From the seafood classics South Africans have loved for decades to sushi packed with sauce, crunch and spice, Ocean Basket celebrated its 31st birthday in July by looking back at its greatest hits while keeping an eye firmly on what diners want next.
There are some meals that simply earn their place on the favourites list. The dishes you order without checking the menu, the ones you recommend to friends and the flavours that somehow still taste just as good years later.
For Ocean Basket, those dishes are at the heart of its 31-year story, with its Greatest Hits line-up bringing back some of the meals customers keep returning to, alongside a fresh take on sushi that reflects the way South Africans’ tastes are changing.
The classics are back
Running throughout July and August, The Greatest Hits celebrates the Ocean Basket dishes that have stood the test of time.
The line-up includes the High Tide for R99, served with an Ocean Basket Soda, while sushi fans can enjoy Sushi 99 with an Ocean Basket Soda for R99 or Sushi 16 for R125. For sharing, there’s the Oceans Platter for R145, while the Perfect Catch Platter for R299 brings together a generous seafood feast for two.
The Greatest Hits promotion is available until August 31 at participating Ocean Basket restaurants, giving seafood lovers plenty of time to revisit some of the dishes that have become firm favourites over the years.
The Ocean Basket app also gives customers access to rewards, promotions, loyalty benefits and an easier way to order their Ocean Basket favourites at restaurant prices.
Sushi gets a little bolder
While the Greatest Hits celebrates the flavours customers know and love, Ocean Basket is also looking at where the next generation of seafood lovers is taking the menu.
There was a time when sushi was more likely to be ordered for a birthday, anniversary or special night out. Today, it’s just as at home at a Tuesday lunch, a Friday takeaway or a table shared with friends.
According to Andrew Flanagan, Head of Sushi at Ocean Basket, the biggest shift isn’t simply that South Africans are eating more sushi, but that they are expecting more from it.
“Sushi has been part of South African food culture since the early 2000s, so many of our customers have literally grown up with it,” says Andrew. “It’s no longer reserved for special occasions. It’s become an everyday craving, particularly for younger diners who want bigger, bolder flavours than traditional sushi typically offers.”
That appetite for bigger flavours is influencing what lands on the menu. Subtle is making room for saucy, simple is being given a little more crunch and familiar combinations are sharing the spotlight with bolder creations.
“The line between sushi and wider Asian street food is also blurring,” says Andrew. “People move easily between rolls, bao and rice bowls, and they expect menus to keep up.”
Social media has helped fuel that appetite too, with colourful, creative sushi creations encouraging diners to explore beyond the traditional favourites.
Creating sushi that people actually want to eat
For Ocean Basket, keeping up with trends isn’t about adding something new simply for the sake of it.
New sushi creations begin with global trend research and customer insights from Ocean Basket restaurants. Chefs then develop recipes, refine them through tastings and test them with consumers before they make their way onto the menu.
“We don’t innovate for the sake of it,” says Andrew. “Every new item has to deliver something customers are genuinely looking for. Then we keep measuring how it performs, so the menu continues evolving based on what people actually order.”
That approach has helped shape the refreshed Epic Sushi menu, built around three flavour cues that are proving particularly popular: sauce, crunch and spice.
The result includes creations such as the Saucy Panko Salmon Futomaki, Firecracker Calamari Roll and Golden Crunch Prawn Cali, alongside generous platters designed to make sushi feel less like an occasional indulgence and more like an everyday choice.
Keeping the favourites on the menu
For all the experimentation, there is one rule that isn’t changing: the classics still matter.
“The favourites are non-negotiable,” says Andrew.
The current Greatest Hits selection is a reminder that innovation doesn’t mean leaving the dishes customers already love behind. Alongside the newer sushi creations, Ocean Basket is showcasing the dishes that keep diners coming back, including Sushi 99 with an Ocean Basket Soda for R99 and Sushi 16 for R125, available for sit-down and takeaway until August 31.
It’s a balance Ocean Basket believes is important. Customers want to discover something new, but they also want to know they can return to the dishes they already trust.
“Customers come to us because they know what they’ll get,” says Andrew. “Innovation should add excitement, not uncertainty. We want to surprise people, while still giving them the dishes they’ve trusted us with for years.”
Here’s to the next 31 years
Thirty-one years is a lot of meals, and Ocean Basket’s 31st birthday was an opportunity to look back at the dishes that have become part of the brand’s story while celebrating how the menu continues to evolve.
The Greatest Hits promotion pays tribute to the flavours customers know and love, while the refreshed sushi menu shows how Ocean Basket continues to evolve alongside its customers.
For South African diners, that means more flavour, more texture, more variety and, importantly, the value that has always been part of the Ocean Basket experience.
Whether you’re loyal to the classics or ready to try something a little more adventurous, The Greatest Hits offers a chance to revisit old favourites while discovering what Ocean Basket is serving up next.
After all, the best greatest hits aren’t the ones you hear once. They’re the ones you keep coming back to.
