“Let the oyster speak,” is my new motto.
August 5th is National Oyster Day, so The Melusine, the seafood restaurant in St Katharine Docks, launched a pop-up Oyster Shack on Marble Quay with individual oysters for sale, but the main event was The Melusine Oyster Passport, that offers a European oyster tasting journey that takes in six exceptional oysters from Ireland, the Channel Islands, England, and France for £27. I made a dash from Bermondsey, across Tower Bridge just before it was raised to let a boat through, in order to take my place at the table, writes Michael Holland.
I usually take my oysters with a squeeze of lemon and a dash of Tabasco, but today was different because I never realised that oysters from different areas would differ in taste. And I wanted to know why.
Step forward Theo Kyriakou, Head Chef, who knows all about the sea and seafood, and is the man who chose the six oysters for this special journey to celebrate, perhaps, the greatest mollusc the world has ever known (although I am a big fan of all the other edible molluscs…).
Theo has his own connection to Bermondsey (his children all attend Boutcher School, of which he talked very highly of), so we connected straightaway. He handed me my ‘passport’ explaining the route he has devised to tear me through the best of Europe’s oysters, with a tasting guide for each one.
We began in Normandy with the Céline oyster, which I thought was appropriate as we were just yards from The Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror, who was also the Duke of Normandy, and who had the stone brought from his hometown of Caen so the Tower would look like his castle back home.
Theo explained that an Irish family took oysters from their homeland when they emigrated some years ago, and settled them in the Normandy waters where they felt very much at home – C’est magnifique! Now they have the taste of the ocean and less of the blarney.
The Carlingford was next. A plump and meaty, bad boy from Ireland that let you know it meant business. I now needed a sip of the rather wonderful sparkling wine from the Nyetimber vineyards – Their Classic Cuvee.
The third on the list took me back to France and the Fine de Claire oyster, reared in the largest oyster-producing region in the world, which made the place sound like a harsh battleground for survival. Even so, these incredible beauties seemed to have been touched only by sweet, innocent cherubs.
From that taste of Paradise I was parachuted into Maldon. This oyster was a little chewier, but not in a bad way. It just meant they stayed longer in the mouth – as did the salty taste of Essex.
Two-thirds of the way round and the magic of the oysters and the bubbles was working. I had not missed having no Tabasco sauce. I felt no need for any overwhelming flavour to detract from the sublime and delicate taste of the oysters. I had come to realise they should be devoured with only a dash of lemon, in order to enjoy them at their very best. Let the oyster speak, is my new motto.
The Sentinelle oyster took me back to Normandy, but again has an Irish connection. This one was such a pleasure. Everything that is good about oysters is in The Sentinelle.
And so I came to the point where there was just one left and I didn’t want my journey to end. I took a break, enjoyed the wine and spoke to the man of the moment, Theo Kyriakou; eliciting more information and knowledge from the expert.
Eventually, the time came to take the final bow with the Jersey Rock Oyster. Not, I think, as ‘oystery’ as the others, but it certainly stood its ground amongst them.
The Melusine, Ivory House, East Smithfield, St Katharine Docks, E1W 1AT
Happy Hour 3pm – 6pm: Oysters – £1.25; Champagne – £10 a glass.
Booking and full details: https://www.themelusine.co.uk/
