Food

Ocean's 11

Seafood restaurants that smack of the sea...

JOHANNESBURG

• Pigalle Sublime spoil-yourself seafood, such as prawn tandoori, tuna carpaccio, pan-seared scallops, superb shellfish and sushi platters, langoustines grilled in lemon butter, and the signature lobster thermidor. Details: Level 05 (High Level Street), Melrose Arch, Corlett Drive, Melrose; tel (011) 684-2711; www.pigallerestaurants.co.za

• O’Galito Popular dishes include the mussel pot, prawn espetada, Mozambican crab and a variety of well-priced platters. Try the cataplana (a seafood casserole with a nice bite). O’Galito offers a shuttle service within the Sandton area. Request it when booking. Details: Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre, cnr Grayston and West streets, Sandton Central; tel (011) 783-4930; www.ogalito.com

• Fish & Wine Co Vibey and fun with a seriously impressive wine list, you’ll find everything from sushi to seafood platters. The beer-battered fish and chips are the best in the business. Details: Design Quarter, cnr William Nicol Drive and Leslie Avenue, Fourways; tel (011) 465-6266

• Willoughby & Co Menu options are varied and consistently good at this Hyde Park Shopping stalwart. Take your pick from sushi, just-flown-in linefish, seafood stir-fries and custom-made platters, among the many specials listed on the chalkboards. Good for dinner-party takeaways. Great for a quick dinner before a movie. Details: Level 2, Hyde Park Shopping; tel (011) 325 5107

• Vilamoura The gourmet seafood restaurant still carries cult status as one of the best elegant dining options in Johannesburg, offering private dining rooms, corporate functions and a supper club with dinner and dancing. Details: The foyer, Sandton Sun, cnrs Fifth Street and Alice Lane, Sandton Central; tel (011) 884-0360/1; www.vilamoura.co.za

ALSO ON OUR JOZI RADAR

• Daruma Sushi and Tempura Bar, Southern Sun, Hyde Park; tel (011) 341-8080
• The Fishmonger, Thrupps Illovo Centre; tel (011) 268-0068
• Montego Bay, Nelson Mandela Square; tel (011) 883-6407

ON THE COAST

• Wakame, Cape Town Trendy and buzzy with a drop-dead sea view. Dine in the restaurant (best for sushi and sashimi, or the signature tea-smoked salmon) or head upstairs to the tapas bar. You’ll love the salted squid and skinny fries - even better with a few sunset glasses of vino. Details: cnr Surrey Place and Beach Road, Mouille Point, Cape Town; tel (021) 433-2377

• Fu.shi Fusion Cuisine, Plett Plettenberg Bay’s fusion cuisine restaurant has some exciting seafood options, such as soft-shell crab done tempura style. Sushi is excellent and so is the sea view. Details: The Upper deck Lifestyle Centre, 3 Strand Street, Plettenberg Bay; tel (044) 533-6497

• Live Bait, Cape Town Location, location, location. This casual restaurant is right on the rocks of Kalk Bay’s harbour and is a popular lunch spot. Go for something simple like hake and chips served with a wasabi mayo or mussels served with ciabatta. Calamari and sushi come recommended too..Details: Kalk Bay Harbour, Kalk Bay; tel (021) 788-4133; www.harbourhouse.co.za

• Seafood at the Marine, Hermanus This chic seafood restaurant is located at the fi ve-star Marine Hotel in Hermanus. The menu is a feast for fi sh lovers, with everything from seafood curry bunny chow and traditional fish cakes to delicate ravioli of prawns, and sensational platters to share. Details: The Marine Hotel, Marine Drive, Hermanus; tel (028) 313-1000;                www.marine hermanus.co.za

• Quayside Cabin, Hermanus Once the town’s bestkept secret, this little restaurant with its old shipping container-cum-kitchen, is a defi nite on your list – although tables are hard to come by in peak season. Rustic and laidback, go for the oysters, prawns, linefish, deep-fried calamari and delicious platters for one. Details: Lower slipway, New Harbour, Hermanus; tel (028) 313-0752

• Moby Dicks, Plett Overlooking the beach, you can literally arrive in your swimming costume with sandy feet and tuck into deliciously simple seafood – calamari and chips, linefish, mussels, fish cakes and platters. Here, there’s a fun atmosphere and not a nose in the air. Details: Central Beach, Plettenberg Bay; tel (044) 533-3682; www.mobydicks.co.za

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