If you are someone who has never tried Oysters before, the new Wine and Oyster bar in Crystal Palace market is the perfect place to give them a go. Open for just over three months, this stylish new restaurant serves up delicious fresh oysters at reasonable prices and has an amazing and varied wine selection to go with them. The oysters are sourced fresh from London’s famous Billingsgate market four times a week and you can immediately taste the quality. I’ll admit, before coming here I couldn’t remember if I had ever eaten oysters before, let alone whether I liked them or not. However, my worries faded away as soon as the first oyster slipped down my throat. Fresh, succulent and full of flavour, these oysters are sure to satisfy first time eaters and seasoned oyster pros. I went for the Malden Gigas rock oysters, which are from the black water estuary with a distinct flavour due to the marshes where they are grown. They come accompanied by three superb
The Wine & Oyster Bar at The Crystal Palace sauces. The first is what the restaurant simply calls ‘oyster sauce’ which is a mixture of soy sauce, lime and orange juice. The second is a sharp mix of red wine vinegar and shallots and the final sauce is a traditional salsa. For those who prefer a meatier oyster the Irish oysters come highly recommended. There is even a counter where you can sit and watch the chef crack open the oysters and prepare them for you. To go with these delicious treats the manager, Fabien, recommended a bottle of Pecorino Gabriel; an Italian white wine which complimented the oysters fantastically. The wines are sold at retail prices and with Fabien visiting Portugal very soon on a wine sampling trip there are sure to be some more incredible wines popping
up on the menu. It’s safe to say that Fabien certainly knows his stuff when it comes to good food. The Frenchman owns a cheese importing business and a stall in Borough market and it only follows that the finest ingredients are used on the menu. This can certainly be said of the cheese and charcuterie board which contains some delicious cured meats, a fantastic 24 month matured Comte cheese and a soft cow cheese which has been matured with white wine. This is the perfect place to either start or end your evening and sample the finer things in life without breaking the bank.
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