Best Seafood in Lagos?
Ocean Basket has closed the Tiamiyu Savage location and moved to 35 Akin Adesola St, Victoria Island, Lagos
1392 Tiamiyu Savage Street. Victoria Island, Lagos.
NOSA: Did you know Ocean Basket isn't just a Nigerian thing? It's actually a South African franchise. Oh, you knew? Well, no one is talking to you, smartass!
FOLLY: After a failed attempt to eat at the Lagos Grill Fest last Sunday, Nosa and I decided to revisit Ocean Basket, because despite having visited here a couple of times we had never actually reviewed it for the blog.
Thankfully, it hasn’t fallen off yet.
NOSA: I'm still burnt Grill Fest was a disappointment. I was so ready to drink myself silly and eat my body weight in bbq, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
FOLLY: We were trying to day drink on Sunday, so we ordered a pair of Strawberry Daiquiris to start as there were no margs on the menu.
It was overwhelmingly sweet and I don’t think there was up to a single shot of rum in it. It also took forever to come. Thank God, I had red wine in Nosa’s trusty flask to refuel. Wait, before you judge me the flask was intended for the Grill Fest.
FOLLY: Since we were also trying to be greedy, instead of going for the modestly sized Platter for Two, we went for the Solemate, cause you know life is short …
NOSA: Hey! You reading this. That thought you just had. No.
FOLLY: The Solemate platter consists of 18 Prince Prawns, 2 Calamari Heads, Calamari Rings, Mussels, and Jollof Rice AND Fries.
...and yes we ate it ALL.
NOSA: I thought the calamari rings were absolutely fantastic. You can definitely make the argument that Ocean Basket has the best calamari in Lagos. Seriously, just think about it. Sounds a bit funny because it's a franchise, but I don't think you'll find better calamari anywhere.
The calamari head on the other hand...
FOLLY: Calamari head is like a tough fish fillet. You know how hard it is to bite into a piece of calamari and so you just have to usually take it in one go - or is that just me? This was even difficult to cut into using a knife. I don't know if this is characteristic of calamari head in general or how it was made at Ocean Basket.
NOSA: It's a better idea on paper than it is in reality. A large slab of calamari, what could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot. It's way too much calamari per sq-ft. All your excitement is done in your second bite when it becomes tedious. It's almost like a punishment for your greed. Greed isn't always good, Mr. Gekko.
FOLLY: I'm just going to stick to calamari rings and strips going forward.
NOSA: Agreed. Calamari OD.
FOLLY: The prawns were very well seasoned, and a bajillion times better than those at Coral Blue.
NOSA: Please can we not talk about that disaster. I just want to leave it in the past.
FOLLY: The Jollof rice was a pleasant surprise; it was like smoked party rice.
While a spanish type rice or even fried rice may have complemented the meal better, the Jollof was so well made that I can't even complain.
NOSA: Exactly! This surprised me as well. Maybe they adjusted it to fit the Nigerian palette and it's such a good call. You can never lose with party rice.
The fries, on the other hand, were pretty meh and needed salt. Largely forgettable, just like the mussels.
FOLLY: Last time we were here, our waitress recommended the sticky toffee pudding as dessert. It was my first time having it and I loved it. However, I was way too full this time to have it again. So sad.
POSTSCRIPT
FOLLY: Ocean Basket might be the only decent seafood restaurant we have in Lagos. And for a coastal city, I think that's a godamm shame. I've never been here as an individual but I think the prices are great for groups.
NOSA: As much as it pains me to admit, Ocean Basket is probably the best seafood in Lagos. For a coastal city, it's a bit of a shame we can't get anything better than a soulless franchise. Food-Industrial Complex, guys. Fight the power!
DAMAGE
Solemate Platter - N8750
Strawberry Daquiri - N2000