EATING Out

Over the past couple of months, everyone seems to have been talking about The Oyster Bar. Many perceptions came to my mind as people have tried to persuade me, an oyster loon, into checking out the place. But my impression of the restaurant, which I finally visited last week, was far greater than some delightful slurps of the pulpy shellfish. In fact, it was a distinctive gastronomic pleasure not experienced in years.

The main dining room on the second floor. PHOTOS: ANUSORN SAKSEREE

One thing I didn't expect upon arriving was that The Oyster Bar was relatively small and looked somewhat modest compared to the immensity of its reputation. The dining room on the first floor featured only three sets of dining tables (nine more tables are set upstairs) because much of the space have been occupied by the cooking station and the bar, where a 'pop' sound comes from shucking open oysters, and not a champagne bottle.

The restaurant, which opened in January this year, is a brainchild of Bill the "Oyster King" Marinelli, a Marine biologist turned oyster farmer and an international shellfish distributor. His 20-year-old oyster farm/company in northern California carries more than 30 types of oysters from all over the world, at least seven types of which are on offer daily at his Bangkok restaurant.

Together with other fresh seafood from the Pacific Ocean, new lots of oysters arrive at the restaurant - and sell out - twice a week. On the evening we visited, Olympia, Kumamoto, Blue Point, Hama Hama, Nootka Sound, Baron Point and Belon were on display.

The six-month-old Western seafood eatery.

Of course, good flavour lies in good ingredients and that seemed to guide one to the happy ending of The Oyster Bar's story. Well, hold on, we haven't been through half the charm of the tale yet.

If Bill and his magnificent shellfish were the the backbone of the restaurant, his chef friend Bradley Borchardt would be the heart of the place. Having worked with a number of world-famous American chefs including Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter and Daniel Boulud, to name just a few, Bradley is packed with solid culinary skill and impressive profile and has helped open several refined restaurants worldwide during his career. At the urging of his friend, Bradley decided to come to Thailand and developed The Oyster Bar.

In terms of entrees, the restaurant's menu changes daily, depending on the best ingredients available that day. That evening, it was wild Taku River king salmon that took the leading role. The fish came from North Pacific's cold water. And let me tell you, it tasted obviously different from your corporate salmon.

Our dinner kicked off with a seafood platter (2,000 for a two-person serving). Arriving chilled on a bed of crushed ice in a two-tier tray, it featured a selection of fresh oysters, little neck clams, Penne Cove mussels, Skookum clams, wild tiger prawns, Alaskan king crab legs, Dungeness crab and scallop ceviche with seaweed salad, tobiko fish roes and traditional condiments. Even with three out of four persons in our party being an amateur consumer of raw seafood, the dish, presenting the highest quality of seafood one can imagine, was pleasantly finished in a short time.

Pan-roasted fillet of wild king salmon, sweet corn cream, ragout of mushrooms, sweet pea and new potatoes.

Should you wish to have a cooked version of oysters, I recommend sake-poached oyster with hijiki butter (180 baht per two oysters). The dish, one of the restaurant's most-ordered items, was very aromatic and tasty.

New England-style clam chowder (240 baht) was primarily ordered for my five-year-old son. But since he was pretty much stuffed after that uncooked seafood platter, which he loved so much, his parents ended up finishing the bowl themselves and found that the creamy soup was just superb.

The real highlight of the night was, of course, the dishes made with wild salmon. I totally fell head over heels in love with pan-roasted fillet of wild king salmon, sweet corn cream, ragout of mushrooms, sweet pea and new potatoes (900 baht). The fish, naturally fed on shrimp and anchovies, was very juicy, suety and flavourful, and intermingled perfectly with the rich corn cream and mushrooms. A healthy dish to die for.

Equally delicious was orrechiette pasta with smoked salmon in mustard-sherry cream and green beans (600 baht). The properly cooked pasta was thoroughly tossed with chunks of smoked salmon in subtle cream sauce and easily won our heart.

The restaurant’s best-selling seafood platter.

The Oyster Bar seemed to enjoy the public word-of-mouth kind of advertising. The place is always packed, especially on Friday night. So, reservations are a must.

Sake-poached oyster with hijiki butter, a nice choice for those who prefer to have theirs cooked.

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