Cape Town Fish Market

CTFM tries to create a broad appeal to many kinds of visitors in this tourist trap part of London. There's a sushi conveyor-belt and a fish restaurant menu. There's a wet fish counter near the entrance (no takers on our visit), but also lighting that suggests a bar or nightclub. The overall effect of this and various tacky details - the fisherman mannequin in a sou'wester, the Phil Collins muzak - create a chain-like, formula feel that wouldn't be out of place in a shopping mall. This impression is reinforced by the menu, which is dumbed-down to the lowest common denominators of seafood dishes: 'surf and turf' and chicken burger sit alongside the sushi and salads. In its favour, CTFM does a couple of things very well: the South African wine list is well chosen, and the seafood we tried was fresh and of tip-top quality. The sushi platter was more than decent, but a small piece of sea bass was cheekily priced at £19.95. Prices throughout the menu are on the high side for a lower-middle-range restaurant of this type. Given the name and provenance - this is a branch of a South African chain - we had hoped for at least some South African seafood on the menu, but there was none. One of the few, token South African dishes was a seafood stew, served in a potjie (pronounced 'poykee''; it's a cast-iron pot). The stew was based around an overpowering tomato sauce that closely resembled tinned tomato soup. We didn't stay for dessert. A note on our menu invited diners to enquire about international franchising. What CTFM doesn't seem to understand is that discerning diners want to eat in a restaurant with character and soul, not in someone else's business plan.

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/10714.html