Cape Town Fish Market opens branch in London

Cape Town Fish Market sets global expansion programme in motion with an opening in the heart of London's West End

Restaurant company Cape Town Fish Market is opening its first branch outside South Africa in central London. It has snapped up a site on Argyll Street, close to Oxford Circus tube station, which used to house Break for the Border and, more recently, MO*VIDA nightclub.

The restaurant is set to open in June.

Owner Douw Krugmann said the decision to expand was a natural progression, adding, "The UK was an obvious choice. We speak the same language, play the same sports and have the same laws."

The menu, which is half South African, half Japanese, will follow the format of the South African sites, with seafood platters, oysters and fish and chips, alongside sushi, teppanyaki and food prepared on the robata grill.

Krugmann said he expects the concept to take off because "people in London are ready to try something different".

If the site is a success, Cape Town Fish Market plans to expand to other parts of London and the UK and also has its eye on Dubai and mainland Europe.

There are currently 20 Cape Town Fish Markets in South Africa, with another four in progress and one Krugmann's Grill, the sister steak restaurant concept.