Necee Regis: Travel Writer, Food Writer, Artist and Oyster Fan
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UK Oyster Expedition: Shaka Zula!

11/30/2012

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Sometimes I find oysters in unusual places. On my recent trip to London, I was anticipating easy access to some European Flats, perhaps the famed Belons from France or those farmed at Kelly Galway Oysters. France and Ireland are nearby, right? I imagined a cozy pub, a pint of Guinness or glass or Sauvignon Blanc, and a dozen gleaming bivalves. But after two strikes—when the local fish market in Cheswick was sold out, and being informed the famed J. Sheekey Oyster Bar was closed for a private party (after spending an hour on the tube to get there)—I saw my oyster options dimming as my departure date crept closer. That’s when my fellow journalist pal Gregory Katz, who resides in London, had a great idea. Why not meet him for some oysters near to where he works in Camden?
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That’s how I ended up eating oysters in Shaka Zula, London’s largest South African restaurant (27,000 square feet!) that’s a visual and culinary adventure. This was most definitely the first time I’d eaten oysters in a restaurant with an escalator. And walls of stunning African-inspired carvings. And a statute of some African King. And it’s certainly the only time I’d been in a space blessed by a Zulu King: HRH Goodwill Zwelithini.

Ah, but I’m supposed to be writing about oysters.
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More surprises! They didn’t have any European Flats, but instead were offering rock oysters from Cornwall. (I asked the waiter for more details, and I thought he said they came from Fowley Farm. A subsequent internet search makes me guess he said Fowey Farm, as Fowey is a small town at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall.) Fun Fact: It is believed that oyster fishing has taken place in Cornwall since the earliest trade with the Phoenicians over 2,000 years ago.
 
We had oysters two ways at Shaka Zula, fresh shucked (for me) and baked with plum tomato, shallots, gratineed breadcrumbs and drizzled with a caviar dressing (for Greg).
 
The baked oysters (also served with mussels) were as good as any baked oysters I’ve had, including the always-tasty oysters Bienville as served at Finely J.P.’s in Wellfleet on Cape Cod.
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However, “nekkid” is my preferred oyster-eating method, and the freshly-shucked half-shells were my faves. Shaku Zula serves its oysters on a bed of ice with a shallot-caper mignonette. Each is decorated with a bright red burst of avruga caviar and a tiny sprig of green. I loved the way they looked, but after trying one as served I found the roe added sweet and fishy flavors that messed with my pure oyster experience. So I happily picked the plump red morsels off and ate them separately, letting them pop in my mouth as a preview to the main feast.
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The shells of these oysters look like prehistoric beasts: Long, gnarly, barnacle-covered, white and green with occasional purplish streaks.  (“They’re called rock oysters because the outside looks like rocks,” said the charming GM, Obi Megafu, who hails from Nigeria.)
 
I’m now a certified fan of Cornwall rock oysters. Plump, meaty, and juicy, they open quiet and mild, then burst with a big salty middle followed by lingering seaweed and marshy finish. At least that was my experience. The seaweedy-ending made me guess they were farmed near a source of fresh water, and it seems I might be right.
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To accompany the oysters, Shaka Zulu serves wines from South Africa with many offerings by the glass. (There’s also quite an extensive menu of creative meat and seafood dishes. including wilderbeest, zebra and buffalo. My grilled halibut with Malay spices was perfection.) And, I have to admit, it's a pretty sexy place to indulge in succulent bivalves!
 
P.S. Even though my oyster adventures in the UK were limited, I’d love to return and taste more oysters from the region—perhaps some of the varieties described by Taste Club in the UK. I also learned there’s a Rock Oyster Festival in the summer in Cornwall that involves oyster eating, live music, circus acts, kids’ entertainment, alternative performing arts, a shopping bazaar, and—oh yay!—a shucking competition.
 
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Madcap Oyster Night: Oceanaire Seafood Room, Boston

11/24/2012

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Question: How do you know when your oyster fascination turns into oyster obsession?

How about when you’re sitting and eating a dozen perfectly shucked ones (6 varieties) with a lovely glass of NZ Sauvignon Blanc in a stylish and welcoming bar, and you get on the phone to call another place to see if they have yet another variety of oysters on their menu? Because that’s just what I did a week ago and I’m starting to question my sanity.

But I’m getting ahead of the story here.

This story actually began two weeks ago when I traveled to the Hale Street Tavern in Beverly Farms to meet my pal Greg for oysters (see Nov. 12 post). As often happens when sitting and swooning over oysters—while taking photos and notes—I engaged in conversation with the person sitting next to me at the bar. Turns out that person was Dan Enos, executive chef and operating partner at The Oceanaire Seafood Room in Boston. His description of his menu, featuring a dozen or so oysters, made me want to visit. And it didn’t take long to enlist Greg, who’s fast turning into my oyster muse, to join me.



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The Oceanaire Seafood Room has 12 locations in the U.S., and the one in Boston is located downtown near the giant steaming teakettle. (Bostonians, you know what I’m talking about.)

Large, elegant, and stylish with a bar running the length of one wall, Oceanaire is a perfect oyster-eating destination. On the night we arrived, Chef Enos wasn’t working but we were well served by our charming waiter, Felix, who helped select our wines. First, my choice: an Austrian Gruner Veltliner. (Mainly because I love to say, “Gruner Veltliner.”)   Second, his (and the better) choice: a Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

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We ordered a dozen oysters, two each:

1. Kumamoto (Washington). Turns out Greg was a kumamoto virgin (who knew?) These were his favorite of the eve, saying they were “completely different” than any oyster he’s had. “The flavor just keeps changing and changing and changing.” To me, they were typical kumos: mild, sweet and buttery. I’m more an east coast kinda oyster gal. 

2. Moon Shoal (Barnstable, Mass.). These had a milky look but were plump and surprisingly firm with a sweet finish. “Squeaky chewy,” said Greg, who looked transported while eating his but admitted it was a hard act to follow the kumo.

3. Sunberry Point (PEI). Mmmmm. I loves me some PEI oysters. These were smallish, salty and sweet with dimension in the middle. Greg found them one-of-a-kind: “They’re not the same.” “As what?” I asked. “As anything!”

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4. Plymouth Rock (take a wild guess, Mass.). High briny and meaty. “Lush,” declared Greg. “The finish is great. It stays a long time and doesn’t disappear.”

5. Blue Points (Conn.)”More sea life flavor to them,” said Greg.  Me? I could easily eat dozens of these: meaty, sweet, salty, fruity, yummy.

6. Little Island, Maine. Sweet and mild, not much salt. My least fave of the bunch, but perhaps they should have been tasted earlier in the rotation. Whatever, mild Little Islands got me thinking of hearty, metallic Belons, like the wild ones from Maine I recently had at the Island Creek Oyster Bar.

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 Which is why I was on the phone that night, calling to see if ICOB had any Belons on their menu, and why I said, “Let’s be madcap,” convincing Greg to hop into a cab to Kenmore Square on a busy Saturday night. We squeezed in at the bar and ordered 2 wild Wellfleets and 4 Belons, along with a glass to share of Lustau Almacenista Amontilllado. The perfect ending to an oyster-eating night.

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So…madcap of crazy? You decide.

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Hale Street Tavern, Sushi and Oyster Bar

11/12/2012

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Fact: I pretty much never turn down an invitation to eat oysters.

So when my pal Greg recently suggested I venture north of Boston for an oyster-eating adventure, the answer was “I’d love to!” We met at the Hale Street Tavern, Sushi and Oyster Bar in Beverly Farms, snagged a seat at the crowded bar, and sampled the six varieties of oysters on the menu.

Warning: Ever eat oysters with a food writer? Patience is required. Here’s how it goes: You order oysters, and when they arrive the first thing the writer says is: “Don’t touch them!” This is followed by lots of picture taking and note making with possible additional questions to the server. THEN you can eat them.

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Our report:

1. Crowes Creek, Nova Scotia. (At least I think they’re from N.S., as I can’t confirm this via the web. Anyone with info about these tasty mollusks let me know.) Sharp and salty. Greg likened the taste to the experience of “being upside down in a kayak in cold water.”

2. Washburn, Falmouth, Mass. Our cheerful bartender, James, at first inaccurately described these as West Coast oysters, but a quick Google search—plus Greg’s knowledge of New England kayaking destinations—revealed their true home as an island off the coast of Cape Cod. “There are lots of coves and inlets you can paddle into,” said Greg, who went on to explain that in order to get one of the 10 campsites on this island, part of the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine
 Research Reserve, you have to apply two-years in advance. The taste? Salty at first. Strong depth in the middle with overtones of seaweed. “It’s almost like a meat,” said Greg. Agreed.

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3.Chatham, Mass. Slightly salty and smooth with a sweet finish.

4. Wellfleet, Mass. My hometown fave. “Almost hot-salty,” said Greg, that “faded into sweet.”

5. East Beach, R.I. A tiny squirt of lemon rode atop the crisp salty flavors. For some reason the image of old-fashioned inflatable canvas rafts comes to mind. In a good way.

6. Brewster, Mass. Salty-sweet with a touch of zinc, and an almost tannic mouth-feel. (Sorry to get all wine-metaphory on you.)



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Oh, and in the middle of all the picture-taking, note-making, question asking, and eating—possibly when I was kneeling on my stool with my camera hovering high above the platter—the guy sitting next to us started talking oysters. Turns out he was Dan Enos, executive chef and operating partner at The Oceanaire Seafood Room in Boston. Did I know they had an oyster bar in downtown Boston serving a variety of East and West Coast oysters daily? Um, no. Did I know they produced a “Cheat Sheet” describing over 75 varieties of oysters and describe them according to location, production, season, average size, appearance, culture methods and flavor? Um, no. Would I like to come and taste some oysters at their bar? See: Fact (above). Yes.

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Mon Dieu! Oysters in Montreal

11/9/2012

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Greetings oyster lovers! I’m just getting a chance to catch up after my whirlwind trip to Montreal last weekend. I can’t say enough wonderful things about the food in that city, from bagels to poutine to fresh seafood, smoked meats and chocolate, however this blog is all about oysters so I’m sticking with it.
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My oyster guide was none other than Daniel Notkin, prize-winning Canadian oyster shucker, owner of Old Port Fishing Company, charming man-about-town and all around mensch. When he’s not delivering hand-picked bivalves to his select customers, or shucking at the bar at L’Orignal, you might find him hobnobbing with other enthusiastic Montreal foodies at Garde Manger, Venti, Le Gros Jambon, O + G, Liverpool House, the Burgundy Lion (yes, we whizzed through all these joints), or at the place we dined, Frederic Morin and David McMillan’s famed bistro, Joe Beef.

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The oysters-of-choice that night were wild Beausoleils from New Brunswick, and Colville Bays from PEI, grown by Johnny Flynn and his brother Leo near the mouth of the Souris River. (We ordered 4 and 8 respectively, to make a dozen.) The highlight of the evening was when Morin came over to chat. Before we even had a swallow of wine the rapid fire discussion ranged from neurogastronomy to Judaism to why we give animals human traits to why plates should be round to why food is like religion to Paul Bocuse to Gabrielle Hamilton to why salt and pepper shakers should be on the table to....whew! What can I say? Maybe it was the company, maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the expertly shucked oysters that made the evening taste of perfection.

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Another night, my friend Libby and I stopped by the Absinthe Bar at Sarah B. (at the InterContinental Montreal) for an absinthe tasting followed by—what else?—oysters! On the menu that night were more New Brunswick Beausoleils, not wild-grown but tasty nonetheless. These smaller-sized oysters leaned toward sweet and mild, with just a slight kiss of salt, and were easy to slurp. 

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A bientôt Montreal! Hope to get back soon.
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    Necee Regis

    I grew up spending part of every summer in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, which included eating many oysters. After stumbling into an oyster shucking competition in Miami Beach in 2006, I’ve become a fan of the sport and have written about local, national, and international competitions for the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, American Way Magazine, and the Huffington Post. I've also written oyster-centric stories for Rustik and Modern Farmer.  I’ve never met an oyster I didn’t want to eat.

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