Bites Nearby: Turtle Cafe

Restaurant name: Turtle Café         

Address: 4 Westbrook Place, Westbrook   

Phone number: 860-399-1799

Cuisine: Breakfast and lunch dishes with international touches             

Price range: $1.75-$8

Take out: Orders to-go are accepted, and the shop also offers catering services.

Kid-friendly:  Tables and chairs will accommodate families, but kids might also like to sit at the counter where they can watch chef/owner Narinda Sharma in action.  Although there is no designated children’s menu, many dishes will appeal to their tastes. A burger, a grilled cheese panini, an egg sandwich or even cold cereal with milk will satisfy child-sized appetites. Or, they might choose to combine breakfast and dessert with Pancake Heaven: flapjacks with strawberries, banana, nuts, vanilla ice cream and drizzled berry compote.

Why you should go right now: Sharma, a culinary school graduate who worked for the Marriott hotel chain, and his wife, Sonel, opened the Turtle Café about a month ago in the former Muffin Korner space. Now freshly painted with new equipment, the casual restaurant serves a varied, international menu for breakfast and lunch.  Sharma, who is known as Ricky, turns out simple breakfast sandwiches and wraps; omelets with a choice of toppings; frittatas and crepes. His lunch menu offers Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern and Asian inspired dishes. We liked the chicken falafel with a cooling cucumber raita and contrasting cilantro hot sauce and the roasted pork and pickle Cubano Panini. A couple of days a week, Sharma gets out the hand-cranked pasta machine to roll out homemade pasta such as agnolotti with shrimp and mascarpone for a daily lunch special.