Gone fishing (for the best oysters)

Food critic, Jareliese Prescillas Mauro, bites the bait being reeled in by one the best seafood restaurants in town.

Our favorite aphrodisiac from the shellfish family known to be oozing with minerals crucial to fertility (magnesium, iron, calcium, selenium, and zinc) has just gotten better in taste as the balmy weather conditions in Cebu push its delectability as a briny seafood item. Had philanderer Casanova been to Oyster Bay in Bridges Town Square, Plaridel Street, Mandaue City, his having to eat 50 a day of these bivalve mollusks wouldn’t be for his supposed seduction for Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love (told to have been coincidentally “born” out of an oyster shell), but to fill his tummy to the brim!

Like an oasis lost in the urban jungle, Oyster Bay owner and Vivace Development Corporation developer, Dominic Alegrado, made sure to have “brought the beach to the city.” Along with his wife, Karla, who did the interiors, the couple set the coastal mood of the area with coconut trees all lined up, white sand bar to rub the soles of your feet into, and an open air seawater lagoon of black tip reef, bamboo, and cat sharks playfully tailing behind smaller fish. Lounge in rattan furniture while admiring the seacoast fixture all provided by the same company that Dominic’s family runs: Old Wicker and Vine and Ambiente Designs, Inc.

Oysters are known to distill suspended fragments from water and in the long run, make an environment for fish and aquatic plants to exist in abundance. But in Oyster Bay , one doesn’t just filter food elements. With the dishes it serves, the foodie will downright finish all “particles” off the plate. Clear tanks exposing “live” fish and other aquatic invertebrates such as eels, scallops, abalone, shrimps, snappers, prawns, mud crabs (P110 per 100 grams), sea bass, and groupers are at the mercy of your gastronomic liking. Within the same al fresco area, parrot fish bob their heads on the surface, lobsters sit on a corner without care, and the diwal (angel-wing clam, P120 per 100 grams, 3pcs.) stick out its tongue in licit mockery.

Regulated by the vegetation the oysters feed and the temperature and salinity of the water they thrive on, its taste and texture may differ occasionally. But Oyster Bay makes a splash with its promise to keep oysters and other seafood items consistently fresh. And how could they not deliver it when they supply seafood from their own company, Alenter Food, Inc.? With the restaurant’s cushy ambiance, delish array of Filipino and Chinese cuisine, and the overall customer service experience one can get from the zealous staff, it’s a foolproof disposition for restaurant success. The Oyster Bay ’s adobo (original recipe from Dominic’s dad), crispy laing, and paella create an undeniable edible impact. The patatim, bicol express, and lechon kawali taste like no other.

There’s something fishy about an old wives’ tale which reveals that oysters are unpalatable on months which don’t have a letter “r” viz: May, June, and July. Fishy indeed since the restaurant can prove that hullabaloo wrong. Want to achieve a culinary maximum taste impact? Try the baked scallop platter (cheese and garlic, coconut milk, spinach with cream) or bring out the purist in you by trying raw oysters doused in three types of sauces (chili and garlic oil, ginger and lime, and pinakurat). Poke it with tender loving goodness then gently deliver it to your salivating mouth. Experience an enriched mouth feel that even a sea scavenger’s seasoned taste buds will be beguiled in delight! You can actually taste the sea in it! With the restaurant’s room capacity of over 180 people (including the veranda and the air-conditioned function room/wine bar), there’s plenty of space for the exploratory diner.

Seafood fashion come and go and the Alegrado family has been through it all. Having maintained their first seafood restaurant, The Fishing Village, during the ‘70’s. and having run a beach resort, Dominic as well as the rest of the clan, knows the ins and outs of the industry. And he maintains his love for the sea as evident from his penchant for speed boating, jet skiing, yachting, scuba diving (PADI-licensed), and maintaining a 10-ft. seawater pool in his San Remegio beach house teeming with lame sharks, pompano fish, and man-made corrals. With much pride, this eloquent busybody gladly showed from his MAC pictures of his son, Patxic, 11, and told stories as to how Pat’s love affair with oysters started when this youngster dished up his first Rockefeller, how daughter, Nicole, 16, finds time to cook meals for the family over the weekends, and how their shih tzu, Charlie, had joined the bandwagon of family bonding time over lazy Sundays. Just like the titanium necklace he wears, his family prevents him from getting soaked up from adverse effects that sometimes managing businesses could bring. He straightens his crisp polo and excuses himself once the interview was done. His subordinates gushed nothing but praises about him.

Cebu’s chock-full of restaurants but even at its soft opening, Oyster Bay already has patrons. With Dominic taking the lead, Oyster Bay ’s reputation will maintain that high profile in the food industry. But do not take my word for it. Go ahead. Look for that little urban beach-like nook yourself and indulge. The world, after all, is your oyster.