Naked Turtle waitresses wow on BBC
August 10, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
East Sheen’s Naked Turtle waitresses wow on BBC talent show
Press Release Richmond Twickenham Times
Three singing waitresses at an East Sheen restaurant have hit the right notes and made the semi finals of a prime-time BBC1 talent show.
Dee Livingstone, Stephanie Grace and Tor Hills, who all work at the Naked Turtle, in Upper Richmond Road West, proved themselves to be “workplace wonders” on Tonight’s the Night by beating a group of singing accountants on Saturday.
The girls dressed in 1950’s style American diner dresses to sing Christine Aguilera’s Candy man on the John Barrowman hosted show.
New owner of the restaurant - where jazz singer Victoria Hart was discovered - Patrick Fogarty said: “We have high hopes for Dee, Stephanie and Tor and will be cheering them on in competition.
“We will of course be screening the semi final show in the bar and hope many Londoner’s will come and cheer them on.”
The eatery can be contacted by calling 020 8878 1995 or visiting naked-turtle.com
The Green Review
August 10, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
If you think talent is in short supply, then pop into the Naked Turtle where the waiters and waitresses are all professional singers. So much so that three of the staff were the stars of the small screen, appearing on John Barrowman’s BBC 1 show Tonight’s The Night. In fact the raison d’être of this restaurant and bar is to turn it into a jazz venue, with live music six nights a week. But enough about the ambience, let’s get down to the food.
I’m a devotee of the weird and the wonderful, so the pan-fried impala caught my eye. It’s a game meat but has a very subtle flavour, similar to steak but much lighter and has a rich, earthy aroma. In fact, it’s an extremely lean meat. No wonder lions look so sleek on this diet. The antelope was well complemented by sweet potatoes, green beans and a home-made peri peri sauce. It’s a perfect dish for meat eaters who don’t have a gargantuan appetite and save room for dessert.
And for the final dish I blasted the calories with a sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. The treacle topping was a sweet and crunchy delight while light accents supplied by a scattering of blackcurrants and strawberries.
For those who like to try out new wines, the bar serves 50 bins of sparkling wine, Champagne, white, red, rose, port and sweet wines. Talk to the extremely knowledgeable sommelier/wine buyer Angus Macnab, who can suggest very reasonably priced options, including the offer of sampling wines from emerging countries like Brazil and Lebanon.
It’s lovely for the summer months as there’s al fresco dining at the front of the restaurant as well as a leafy garden at the back. The Naked Turtle sets the right balance between sophisticated dining and a relaxed, informal setting. (Fiona Keating)
The ViewLondon Review
August 10, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Review by Tracey Davies18/06/2009
Everyone needs a lovable local restaurant, a place where everybody knows your name and you’re always glad you came. For lucky old SW14ers it’s not a sports bar in Boston, but a jazz bar and bistro right in East Sheen. Welcome to the all-singing, all-dancing (not to mention the fabulously named) Naked Turtle.
The Venue
The Naked Turtle is an old Sheen stalwart. It has recently been taken over and fully refurbished so it’s shiny new and fresh. Behind its double shop-fronted exterior (complete with covered and heated terrace) there is a warren of bars, dining rooms and snugs. The new conservatory is surprisingly cosy with subdued lighting and dark velveteen banquettes, and it leads out to a lovely little decked terrace perfect for warm summer dining. The main dining area is a decadent flush of deep red (some would say Merlot) walls, dominated by huge gilt mirrors and a smattering of photos. It definitely has the air of the jazz bar about it, despite the now smoke-less atmosphere. The high ceilings and polished wooden floors enhance the room’s great acoustics, allowing for the nightly live jazz of which the Turtle is famous for.
The Atmosphere
Atmosphere is the one thing this place has in buckets. As the jazz pianist tinkles away in the corner of the room, you may recognise the singer in an apron belting out Summertime, because she’s the waitress who’s just taken your order. The Naked Turtle is famous for its singing waiting staff (yes, the boys join in too) and the standard is really quite exceptional.
The Turtle seems to be very much a locals bar and bistro where everyone knows each other (which is not to say they are not open to newcomers). The clientele is very mixed, young professionals, older parents and the SW14 elite, plus a sprinkle of celebrity all dine and drink here. There’s a late licence (till 1am on Friday and Saturday nights) which makes it very popular as it’s the only late night bar in the area. On Sundays the restaurant attracts families in for lunch, however come dark and it’s definitely a grown-ups space again.
The Food
The menu is nice and succinct with a few Antipodean surprises (roo platter anyone?). Many of the ingredients are locally sourced and are very good quality (which explains the somewhat pricier meats). There’s a couple of sharing platters such as the aforementioned roo platter (£25.50) with kangaroo, ostrich and crocodile served with a selection of dips. However, if Skippy doesn’t light your fire try the baby calamari (£4.50) as a starter. Tangled tentacles of fresh baby squid are doused in a light, tempura batter, deep-fried and served with a homemade tartare sauce. You could share, but it’s so hot, fresh and moreish you really won’t want to. The scallops with mandarin (£8.50) is another winner. Three chubby scallops are very lightly seared and drizzled with a zingy mandarin dressing, nice and light although for the hefty £8.50 price tag another one or two would have been nice.
The main course offerings are again, short but sweet. The barramundi with cous cous (£14.95) is another light and tasty dish. The char grilled fish arrives perched on a pile of cous cous dotted with chunks of herby roast vegetables and is finished off with a fruity orange, dill and mango sauce. The dishes are simply executed and tasty as a result relying on the quality of the ingredients to shine through. If you’re at the leaner end of the month, the Naked Turtle burgers are good value starting at £6.50 for the veggie stack burger with (triple cooked no less) chips. There’s a small selection of offerings from the grill, such as the currently in-season Barnsley chop (£14.95). However, the 8oz fillet steak (£18.50) is a little patty of perfectness. A 28-day matured Scottish steak arrives medium-rare with that iridescent rouge centre that comes only from a dangerously hot char-grill. Served with a neat pile of triple cooked chips (crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside), field mushroom, grilled tomato and a syrupy rich peppercorn and brandy sauce, it is the quintessential steak supper, and very good it is too.
The dessert menu has the old standards such as banoffee pie and creme brulee on offer plus a selection of daily specials. The warm chocolate brownie with mint chocolate chip ice cream (£4.85) is a nice end to the meal. A generous warm square of dense brownie is slightly dry, however it’s wholly redeemed by the accompanying scoop of cool minty ice cream.
The Drink
The cocktails here at the Naked Turtle are definitely worth a shot. Try a tongue-scrapingly bitter Negroni (£6.50) with Campari, gin and sweet vermouth (only for the brave). For those with a sweeter tooth, the Painted Lady with basil-infused rum is like a herby Mojito and is a complete pleasure to sip. The wine list is something that the Turtle is very proud of, with each wine tried and tested by their on-site sommelier. The house wines start at £14.50 for a nice bottle of Torrelongares, a good dry Spanish white. If you want to spend a few quid more you can get a nice NZ Marlborough sauvignon blanc for a very reasonable £20.50 a bottle. Reds come from all over the new and old world and include an interesting Brazilian cabernet sauvignon/merlot (£33). If you’re a dessert wine fan you certainly won’t be disappointed with the Turtle’s ‘Sticky’ selection (from £3.50 a glass and £15 a bottle).
The Last Word
If you fancy a well-rounded night of good food, great atmosphere and a good old sing-song, you really can’t beat a night out at the Turtle. Recommended.
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