This month Ocean Basket is putting a spotlight on their iconic Fish Burgers. Packed with rich flavours, freshness and innovation, the Panko Fish, Calamari and Prawn Burgers, with a side of chips, will be on special for R75 for the months of April & May. We sat down with Alet Kilchenmann, head of food at Ocean Basket to discuss all things Ocean Basket.
How are menus designed from a stylistic point of view?
From a stylistic point of view, there are so many factors to take into consideration when we launch a new menu. Its got many tick boxes. There is concept, then there is recipe testing, costing and then the design element follows from there. We’ve got an in house design team . They hold what the menu will look like visually, where as myself and my team holds what food looks like. It’s a full circle moment from concept to menu on the table.
What research goes into making menu decisions?
So we try our best to stay on top of global trends as much as we can. We also understand the South African palette and we realise that we cant always follow what the world is doing but we do take little snippets of what is trending. In line with that, that is something that is currently on our menu which is our new burger category. In line with that process, we were trend watching and we were seeing that burgers are having a major moment around the world and we realised there is a gap in the South African market in terms of seafood burgers and we pioneered this amazing sea food burger offering. We do trend watch and customer insights and we gather a lot of data from our stores on what customers do and don’t like. We have a very specific ethos and we do regard ourselves as the home of sea food. We will always be at the heart of what we do. The trends is something we will introduce in smaller increments.
How often are menus upgraded?
Recipe updates happen continuously throughout the year. The consumer might not always notice it. The visual effects of the menu change twice a year. We change menus based on the seasons. Winter menu changes is more on the smaller side and it is not as out there. For summer, we do a slightly bigger more trendy innovative food.
Where does Ocean Basket source its food?
We have a phenomenal supply chain team that works tirelessly at finding suppliers that are sustainable, have traceability and agree with our ethos of protecting the ocean. We have suppliers ranging from Knysna for our oysters, Saldana Bay for our muscles, and Namibia is for hake. We go as far as Argentina for certain types of species. We have very good relationships with suppliers around the world.
How do you maintain quality?
In the same process, our supply chain department is head up by our main sourcer of sea food. They have an amazing formula when it comes to our quality and that is in place and is checked on a weekly basis. We do batch checks on everything imported and we have traceability on everything. We test rigorously to make sure our food is of the best quality.
How does Ocean Basket adapt to trends?
Ocean Basket turns 30 this year. The most important thing is we always speak from one voice. We are the home of sea food. Yes, we do have beautiful burgers and sushi but we are in touch of what we do really well. We will never veer off course.
What does a restaurant like Ocean Basket mean to South Africa?
If you are coming from a long day, you want to go to Ocean Basket because it gives you a sense of nostalgia and you can experience beautiful seafofd and that is a core memory.
