Oyster & Seafood Bar By The Quay @ Straits Quay

Many restaurants in Penang may have oysters in their menu, but this swanky restaurant cum bar named Oyster & Seafood Bar By The Quay in Straits Quay definitely serves one of the best of oysters in the island.

From distance away, Oyster and Seafood Bar appears to be nothing distinctive from its surroundings. There is a bar counter with display of dozens of gins and whiskeys, tables and chairs casually arranged, a cozy patio and waitstaff running in and out doing the chores. Then there comes the interesting part when we walked into the restaurant, as there is a proper oyster bar displaying the selections of fresh and briny oysters from Coffin Bay, Gallaghers and Lych Fyne.

This little display bar, or I prefer to call it briny temple is the main reason that courted dozens of diners come here.

Thanks to Oyster and Seafood Bar for extending an invitation

Oyster & Seafood Bar By The Quay @ Straits Quay

Oysters here are air-flown from their respective countries on 3 times a week basis. Meaning you only get the freshest oysters as if you were consuming them on their origin country. When we were there, dozens of oysters originated from Gallagher (Ireland) and Coffin Bay (Australia) were displayed on the pile of rocky ice.

Diners can choose your oysters and let the professionals do the shucking for you. On a personal note, I prefer to enjoy the oysters here naked without dressings as the freshness is unparalled to any oysters you may get in other restaurants.

I find it hard to just take oysters solely for the night even I enjoyed the freshness, briny and zinc sensation. Therefore, the bar has 2 Tiers Frutti Di Mare (RM 188) to cater for people who share the similar taste profile like me.

Frutti Di Mare comes with half a dozen of oysters, and the upper tier has a seafood platter consists of tiger prawns, seabass, clams, mussels and squid in tomato based sauce.

Shrimp and Chorizo

Of course, the restauranteur in Seafood & Oyster Bar has expanded the definition of what a oyster bar can be and offer an extensive menu more than just oysters and seafood platter.

The menu features an extensive range of small plates featuring simple and delicate dishes, which were meant for sharing and tasting. Most importantly, It is not overpriced, considering the restaurant is located at a premium location in Straits Quay.

For instance, Shrimp and Chorizo (RM 36) is such a hit among the diners. It has nicely cooked shrimp in olive oil, and the diffusion of shrimp aroma into the olive oil allows everyone to best enjoy the complimentary baguettes by dipping these French breads into it.

Fish Croquette "bait"

Charred cauliflower

Among the other good selection is Fish Croquette "bait" (RM 23). The croquette has a crispy skin engulfing filling concocted of fish bait, pancetta and potatoes. Shall you prefer a lighter version of small bites, go for Charred Caufliflower (RM 18). Its combination sauce of hollandaise and parmesan makes the mild sweet cauliflowers something nice and less sinful to bite on.

We were introduced to this relative new dish - Crab Avocado Tower. At first glance, it mimics beef tartare but the texture tells otherwise. The crab avocado tower is more to crunchy as compared to the buttery alike texture of beef tartare.

I am not sure whether it is done in purpose or otherwise, as the avocado used in the dish is not fully ripen and yield crispy texture instead of the expected buttery sensation.

Looking at the restaurant settings, I was expecting some main dishes that could have seriously dented my wallet with their hefty price tags but the reality is otherwise. The price may be premium, but it still within acceptable range by taking care into the choice of ingredients being used in preparation process.

Take the example of fish and chip. It cost RM 38 here but they use fresh seabass from Australia, while some cafes in the town may have this dish for average RM 30 and some still use Tilapia fish.

And the fish and chip here is nice. The batter stick to the thick fish meat and my daugther could finish almost half of it. Mind you, as she constantly rejects fish and claiming most fish are "smelly".

Lobster Angel Hair Pasta

Crab Aglio Olio (RM 38)

The restaurant is never lack of Pasta options but I am surprised to see how they elevate the pasta by incorporating seafood to this extent.

If you fancy lobster, then you may go for Lobster Angel Hair Pasta. The pasta is cooked to perfection with al-dente texture, but I am not a fan to have lobsters with pasta actually. Shrimps or prawns would have done a better job.

On the other hand, the Crab Aglio Olio (RM 38) is an interesting dish. According to the restaurant manager, it is one of the popoular dish in the restaurant and I can see the reason. The usage of ebiko, along with firm and mild sweet crab meats added a depth of texture to the pasta.

We looked beyond the pasta dish for more main course selections and found the also serve Paella. For classic Paella, you may go for Signature Seafood Paella (RM 78),

It is a nicely executed dish with the additional of saffron that spices up the whole dish.

If you are adventurous, do go for their Squid Ink Paella (RM 78). For some unexplained phenomenon, we do find the squid ink version is more appetizing, and the overall flavour profile is more rounded and subtle.

However, do allow at least 30 minutes cooking time if you decide to order Paella here due to high demand and limitation in the kitchen.

If you would like some meat apart from chicken and fish and chip, then you can give a consideration to Duo Style Pork Tomahwak with Hickory Sauce (RM 68). The pork has underwent the sous vide process so you can taste the iconic sous vide texture in the pork.

As for desserts, we had Panna Cotta and Sizzling Chocolate Brownies with Ice Cream. I personally prefer the Panna Cotta.

The restaurant also takes additional effort to romanticize your dining experiences here by having live band performing, allow you to listen to some good music while enjoying good oysters and food, or even have a few cup of drinks.