Dining Out- Ocean Basket in SA
Wallet friendly AND finger licking good fish & chips in South Africa
Mar 14, 2007
I’d heard a lot about the Greek-influenced seafood chain Ocean Basket from South African friends, who told me repeatedly that I had to try their fish and chips. Fish and chips? What, I wondered, could make such a humble, pub-grub type meal so word-of-mouth fantastic? Curiosity won out and one sunny spring day in Johannesburg I got to do some taste-testing first hand. Eating on the road without blowing the bank never tasted this good!
We found ourselves at a new, impeccable mall with an Ocean Basket franchise a day or two before heading back home. We sat down in the shaded patio where an incredibly friendly and efficient server brought us “cool drinks,” (not pop, not soda, just cool drinks) as they’re called there. If you’ve never had a Liqui-Fruit or a Grapetiser (or apple)- two all fruit, natural, non-alcoholic beverages that I wish we had more access to here in North America- do yourself a favour and try one. Liqui-Fruit is non-carbonated, pure fruit goodness while the Taizers are bubbly and not overly-sweet like our carbonated cousins.
We started off with an appetizer of Haloumi ($3.75 CAD) which is a Cypriot cheese, akin to the Greek Saganaki only firmer, with a saltier flavour profile, and just as delicious. Served fried to a golden crisp, the haloumi strips were served on the restaurant’s signature sizzling metal skillet at our table. Coupled with some fresh bread and a squeeze of lemon juice, a brilliant blue sky and a “cool drink” in hand, I felt like I could have been on a Mediterranean island.
Ordering lunch took a minute as the delectable choices were worth considering. Their “World Famous Feesh and Chips” as they playfully call them can come in the form of Hake, Kingklip, or Line fish (catch of the day) either grilled or deep fried. I opted for the grilled Hake (two pieces is the standard) that comes with a side order of chips (perfectly prepared fries), rice or salad for under $5 CAD. The server also brought a little ramekin of golden olive oil flecked with crushed garlic that is used to gussy up the grilled fillet of fish. In a word- WOW! Everything had a fresh, clean, out-of-the-ocean flavour to it that I didn’t expect at a nation-wide franchise chain. It was the perfect lunch (or dinner) option.
The restaurant has also created a number of their most popular combos for those with bigger appetites including the calamari and hake ($8.75 CAD), calamari done three ways ($9 CAD) and the ultimate, kingklip and prawns ($13 CAD). The restaurant also offers a wide assortment of sushi, other grilled seafood with a Greek flair, and wines by the bottle or glass at very accommodating prices. Local, good quality South African wines by the glass started as little as $2 CAD.
We were too pleasantly stuffed to order dessert but I did eye an attractive Galaktobouriko ($2.75 CAD) arrive with a fragrant coffee at the table beside me. I resisted the temptation to order this sweet Greek treat of flaky phyllo wrapped around lemon custard drenched in syrup. With Ocean Basket branches expanding to the UK and the Middle East, I may get to try another lunch or dinner combo and perhaps even a little desert sooner than I think.
