Food 5/5
Staff 5/5
Value 5/5
Overall 5/5
I was a big fan of Bonito in Byron Bay’s Hotel Marvell, so was delighted to learn management has lifted the local restaurant bar once again with the addition of its Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant.
A nod to the oyster bars of New England and New York, this modern reimagining is the place to be if you’re a lover of the best seafood on offer. If seafood is not your thing, then they also have eye fillet and Bangalow Pork Chop on the menu.
As you’d expect, the star of this show is undoubtedly the oysters. Whilst sourced from across Australia and New Zealand, the oysters are also matured and grown to plumpness and freshness in a huge land-based tank that can hold up to 6,000 oysters and uses local ocean water to cleanse and regenerate them.
The standout menu item is the 20 plate oyster selection - a great tasting plate, beautifully presented, with hot and cold oysters featuring natural, kilpatrick, mornay, baked miso, rockefeller, garlic buttercrumb, ginger and soy, bloody mary, and verjus and pomegranate. If you’re an oyster lover, you will think you died and went to heaven with this lot.
Following this oyster feast, it’s onto the Raw Bar and seafood selection. From the Raw Bar we treated ourselves to Black Caviar from Georgia served with a Potato Confit Yolk and Crème Fraiche, and some sensational Tuna Carpaccio that I swear must have been caught off the coast that morning - delicious.
Grazing continues with small and large plate selections that include Bay Lobster Rolls, Half Shell Scallops, Spanner Crab, Pork and Fennel Stuffed Squid and BBQ Mooloolaba Prawns. We went for the stuffed squid which was tender and lip smacking, along with the spanner crab which we thought was the only low point of the menu and a bit ordinary.
Large dishes include Freemantle Octopus, Confit King Salmon, Whole Market Fish, Lobster Mornay or you can go over the top with a Seafood Tower. We shared the fresh fish of the day - snapper. It was superb and lip smacking, perfectly cooked and presented.
As you would expect, there are local vegetable and side dishes on offer. We went for the Grilled Asparagus which was served with Cured Yolk and Black Caviar Beurre Blanc. Its was a perfect complement to the fresh fish. And for those wanting a little more, there is a cheese platter and desserts available too.
The décor of the room is good and cosy as ever, with great flatware and presentation. The staff were all incredibly attentive and helpful.
The Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant is top shelf and a welcome addition to Byron’s ever expanding culinary scene.
To book or discover more, visit: byronbayoysterbar.com.au
