#oystermen

Seafood has been a passion of ours for a long time, with oysters being a particular favourite.  We’d been to the Oystermen before (read our review here) but since then, it has expanded to take over next door and have a slightly larger menu.  Keep on reading for more info about our latest trip.

we started with anchovy toast with confit garlic and a wedge of lemon.  I really liked this but it was a tad on the salty side.  I guess it’s a little to be expected when you have that much anchovy on a smallish piece of toast but still, a little too salty for me.

Now you can’t go to The Oystermen without getting oysters.  We decided to go for both cooked and raw starting with some oysters lardo.  These were cooked with some caramelised lardo and lots black pepper.  The lardo was delicious and the oysters were amazing.  I could eat these all day!

We then ordered some raw oysters which were just as good as the cooked, if not better!  Lovely and briny with a nice creamy almost butteryness to them too.  Definitely don’t miss out on oysters here!

Now onto more seafood.  The squid came with chickpeas and prunes.  Personally, i think this seemed more like a chickpea dish rather than a squid dish.  Don’t get me wrong, it was really tasty, I just wanted more squid!

We ordered a crab cake with pickled kohlrabi which was actually really good!  Crab cakes are always a little risky in that they can often be too doughy or just more potato than anything else.  This was not the case here.  The cake was well fried and was full of crab.  The kohlrabi was a nice touch but the sauce, which I think was where the black garlic was, was delicious!

Finally was the Poole Bay Skate wing.  It came with monks beard and a vermouth vinegar.  The skate wing was superbly cooked and tasted great.  Skate wing is always a bit fiddly in that you have to pick out the bones but for fish that tastes like this, it’s worth it!

For dessert, it was an apple and almond tart with a dollop of ricotta.  The pastry in the tart was crisp and light, the apples were sweet and the almond flakes were crunchy.  It all came together with a bit of caramel sauce and the creaminess of the ricotta.  All in all, a very nice dessert and a great end to a great meal!

The Oystermen is a great little restaurant in Covent Garden for any seafood lover.  Definitely bear it in mind if you’re in the area and looking for oysters or fish, this place should definitely be at or near the top of your list!

The Oystermen, 32 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8NA