Saturday, October 18, 2014

YummY! - Oysters Galore @ Shucked

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OYSTERS GALORE @ SHUCKED
Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - October 2014

Like a little boy, I am rubbing my hands in glee and my heart is singing with excited anticipation.
What has brought this about, you must wonder? Well, this little boy will be meeting up with some friends from our FaceBook group (the Makan Club) at Shucked Oyster & Seafood Bar. Yup, you guessed right, we are going to have another feast - one of very fresh oysters and seafood. Tucked at Shucked, so to say.


But hold on to your horses; Shucked is not easy to locate. They are one of those eateries lining up the entrance within Ben's Independent Grocer (BIG), at the Lower Ground Floor of the Publika shopping mall. For best directions of getting there click here.


The next thing to note is that BIG does not allow eateries within its premises to take reservations. During the busy evenings and weekends, the place is well packed and a bit of waiting is expected. Don't get deterred though, I am just putting all this down to illustrate how excellent the food is; that even these little inconveniences do not dissuade the crowd from coming in - the food is THAT GOOD!


The little boy in me surfaced again, with a cheeky "Alfred E. Neumen" grin of anticipation, I walked in and joined my friends. They had already broke out the champagne, drinking it to cleanse their palate in preparation of the coming fine meal.

Ok, let's run through what we had.... don't drool, please.
THE STARTER
First off, a starter platter of Salmon Sashimi, Smoked Salmon, and Anchovies Bruschetta. To crown this off, a healthy slice of pickled herring wrapped round a gherkin.


Now how do I go about eating this? One can opt to finish off the Sashimi first, taking in its freshness before going on to the medium-strong tasting anchovies and ending with the strong smokiness of the Smoked Salmon.
I started of with a couple of pieces Sashimi with a touch of Wasabi for that kick. Then it was a piece of the Anchovy Bruschetta followed by a bite of the heady Smoked Salmon. After that I alternated between them; letting the medley of taste and aroma play on my senses.
Sounds like I am at an orchestra, okay... I won't stretch it, it was more like a quartet with each piece playing it's tune on me. Starting with the salmon above...


... to these cute looking fishy-tasting anchovies sitting comfortably on a carpet of diced vegetables of the Bruschetta.  And bringing me to a crescendo...


... with this lightly pickled herring fillet curling itself seductively around the gherkin.
Wow! The two pickles at one go brought out the screwed-face, wide-eyed blinks from some of us. It was a finale high to the starter, preparing us for even more serous stuff to come.


SHUCKED OYSTERS
For each of us came a set of a pair each of Irish Nuggets, Dutch Creuses & Tasmanian.


I was naively unprepared for this oyster feast; with my limited knowledge and experience on oysters, I won't pretend to be an expert. Above is an extract from the Oyster Tasting Guide published by the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (for the full Guide, click here).
Heh! I should have read this first, it wouldn't have made me an expert but it would have at least prepared me better.
The following link "How to Eat (and Taste) Oysters" from bon appetit provides a refreshing look on oyster eating too.

So, I will just put here some photos for you to admire:





(Photo by Ric Kee)
I did learn one thing though; I like my oysters naked. Don't get me wrong, I am not a Dirty Old Man (DOM) running after some bare-chested Can-can fluffy. What it means is that I like my oysters free of any add-ons; no lemon squeeze and no Tabasco droplets. Just pure virgin body.... Oops! Sorry, there goes the DOM talk again.


THE MAIN
The main course - Kinkawooka Mussels in White Sauce & Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Sautéed Vegetables.


The grilled salmon was good, nicely done with just adequately burnt edges and slightly juicy meat.
But my eyes kept on glancing upwards, being drawn by what was above...


... drawn to the Kinkawooka Mussels, their shells opened up like butterfly wings offering their succulent body to us. The meat was fresh, juicy. I take slow bites to slowly savour them, each bite bringing out the flavour of the sea mixed with the light creaminess of the sauce.


Well satisfied patrons; mussels gleaned to the shell, sauce all drank up.


RAIDING THE LARDER!
(Note: prices are at time of this blog).
A good and wide range of oysters, availability could be subject to seasons.


Atlantic Salmon.


Smoked Atlantic Salmon.


Marinated North Atlantic Anchovies.


Kinkawooka live pot mussels.


Many thanks to my friends for the good company, and also many thanks to Eunice for organizing this fine feast.
Some good news; rumours are circulating that Shucked could be opening another outlet in Bangsar, hopefully there will be more tables and that reservations are allowed.


SHUCKED OYSTER & SEAFOOD BAR
Facebook Page : Shucked Oyster Bars
Hours : 9:00am to 10:00pm daily.


View Shucked Oyster Bar @ Publika in a larger map


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