I have to confess I ended up at Cape Town Fish Market as a last resort — it was Valentine’s Day, and I had waited until the last minute to try to make a dinner reservation somewhere. All the trendy places in town were booked up, so my sweetheart and I wandered over to this middle-of-the-road chain restaurant in the middle of the Menlyn Park mall, which was about the only place not full to the gills. But it turned out to be a great evening after all.

As the name implies, CTFM is all about the fish, which it serves up every which way, from South African style, to Japanese-style, to Portuguese style. You can opt for fish curry potjiekos (a slow-cooked small pot), a Kalk Bay platter (prawns, mussels, hake, and calamari), kingklip espetada, squid teppanyaki, and of course lots and lots of sushi. There’s also a kid’s menu, and various vegetarian and non-fish items as well.

I opted for sushi, and insisted we sit at the fun sushi bar at the center of the restaurant (there’s also regular table seating). It’s got one of those funky conveyor belts that circles round and round with a variety of rolls, fashion sandwiches and nigiri sushi. It’s easy to lose track of how much you’re eating when you can’t resist grabbing each and every colorful concoction that drifts by and catches your eye. At least it is for me.

My sweetheart tucked into a surf and turf combo consisting of 200g of sirloin steak, Robata baby squid, and deep-fried calamari strips while I cleaned out the sushi bar. Both were a bit hit-and-miss — the sushi rice was a bit mushy and sticky, while the sirloin could have had more flavour. But overall our meals were satisfying, and the experience fun.

The atmosphere at CTFM enhances the meal: the expansive space features warm hardwood floors, black furniture and blue neon lights around the bar and ceiling. A giant aquarium adorns a corner, while old black-and-white photos of fishermen cover the wall opposite. Being quite a large restaurant, there’s a nice buzz from the other patrons, some of who simply come to sit at the bar and enjoy the fruity cocktails, wines and shooters while watching sports on the flat-screen TVs.