Oysters,
37 Patrick Street,
Strabane,
Co Tyrone,
BT82 8DQ,
028 7138 2690
DO you ever look forward to doing something and then, when the time comes to doing it, change your mind?
I’d booked a table for four at Oysters maybe a week in advance. I’d left it far too long – nearly nine years – since my last visit, and I was excited to try it again. Then, when the time came to head out from Derry, it was pretty much the last thing I wanted to do.
That’s nothing against the restaurant, mind. It was all to do with me just wanting to be inside the house on this cold, wet, November Friday, eating egg and oven chips in front of the telly, watching Children in Need and never quite getting round to donating.
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My idea of cancelling was vetoed by the rest of the family, so off we went, down the pitch black A5, being overtaken on blind corners by nutters in BMWs.
Dark as it was when we got there, it was hard to get a picture of the outside. I did see there were roadworks on Patrick Street, though, and that the pavement was cracked open. And I saw a plaque up on the wall, dedicated to Annie Russell Maunder, astronomer and astrophotographer, born in Strabane in 1868.
It was the first of many plaques. Adorning the interior walls of Oysters are plaques aplenty. Framed certificates, too, and citations, ornaments, awards – all granted to the restaurant for the excellence of their food and service down the years.
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Putting such things on show is an act of justifiable pride, but it could also be a hostage to fortune. Display these, and you’d better be good.
Oysters is. Very.
I only have two criticisms, both of which quite possibly down to us. The first is it took longer than it should have done to get a menu. However, as soon as they got in, my wife and daughter went to the toilet, leaving my brother alone at the table. Meanwhile, I got in after them, because I was busy parking the car behind the road closed sign. They couldn’t have known we were all there.
Once we got them, it was a matter of deciding between the a la carte and the High Tea menus, the latter of which is served between 4pm and 7pm, Wednesday to Friday. This was the one we eventually went for, tempting though the a la carte looked.
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My battered fish was excellent – crisp batter encasing beautifully flaking cod. Absolutely perfect, although the best two things about the dish were the sweet pea purée and the tartar sauce, which was both gentle and sharp. I say these were the best because they were delicious and illustrate the care taken at Oysters over the little details. The chips were cracking, although this is my second criticism. The portion was too small, but that’s probably down to my greed.
My brother’s curry was fantastic – warming, sweet, just the right amount of chilli heat, full of tender chicken, served with well-cooked rice. My wife’s chicken was equally tender and delightfully moist, with saltiness from the bacon crumb, and depth and freshness added by the velouté. The fondant potato was soft and sweet, with a lovely savouriness added by the truffle.
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My daughter’s dish is well worth a mention, as, once again, it demonstrated the care and attention given to every aspect here. The chicken was lovely, the pasta retained a bite, and the tomato sauce was gorgeous.
The desserts were uniformly beautiful. My nicely wobbling panna cotta carried a mild mix of grapefruit and orange, not at all overwhelmed by the sweet and sharp sauces. The chocolate cremeux was brilliantly moreish – smooth, creamy, with chunks of chocolate for bite and texture, while the poached pear gave only the tiniest resistance to the spoon before softly revealing its wonderful flavours, served with a spicy, citrussy gingerbread ice cream.
Oysters deserves every award on display. It is a wonderful little restaurant, confident, assured, inventive, and never complacent. Much better than staying at home.
The bill
Two courses for £19.95
Child’s dishes, two courses for £7.95
We had:
Main courses:
- Pan-roast chicken, truffle potato fondant, crispy bacon crumb, aged Cheddar and chive velouté
- Beer-battered cod, pea purée, homemade tartar sauce
- Thai chicken and coconut curry
- Child’s chicken tagliatelle, creamy tomato sauce
Desserts:
- Orange and grapefruit panna cotta
- Chocolate cremeux
- Cider-poached pear
- Child’s ice cream
Drinks:
- Coca-Cola x 3 - £9.00
Total: £76.80
