Having had a couple of my dining partners Fin De Clair Oysters at Sashas last weekend I decided that it was time to get up close and personal with a big culch of them. Oyster Fact #1 The collective name for a group of Oysters is not a bed but a culch.
Asking about where and who has the best most freshest i was met with the same response time after time. Osteria. Now i had been there many years ago when both Rudy and Zoltan were both there and despite Eduardo` Vargas name attached to this restaurant he has about as much to do with the concept and popularity of this place as I do with brain surgery.A bottle of Tuscany Bianco was ordered and we perused the menu for the pick of the bivalves.
Oyster Fact #2. Did you know like the Shanghai Hairy Crab that Oysters are better when the month contains the letter "R" ? It was decided to share 18 Oysters for an appitizer and then each pick a main course so we opted for 9 Kumamoto and 9 Belons. Home made Rabbit Gnocchi for my partner and the herb crusted lamb for me. The Oysters came out within fifteen minutes and were well presented on ice and explained by our waitress. They came with several accompaniments lemon, tabasco, sweet vinegar with onion.But with Oysters i don`t think you need to add anything as most accompaniments tend to over-power and disguise the flavor of the Oyster and if your paying up to Rmb45 per piece you really need to make sure your getting your moneys worth. Oyster Fact #3 Just like warm-blooded animals, oysters are either male or female. But, oysters have gonads that generate eggs, as well as sperm. So, oysters have the ability to change their sexes, which they do, at least once. (The gonads, by the way, are considered to be the tastiest part of the oyster.) I could`nt seem to find the balls on my 9 though.Im not going to comment or review the main courses (but will another time) as this was strictly an Oyster outing and tasting.If there was anything bad throughout the entire service was the fact that 3 our of our 9 Belons had tiny chips of the shell inside and although Belons are flat and are notoriously much harder to shuck than than their brothers/sisters i still find it hard to believe that the "mother-shucker" who opened our appitizer did not see tiny shards of shell glistening away on top of the oyster meat as he laid them out on the ice tray. Laziness or dodgy eyes. You decide.
Final Oyster Fact #4 There is no proof whatsoever about Oysters enhancing someones love life. They do produce lots of Zinc which helps with impotence but as ever its just a fallacy whether or not it helps you in the boudoir department.