AN OYSTER bar has celebrated an ‘amazing’ first year since opening.

Koi Sakana, in the Triangle in Bournemouth town centre, opened last summer and has gone from strength to strength under the ownership of couple Charlotte Mills and Dan Morley.

To date, the pair estimate they have sold around 15,000 oysters – and all of them are locally caught in Poole Bay, which they say are the best in the world.

“We're super happy with it, it's been amazing,” Charlotte said.

“Winter was much better than we expected. The last few months, particularly since we've had some nice weather, it has just gone absolutely nuts.

“We've got loads of regular customers; some customers have even turned into friends.”

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Central to their success is the open bar at the restaurant, behind which the pair work to prepare the food.

“I think it's quite encouraging for people to come on their own and also where people are sat at the bar, you get chatting to people a lot, so you have couples that are in and then you end up chatting to them all evening where it's quite like a lively, fun atmosphere,” Charlotte said.

“We're really proud of what we've created.”

Charlotte said talking to customers, discussing their passion and explaining the dishes to them has been fantastic.

Dan agreed, saying: “That's definitely the best bit.

“I think when you're sitting here prepping stuff and they're asking you all the questions that you should be asking, they can see what in front of them, so it's much easier for them to sit down and chat.”

The pair have a strong focus on supporting other local businesses, such as Shanty spirits and Langham’s sparkling wine.

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“We get our bread from Bigwigs Bakery, so just trying to support other local businesses and other local businesses doing the same to us, really,” Charlotte said.

“I think when you're a small business, that's important to support other local, small businesses.

“You see so many places that have closed down as well, which is obviously really sad. But then for us, it's really encouraging that we have made it through that first year because a lot of people say the first year in business is the hardest.

“So to make it through that milestone, we're really proud of ourselves and really excited for the future.”

The restaurant has recently launched an ‘oyster hour’ on weekday lunchtimes and is offering oysters for just £2 on Wednesday and Thursday nights between 6pm and 7pm.

Looking forward, the pair have aspirations to relocate or open a second location that features outdoor space for barbequing fish.