Terrible experience!

Ocean Basket - V&A Waterfront

On Saturday at about 6pm my husband and I decided to dine in at the Ocean Basket in the waterfront as we haven’t been out for quite some time.

We ordered a platter for 2 and had a problem with one piece of the fish as it had a very strong fishy smell and taste. The waiter listened to our complaint and said he’ll have to speak to the manager to find out what he can do. The manager came to the table and made a few comments stating that’s the fish they use, it’s the best fish ever, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his fish and that my husband should “stop being so local!” - stop being so local. What does this mean to you?

He then took the fish to the back, ate a piece of the fish, showed us the corner he ate off of and told us the fish is perfectly fine and that he can’t replace it and that we should eat that same piece because we don’t know what great fish tastes like. During this health pandemic, he expected us to eat THE SAME FISH HE JUST WENT TO THE BACK TO EAT ON!

He forced the situation that his not replacing it and this is when I asked about the comment he made about “stop being so local” and about what he meant. Did he actually mean “stop being a coloured”, “stop being a typical South African” ? I’m a paying customer, just like any other, coming in to get the best experience and best food - which is what I normally receive from Ocean Basket. This is the first time I experienced physical ****** and it was so overwhelming. I was so worked up as he refused to answer me, after I asked him the same question thrice which he kept replying with statements about the fish and on the third time asking him he just stormed away from the table without handling anything, leaving us with the same fish!

He even refused to give me his name and stated that I did not need to know it. According to one of the staff they said it was Demos or Deoms. I was so overwhelmed, my head wasn’t in the right place and did not even hear him clearly - even the staff stated that he is very rude which I can definitely vouch for!