Stuffed calamari; seared tuna and avocado salad; spicy salmon or tuna rolls; deep fried California rolls; and tempura prawn rolls are the six new signature dishes Ocean Basket fans can look forward to among a tantalising new selection of sushi.

“Market leaders have a massive responsibility to constantly strive for innovation and to bring something exciting and fresh to their customers.” says Ocean Basket’s head of Marketing, Nana Lloyd. “Global eating trends continue to indicate a growth in the spicy palate – in the last twelve months, menu listings with spiced options have grown by over 200% in the USA alone.”

The decision to makeover the sushi menu was simple. Ever growing in popularity as a choice of meal in South Africa, sushi is especially sought after in the younger markets (ages 30 and below) as a contemporary seafood category. The new menu was designed and developed by leading Ocean Basket Sushi Chef Lingzhi Wu, fondly known as Gavin, who in the spirit of constant innovation wanted to bring an authentic taste of the east into all stores.

Sushi is also a firm favourite among the health conscious, and very relevant now in the wake of World Heart Day and October’s National Obesity Week. Salmon sashimi in particular is a key source of omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 found in fish is thought to be beneficial for a healthy heart, weight loss, and general wellbeing.

“Furthermore, Ocean Basket has 167 stores offering sushi, worldwide, and enjoys almost 10% of our total turnover.” Lloyd adds, “We want our customers to know just how serious we are about the sushi business – so we sent our best chefs to Japan for training.”

Top Ocean Basket sushi chef Sam Moima was a natural choice to take on the intense training in Japan with 2013 World Cup Sushi Champion Pepi Anevski. Moima started working at Ocean Basket as a waiter in 2005, and steadily worked his way through the ranks to become a master with an impressive sushi skill set. Moima was joined in Japan by Ocean Basket’s equally impressive Gavin Lingzhi Wu.

The newly sharpened skills and innovative ideas developed in Japan were showcased earlier in October to enthusiastic food lovers at the Delicious Festival as well as at September’s Good Food and Wine Show in Johannesburg.

Both Moima and Wu will play an integral part in imparting their extended training to the rest of the team. As part of the national rollout of the new menu, all Ocean Basket sushi chefs are attending Master Classes in order to learn the new dishes, and to perfect the exact preparation standards.

It’s a considerable investment that further positions Ocean Basket as the expert across all fields of seafood – from cooked to raw. It also gives consumers what they’ve grown to expect from South Africa’s favourite seafood restaurant: an excellent value for money meal with a dash of excitement.

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