Top London Seafood Restaurant The Oystermen Switches to Induction

At Target Catering Equipment, we love helping independent businesses find cost-effective and efficient solutions to their industrial catering requirements. Recently, we’ve been working with The Oystermen, a leading seafood restaurant in London’s Covent Garden.

After significantly growing their customer base in 2016, Matt Lovell and Rob Hampton quickly discovered that their seafood street food stall was outgrowing the capacity in which they could prepare and serve their high-quality oysters. Matt and Rob soon expanded into a pop-up concept in South Kensington, before expanding a stage further into a fully-fledged restaurant; The Oystermen - Seafood Bar and Kitchen. Matt and Rob have since developed their offering to feature some of London’s most high-end seafood.

The increase in customers soon resulted in the development of the restaurant, during which Matt and Rob acquired the neighbouring premises. The restaurant was closed for five weeks whilst a large-scale refurbishment took place. This re-design involved a complete renovation of the kitchen area - for which, Matt and Rob sought the help of our team at Target Catering Equipment after meeting us at a catering trade show in Birmingham.

The team at The Oystermen requested an upgrade to induction technology from gas in order to make cooking for large numbers an easier and more efficient process. In response to the brief we were given, we began to design and build an integrated cooking suite, which included an induction plancha, fryer and SelfCookingCenter XS. We also included in the suite special induction stockpot boiling zones, and a high-level filling tap, both of which are used specifically for the cooking of seafood in large stockpots.

The commercial induction range also incorporated a solid top induction hob, suitable for multiple small pan use, and an induction plancha griddle that allows for delicate and direct cooking. The design also included filtration deep fat fryers and specialist fish refrigeration drawers. In addition, a specialist hot and cold pass that featured a heated gantry and pass-through refrigeration was also designed and manufactured.

In particular, the induction unit, has allowed the team at The Oystermen to serve guests much more quickly, which has become especially useful in the West End, in which there are a high number of pre-theatre diners.

Since installing the new Target bespoke induction suite, the chefs have experienced far fewer burns, and cleaning has become an easier task. Overall energy efficiency has also improved, having both financial and environmental benefits for the company.