It might be the best snack and drink in the world. Find it at a bar worth celebrating, a favorite street in a beach neighborhood or a bolthole that takes bivalves seriously.
Champagne with oysters is great, and there’s a lot to be said for pairing Sydney rock with the high acid, wet stone characteristics of Sancerre. Guinness and oysters are a match made in an Irish pub, and adding a half-dozen draft beers is never a bad thing when you’re by the water.
A Martini and oysters, though? It’s not done well, as long as the martini is very cold and the oysters are in high condition (which they are). it is always in Australia in the dead of winter) The first martini shake to make the day’s worries fall away; Then the richness of the state of peak oyster shucked order. Brilliant.
The drier the martini, the better it will cleanse the palate and let every taste of fresh oysters run long and clean. Congratulations to any place that offers a variety of oysters to taste the differences between regions and rivers.
Anyone who suggests you drink cold vodka or gin right after oysters (or caviar, for that matter) should be approached with caution. That certainly won’t happen at the following bars and restaurants, which treat martinis and oysters with the utmost respect.
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81 Bay, Brighton
Join the happy locals who flock to Ian Curley’s Brighton wine bar, a flagship of fine dining off the heart of Bay Street. A lobster cocktail lands on most tables, but you can use this smartly dressed room however you like, whether it’s an afternoon drink or a three-course dinner. Oysters usually come from the Appellation, which comes from 60 farms stretching from northern NSW to the Victorian border. In your glass? An extra-boiler martini made with Papa Salt Coastal Gin, or maybe sake or farmer’s champagne.
81 Bay Street, Brighton, baix.com.au
Apollo Inn, town
Double doors, a porch and a heavy velvet curtain announce this cocktail hideaway bar. It’s no longer a secret, thanks to the city-wide reputation for great drinking and fine dining, yet sitting in the Apollo Inn’s atmosphere still feels like being in a members’ club. Swipe a black leather-covered banquette and a jacket-clad waiter will soon appear with interesting options. Regardless of the Martini you choose – there are four – it will be icy and balanced, best paired with oysters handled with care and attention, like everything here.
165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, apolloinn.bar
Bar Carnation, North Carlton
Whether it’s Wednesday or Saturday, stylish young people sit elbow-to-elbow at the long wooden bar and fill the aisle tables, ready for wherever the night takes them. That might mean a delicious, bone-chilling martini with hot fries. Or the crudo of the day, always fresh, and a choice plate of mortadella and gordal olives. The wines are always lo-fi and interesting, and the cocktails are good. Among the timeless wooden rugs and white tablecloths, adding oysters to any order just feels right.
386 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, barcarnation.com
Pearl Diver, city
The name is your first clue as to how seriously this bar takes its oysters. Sourced from around the country, Pacific and Sydney rocks, hot and cold, dressed and unseasoned are listed on the tick box menu. Find them at 18 towers or order mollusc by mollusk to find your favorite. Martinis can be served in any way but, for true seafood lovers, there is one made with Saint Felix oyster shells. During happy hour, Tuesday through Friday from 5pm to 7pm, oysters are just $2 each.
56 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, pearldever.com.au
The Walrus, St Kilda
The martini is iced and the oysters are shucked to order A Guide to Healthy Eating for the Elderlyof bar of the year. But it’s the team — offering as warm a welcome as the yellow walls — that make this place a neighborhood gem. Let them guide you to your best match from the day’s oyster offerings, served on ice at the bar. Bar snacks favor seafood, with fish roe crawling over crispy chicken skin and pan-seared crab ready to slather on waffle buns. The numbered cocktail list (correctly) puts the martini in first place. Get one for $15 – plus $3 oysters – during happy hour midnight, 10pm to 11pm Friday and Saturday.
9 Inkerman Street, St Kilda, thewalrusoysterbar.com
Coming soon
Along with the salon for all things clean and beautiful, Fitzroy Oyster Housewill open this weekend at 422 George Street, Fitzroy. The Horseshoe Bar fills this space, showcasing the best moments of over a dozen and a half of Australia’s finest, paired with something chilled and delicious, naturally.
Emma Breheny – Emma is Good Food’s Melbourne dining and restaurant editor and editor of The Age Good Food Guide.
The Callan Boys is Good Food’s national dining and restaurant editor.Connect through X or email address.
