Cuizine Africa

Famed for its landmark, rather large and contemptuous cat, and also known for the gorgeous view of its lesser-famous towering torch, the Oyster Box is a go-to watering hole for a lot of locals and tourists alike. And me. And now it has a new reason to indulge (and for me to deplete my income further): in celebration of its namesake, an oyster and sushi bar has now opened. And I am thrilled.

I worship at the half-shelled, plankton-filtering altar of oysters. If the proverbial is my oyster, my aim is to shlurp it up one succulent, unsuspecting pearlescent morsel at a time. Straight up, drenched in a vinaigrette, drizzled with a squeeze of lemon and a splash of tabasco, or even crowned with a bit of sour cream, I love the little buggers. And, ironically, for Durban being an ocean-flanking city, we arguably don’t have a lot of spots that specialise in such a treat. Fortunately for OB, the hotel has it’s own oyster farms along the coast and can provide these sustainable molluscs in abundance. So, that’s me sorted.

With regal bar stools and marble counter tops, this little spot is  great to sit at with a glass of bubbly and feast on the ocean’s fruits. There’s also live music in the evening. There’s a variety of non-oyster things available, too. Fresh sushi is prepared daily by chef Wenxiu Lu, and the menu includes an assortment of fusion-style Asian-inspired tacos and extravagant but delicious dishes such as the ponzu baby crayfish with wasabi mayo and lumpfish caviar. Im a fan of the Mozambican prawns taco, with Asian slaw and Japanese mayo. And did I mention the oysters?

The bar is open every weekday from noon until 8pm, and from 18:30 some chilled live crooning adds to the ambience. It’s ideal to pull in for sundowner drinks and seafood starters.