Posted on May 28th, 2024 by Ronel
Few things are more enjoyable than a plate laden with fresh seafood. Fish is nutritious, healthy and flavoursome, and when expertly prepared, irresistible. As a resident of Torbay, I enjoy an occasional pre-dawn visit to Brixham, one of the UK’s busiest fishing ports. I love to watch as the trawlers return from the English and Bristol channels and the Irish Sea to unload their catch at the quayside.
The experience reminds me of those brave individuals who willingly risk their lives daily so others can enjoy a fillet of cod with their chips or a prawn cocktail. Those visits have also helped me to understand why fish price increases are inevitable and more than justified. However, most of all, they remind me of my life before moving to England, when I regularly enjoyed a meal of fresh seafood at an Ocean Basket restaurant in Johannesburg, Pretoria or Hartbeespoort in South Africa’s Northwest Province.
However, recent developments mean I may no longer need to cling to these distant memories. Instead, I can board a train to London and feast on a fresh seafood platter at an Ocean Basket restaurant in Bromley or Kingston upon Thames. Today, along with the more than 53,000 South African expatriates living in the capital, Britons can also experience the magic of Mediterranean-style seafood cooking and traditional South African hospitality that are the DNA of this much-loved global brand.
Ocean Basket was the brainchild of two immigrant Greek brothers in South Africa. Inspired by their mother, who, now in her ’80s, still cooks Baklava and Kataifi for their stores, Fats and George Lazarides opened their first seafood restaurant in Pretoria. Today, there are over 200 worldwide.
The menu is extensive and, besides fish and chips, features some items that may surprise many Brits.
Well, for a start, fish restaurants in Britain are unlikely to offer diners a fillet of Cape Hake, a bowl of Greek-inspired fish soup, calamari popcorn or a Dom Pedro, South Africa’s unique and delicious alcoholic version of the milkshake.
Prawns and grilled, fried or spiced calamari are offered in various combinations as single dishes or seafood platters to share. However, above all, Ocean Basket is a family restaurant where guests are encouraged to relax, chat and have fun over a meal and a glass of wine in the traditional Mediterranean style.
Seafood has a rich nutritional profile with several health benefits. For example, it is an excellent source of:
Freshness is guaranteed at Ocean Basket restaurants, where quality, safety, and sustainably sourced seafood is a given. However, we are often told that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so why not book a table and enjoy a delicious seafood meal at an Ocean Basket restaurant sometime soon?
