SA fish restaurant a catch in Europe

Ocean Basket opened its first European restaurant on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus in July. The 80-seat restaurant has a prime spot in the popular resort of Paphos, on the south-west coast of the island.

“This is our first catch in Europe,” says Fats Lazarides, one of the founders of the South African seafood chain, which opened its first store in Pretoria's Menlyn Park in 1995. “We see it as a gateway to European expansion. Even after this short period, we know it is what Europe wants, as the Paphos operation is already popular with locals and tourists alike.”

Paphos is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world's heritage.

The Paphos Ocean Basket is partnered by Basil Billis, the owner of the chain's outlets in the Western Cape's Canal Walk and Tygervalley. Ocean Basket now has 117 restaurants in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, and has also signed a master licence in Dubai to open eight stores in two years.

The brains behind Ocean Basket - George and Fats Lazarides, Pedro da Sambento and George Nichas - are also responsible for Braza, where food lovers enjoy the world of flavour inspired by Portuguese navigators when they opened up the world beyond Europe's shores.