I was happy to find her sitting at a table on the deck, as the heat is currently stifling and the pre-rain breeze made it very pleasant. I was even more happily surprised to find that you cannot smoke at these tables, as some restaurants do allow that outside, which makes sitting outside tricky for non-smokers. We happily dodged the odd random raindrop.
The restaurant itself looks like all OB franchises and so cannot be faulted for the decor which clearly marks it as a fish restaurant - the wording on the walls is clever and apt.
Service - our waiter was extremely friendly which came accompanied by a killer smile. He let us know when there was going to be a small delay in our meal and came by just enough times to ensure that we were okay. The only glitch came in the ordering of my husband's meal - a 300g speciality fish plus a salad. About ten minutes after placing our order, another man approached our table, his shirt was different to that of the waiters so we assumed him to be management, wanting to know what my husband had ordered since the waiter was confused. We do not know if that was "he is new and still confused, or he has been here five years and is generally confused". We did comment that fish and a salad was pretty straightforward. Also to note is that the waiter was not sure what exactly the "speciality fish" of the day / week or whatever was - so my husband ordered without actually knowing at that stage. This is something waiters should know, or find out. Notwithstanding the problem with that order, the joyful nature of the waiter himself almost cancelled this confusion out, he deserves kudos for his great manner.
Drinks - our orders were restricted to diet cold drinks, lime and soda and sparkling water which all arrived very cold. My cappuccino was hot *and strong* just as I like it, but the filter coffee ordered by our friend came filled to the very brim with no accompanying milk. She then asked for some (cold) and received boiling hot milk, the only problem being she had nowhere to put it in the cup. Slight mix up, slurping from the cup and a very burnt tongue.
Food - Before our meals arrived we were served a very nice bread with crispy crust and fresh butter. Our friend and myself had the prawn and calamari combo, served with chips for her and half chips half rice for myself. It arrived hot in the pan and at R125 was well worth it - 6 prince prawns and a generous portion of calamari rings and legs, in a crispy batter. She elected to have hers cajun style. My hubby's 300g of fish was juicy and very nice according to him and the salad crispy and fresh. The waiter did bring the menu and offer dessert, but the fish is quite rich so we decided to call it a night then.
If it is fish you are after, and you want the "safety" of a franchise restaurant, then the Ocean Basket will be a good choice. It was busy where we sat on the deck and quite busy inside, which means that for a midweek night, other locals also thought so.
I would also like to mention the new menu format, which may not be brand new but was different to when I last went to OB. It is an eye pleasing menu and you should especially pay attention to the Mediterranean sushi section on the front page ..... looks great - definitely for next time.
Give them a try.
Till soon
K xxx
Ocean Basket
Shop 29 Queens Corner Centre
1121 Soutpansberg Rd
Queenswood
012.333 8277
Hours - Open 11am to 10pm every day (on Sundays closes at 9pm)
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