the ocean terrace - the oyster box hotel

better to call and make a reservation if you want agoodtable in the best place to take in the view of the ocean and the lighthouse. old victorian decor in the hotel, love it. had a bow reword pizza, generous portions and lovely staff

we came for the view and the quality of the food but it was mostly a tourist trap on the terrace grill. for a five star hotel, it was disappointing to have lower than average drinks and average food for twice the average price. the linguine prawn was basic pasta with some small grilled prawn and no esprit, the cocktail special was not evengoodon second attempt. our waiter was excellent, though. i would come again for the view and have a bottled beer.

we went there last night for my birthday. beautiful setting and the attention from our waitress was excellent but the food was very average especially considering the cost. the oysters were verygoodthough. wouldn’t be rushing back to eat there anytime soon.

most beautiful view if seated on terrace ;)
awesome staff...
food was reallygoodand if its a special occasion they really make you feel special with the balloons and dessert!

excellent service and amazing staff.goodfood paired with a beautiful setting. food is above average but not exceptional. slightly overpriced for what you get.

amazing is an understatement! from the views to waiters to the food. my charming boyfriend took me to the ocean terrace for my birthday this year 2017 and we ate the indian buffet. it was absolutely delicious!!! the staff continously cane to check in us,clear up after us and top up our wine... it's things like this we look for in restaurants,basicgoodservice. he also ordered me a special birthday and trust me when i say it was worth every cent...

ocean terrace @ oyster box is a place to visit for sure

the best view ever! if you get to spend time enjoying your meal with this view, how can you ever have anything but agoodtime, the food, service and ambiance is amazing! i wish i could have this view every day!!!

i think we can safely all agree that this is probably one of thee most beautiful, friendly and attentive hotels in south africa if not the world. i really love it, it oozes luxury and opulence but not in a brash way. it's quite intimate and i love that about it. their omelettes are the best i've ever had. and that is a true sign of agoodcook, if one can perfect the basics everything else falls in place. all their food is fresh and amazing, i loved the buffet. it was pricy but expected for such attention to detail and quality. honestly money well spent

we were staying next door at the beverly hills for our honeymoon and came to the ocean terrace for dinner one night. we sat outside on the beautiful terrace, with the sounds of the waves crashing, it was a lovely atmosphere. we ordered pizza and salad which were both very good. we told the waitress that we just got married and the kitchen sent out a chocolate cake that said "congratulations" which was a lovely personal gesture. the drinks choice wasgoodand the oyster box is a lovely luxurious hotel.

stunning setting with a beautiful interior, gorgeous views of the ocean and possibly the best curry i've ever tasted, i can see why the ocean terrace is a popular choice for a good, wholesome meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

our first experience at this restaurant was breakfast. while staying at the hotel for the weekend, we had the opportunity to experience their buffer breakfast for two mornings in a row. although i've seen bigger and more extravagant breakfast buffets before, i was quite satisfied with what they had to offer. the usual cereals, yogurt, fresh fruits and nuts for the health conscious, a selection of cheeses and cold meats for those who prefer the continental type of breakfast, a hot breakfast station, consisting of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, potatoes, bacon, sausages and much more, and finally a pancake and waffle station, located outside on the patio. you can also order different types of eggs, eggs benedict and basically anything your heart desires at no extra cost. they also have a selection of teas, but i was quite disappointed in their juice selection. the only freshly squeezed juice they had available was orange juice, while the rest was made from those powdered mixes that taste terrible. given the tropical climate, i was really expecting there to be a variety of fresh juices, so i was a bit disappointed. otherwise, the food wasgood- nothing that wowed my tastebuds, but simple and satisfying.

but where this place really earns its stars is with its lunchtime curry buffet. priced at r350 per person, it's ridiculously expensive, but personally, i thought it was worth every cent! wow! words cannot describe the taste sensation that could be found in each of those pots. they have a huge selection of curries - probably about 10 different curries in total. i tried the chicken and prawn curry, the chickpea, butternut and feta curry, and finally, the vegetable curry. each was absolutely delicious! the chicken and prawn was quite hot, but not the type that burns all your sense of taste away. no... rather, it was the type that enhances the flavor and is sogoodthat you can't help but dip your naan bread in the sauce to savor every last drop of it. the chickpea, butternut and feta was amazing, and i chose it because the ingredients where my favorite combination of things to put in a curry. i was not disappointed! since i don't like rice, i decided on the vegetable curry sort of as a "side dish". who knew they could make vegetables taste so good?! flavorsome and fresh, i did not regret it for one second. and their naan bread is also verygood- you have an option of plain or garlic, and they quickly heat it up for you on the stove before you take it.

my better half wasn't feeling the curry vibe, so he opted for the oxtail instead. bad decision, as it seems everything on the à la carte menu is anyway curry-based (the oxtail sauce had some curry flavor in it). it came in a huge portion and was served with mashed sweet potato. it was served a bit strangely, with the oxtail being in a separate bowl, so you had to dish it out yourself. after sending the dishing spoon flying onto the chair next to him (his muscles were a bit uncoordinated after our massages at the spa), he finally dug into the meat, but complained that it was quite tough. so the curry buffet definitely took the cake!

going back to the flying spoon extravaganza, the staff are very professional and friendly. they immediately helped us with the chair (which was covered in plastic, so luckily no damage done). they're also very helpful at the buffet, helping you to dish up and explaining what everything is.

overall, an amazing experience! overpriced, as expected, but worth it nonetheless. i would recommend the curry buffet (served only over lunchtime) - it's the best i've ever had, and i'm not a huge fan of curries! i wouldn't say it's worth it to pay for the breakfast, but on a beautiful morning it may be worth it to come sit on the patio and enjoy the view. but do book in advance! they're very busy! to sum up, the perfect place to celebrate a birthday while enjoying some of the best curry in the country.

lets start with the location, which in an awesome hotel in durban, probably one of the most luxurious hotels i've been to. since i'm a tourist and have no phone in south africa, i didnt called to book a table. the restaurant host first told me the restaurant was completly booked, so i asked if we could wait at the bar for a table and she said yes. like 2 minutes later she called us and said there was a table and i gotta say, the restaurant wasnt full. anyways, the setup wasgoodand in tones of white and blue. from the outside tables you can see the pool and listen to the waves, because the sea is a few foots away. there were no starters on the menu so we skipped to mains. i ate the fillet steak with brandy and mushrooms sauce, william potatoes and spinach. i asked for my steak medium rare but it came almost well done, but they fixed it quickly and apologised. the steak was good, the sauce was amazing and the potatoes were almost on point (a bit salty). my brother chose a dish that came with fries and we could tell that were frozen fries and not hand cutted fries, that was the major flaw of the dinner. how can you have those fries in one of durban best restaurants and in a dish that costs like 300rands??? unacceptable! well the rest was allgoodand overall it was a prettygoodmeal! bit overpriced tho..

my family and i decided to spend our last day in umhlanga experiencing some fine dining. i read numerous reviews that claimed the curry buffet served at the oyster box hotel's ocean terrace included some of the best curries one could eat in durban. therefore i decided to give them a call in order to make a booking. this is where my troubles began. at first the lady i spoke to was very courteous as i made a booking for friday evening at 19:30. she stated she would phone me back the following day to confirm my booking. the following day i recieved a voice message saying they are unable to take my booking as they are fully booked. with great disappointment i phoned them back and was told they had no more space available for lunch or dinner for the remainder of that week. i explained this to my family with great disappointment which prompted my father to phone them back right away . somehow a booking for lunch on friday at 13:00 suddenly became available. mysterious. on friday we arrived at one of clock for our booking and settled in for lunch. my father and i opted for the curry buffet and my sister and mother, who are not fans of curry, deciding to rather order off the a la cart menu. my mother ordered the salmon on rye open sandwich which looked amazing and tasted equally so. we gave it a solid 9/10. beautiful presentation. my sister ordered the chicken and mushroom pie which turned out to be more of a rationed chicken and mushroom soup with a pastry hat. my sister put in a real effort to enjoy her food but she was fishing with a fork and only pulling up the occasional mushroom. our waitress who was very friendly and attentive noticed this and notified the manager who took the food back and offered my sister the chance to order something else. the manager explained that chef says that they make their chicken and mushroom pie very runny, implying there was no fault on their behalf. my sister ordered a salad instead which had great presentation that she enjoyed. she gave it a 7/10.

on to the curry. there were 10 different curries on offer including traditional lamb, chicken and prawn, sugar bean and singaporean fish curry. my father thoroughly enjoyed the curry and made a point of trying nearly everything on offer. i however found the lamb to be extremely fatty (i was told people like fatty lamb?) and found the rest of the curry left much to be desired. none were spicy. all very mild. definitely not the best that i have had. overall i was a bit disappointed, i was expecting to have the best curry i've ever eaten. maybe that was my downfall. my expectations were to high. overall the service and atmosphere was verygoodbut i defiantly do not believe this is the best curry one can find in durban.

the view and ambience is amazing, verygoodservice and friendly staff. food wasgoodbut dessert was better. a little bit overpriced for what you get.

came here for lunch looking for agoodmeal with a view. i hadn't made a reservation yet received the warmest welcome from the host who was quick to find me a suitable table. i was spoilt for choice on the menu items and eventually went for the curry buffet option. a decision i didn't regret. they had an assortment ranging from traditional lamb curry, butter chicken curry, lamb vindaloo (the hottest they have), fish curry to chickpea curry. absolutely delicious! my waiter, mondii was also fantastic, graciously attending to my bag and tablet as i got up to explore the surroundings. overall: yay! worth every cent.

they are famous for their lunch curry buffet. excellent variety of curries and full of flavor. goodvegetarian selection too. my favourite curries were the chicken and prawn and the singaporean fish curry.

one disappointment...it's straight to main course and only main course . for the price i expected dessert. you pay a premium for location and a great location it is. book early and request a terrace seat.