Ditch the cutlery at this South African beach spot serving a 10-course feast

South Africa's Die Strandloper takes recycling seriously. Forget the cutlery, dismiss all dining etiquette: this unique beachfront restaurant makes diners shovel their 10-course seafood banquet using empty mussel shells. Yet, becoming a pro with a mollusc scooper is only half the fun.

The west coast institution doubles up as a jubilant, shipwreck-chic shanty town.

A series of canvas canopies held up by wooden poles and stick-tied umbrellas take over a coastal stretch in Langebaan, 1.5 hours north of Cape Town.

A ripped pirate flag, cast-off ropes and colourful sun-bleached buoys dangle overhead, tying the seafaring theme together alongside boulders and small boats docked onshore.

In the open-air eatery's centre, neat rows of freshly caught crays sizzle on massive grills, fish fillets cook in fire pits and an aromatic red seafood stew boils in a cast-iron cauldron. Diners can roam freely around each makeshift kitchen where billowing smoke and the briny aromas of charred seafood fill the air. A smorgasbord with typical barbecue accompaniments (sauces, breads, salads) is a free-for-all. Darting between the tables and stations are blue-shirted staff en masse, making sure everyone fills their paper plate with food until its sodden demise.

I'm with my Adventure World tour group, and we take our place on single planks around a long wooden table.