Oysters have long been regarded as one of the world’s best aphrodisiacs and have been prized by cultures around the world. Romans even placed them in salt water pools and fattened them up by feeding them wine and pastries!
The award-winning Restaurant Mosaic @ The Orient will be bringing the taste of the sea to the Crocodile river Valley when it hosts its first oyster festival on Saturday, May 4, starting at 10.30am.
The event will be hosted by Mosaic’s sommelier Germain Lehodey who will be presenting a variety of oysters from around the globe.
“The flavour of oysters varieties are widely dependent on their growing environment and is influenced by things such as diet, the mineral content of the water and water temperature,” he says.
Seven varieties of oysters will be sampled at a special tasting before a lunch prepared by Chef Chantel Dartnall and her brigade featuring these same oysters.
Some of the highlights to look out for are Belon and De Claire oysters from France; Pacific Portuguese oysters as well as South African wild oysters and those from Knysna and Saldanha.
Belons must be grown in the Brittany region of France and are renowned for their meaty texture and seaweed and mineral flavours. Pousses De Claire, which are prized by gourmets, grow for at least four months and double in weight while Portuguese Pacific are cultured in the United States and have a fruity flavour.
Both wild and cultivated South African oysters are on the SASSI green list. Most of SA’s wild picked oysters come from Mossel Bay and Knysna while cultivated oysters are mostly from Saldanha (where they are grown attached to ropes).
Lehodey will also be pairing some special South African wines with the oysters.
The cost R1250 per person. To book call 012 371-2902 or email reservations@restaurantmosaic.com Space is limited.
