Last Updated on July 14, 2024
Ocean Basket – affordable Mediterranean seafood dining
Ocean Basket will fit the bill if you love to eat good quality seafood at a reasonable price. We visited the Kingston upon Thames restaurant for lunch on a Friday afternoon to check things out and were genuinely impressed.
The ethos of the Ocean Basket group is relaxed, reasonably priced, seafood-only dining with a Greek style. Set up in South Africa in 1995 by two Greek emigrant brothers, who identified a gap in the market for quality seafood dining, Ocean Basket has over 200 restaurants globally, with two in the Southeast of England in Bromley and Kingston upon Thames. The seafood produce served at the restaurants is sourced from across the world, to ensure the best possible ingredients.
The friendly team warmly greeted us on arrival and took us to our table. Ocean Basket welcomes families; fellow diners when we visited included families with small children and a group celebrating a birthday with a young baby. The terrace at the rear of the restaurant looks directly out over the river, perfect for a drink or tasty meal on a sunny day. Dogs are allowed on the terrace.
Whilst we looked through the extensive menu we nibbled freshly baked bread rolls with Ocean Basket special dips.
The menu has an excellent range of options, small plates of delicious seafood ideal for sharing, seafood platters with a combination of tasty specialities, and, of course, fish and chips. Having grown up in Cornwall I appreciate good seafood, all the dishes are reasonably priced for a venue in the Southeast, making this an affordable dining option.
I could have happily eaten most of the small dishes on the menu, but it was difficult to pick. In the end, we plumped for the soft-shell crabs, dynamite prawns and grilled halloumi cheese.
The soft-shell crabs came in a crispy batter with a sticky ginger sauce which was very tasty. The dynamite prawns were cooked in tempura batter and covered in a spicy sauce. The grilled halloumi cheese was just right, adding an element of saltiness to our starters. All fish dishes come with a generous wedge of fresh lemon.
To follow we had to sample a seafood platter, with a Greek salad on the side, making our decision much easier. There are platters for one, two, and a family option this is a great choice if you like a large selection of dishes. Our platter came promptly, 6 mussels, battered Cape Hake, 12 prince prawns, tender calamari, and crispy calamari popcorn with fries and rice, an absolute feast.
The Cape Hake was perfectly cooked with a crunchy batter, the prawns were soft and succulent. The mussels, from New Zealand, were served in a creamy sauce. I adored the crispy calamari popcorn, a dish the family has often eaten when visiting the Costa del Sol in Spain.
To accompany the meal we enjoyed a carafe of Lighthouse Sauvignon Blanc from Walker Bay, South Africa.
The service is friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere is relaxed with background Greek music.
In keeping with the restaurant’s ethos there are set menus for two, kid’s menus and a special Silver Surfers pensioners menu, from Monday to Thursday.
Small plates come at a reasonable price from £5.50 to £12.00 depending on the ingredient. A seafood platter for two is a very affordable £50.00. For the all-time favourite of fish and chips, the price is £12.00.
We really enjoyed the experience and would definitely visit the restaurant again for some excellent seafood.
For more details and to make a reservation at the Kingston upon Thames Ocean Basket restaurant click here.
Ocean Basket, 52A High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1HN. Telephone 0203 051 4358.
Opening times: Sunday to Thursday 12.00 pm to 9.00 pm, Friday & Saturday 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm
