it came for us to leave, we managed to squeeze one last martini in before heading out into the cold.

That final cocktail may have been a little too much though, as once the cool January air hit us, in our tipsy stupor (think giggling and a little swaying), we managed to get on the wrong train home, heading for Salford instead of Preston.

Not letting this dampen our spirits, we rectified our mistake at Bolton, and soon found ourselves homeward bound, all before 5.30pm.

If I was going to recommend a bottomless brunch to enjoy with friends, an experience that wouldn't break the bank, but would leave you merry and heartily satisfied, then Turtle Bay would certainly be it.