Pearls of London: The Oystermen
Serving up passion and provenance without the pretence
words by Will HALBERT
Tucked away in the West End’s Covent Garden, The Oystermen Seafood Bar & Kitchen showcases the finest and freshest oysters and seafood that the British Isles has to offer. We sat down with co-founders, Rob Hampton and Matt Lovell, to discuss the importance of building a strong team, planning ahead, and always putting the guest experience first. EJ
First off, can you tell me little bit about how you guys met, and how The Oystermen came to be?
Rob: We met back in 2013, when Matt interviewed me for a job and we hit it off straight away. Aside from the fact that we were working with fish and seafood, which we both obviously love, we really bonded over the importance of the complete hospitality experience: How important it was for diners to enjoy the whole package; food and drink, service and ambience to all complement each other.
Where did the interest in oysters in particular come from?
Matt: For me it was holidaying in France while growing up. We always used to stay down on the Ile de Noirmoutier, and Oysters were massively in abundance. I can’t remember exactly when it started, but once it did, there was no stopping me.
Rob: My first restaurant job was in a seafood restaurant. That’s where I first tried oysters and it all kind of snowballed from there.
Were there any unexpected challenges to opening a seafood bar and kitchen in London? Any advice to young chefs looking to open their own place?
Matt: To be honest we have been in the game so long, nothing we really came up against was unexpected. My advice to anyone looking to go along this journey is plan, plan and plan some more. Ask all the right questions to those in the know – nothing is ever too dumb to ask. There can be a great number of pitfalls along the way and best to be prepared. Don’t ignore your financial planning too – this never ends but having enough cash flow to see you through launch and the inevitable quieter months is imperative. If you don’t forecast the cash flow, you’ll be left in the position of making cuts, which in turn ends up damaging service and your brand.
What kind of dining experience do you guys try to cultivate at The Oystermen?
Rob: Totally relaxed. I’m someone who naturally doesn’t really get on with fine dining, I’m a messy kind of eater, and always get embarrassed about the amount of food that is in my beard! We have always wanted to bring the excellence of product that we get, through our insanely talented chefs, to the table in a manner that is fun, informal and relaxed. What’s really important though, is that standards must remain high. It’s really important not to forget that our customers are paying good money, for a good product, so this has to be delivered professionally. It’s a fine line, a real art, but we have an awesome team – trained by us – that deliver that balance consistently.
How do both the restaurant fit-out and wider The Oystermen team accommodate that?
Matt: The fit out was a total DIY job. Front of House wise, our GM Andrea worked with us through the Pop-Up days and so was well-versed in the kind of experience we wanted to create. Really with front of house, it’s all about finding nice, friendly people, regardless of experience. There is so much that can be taught, but the key things are natural, either you have it or you don’t.
Rob: The chef team all fell into place once we got Head Chef Alex on board. All the key members of the team had worked with him previously so he was well aware of their skillset and also that they were the type of people that could all get on in a very intimate, open kitchen space.
Let’s talk about the oysters themselves: You guys work directly with oyster farmers as much as possible. Why is that so important to you?
Rob: It’s all about taste and freshness really. When buying direct we can ensure the oysters pass through the fewest possible hands in the shortest amount of time possible. We know they haven’t been sitting for ages in a wholesaler’s warehouse or something like that. The personal relationships are also important; if there ever is a problem with the product, anything weather related or anything like that, we can always just pick up the phone and talk directly to the people that know. And every day is a school day with these guys. It’s a tricky business farming oysters, and boy, are they good at it.
Does this mean you tend to work with the same farmers on a regular basis? Can you tell us a little about them?
Matt: Our days of the week in the restaurant are fairly consistent, so as a rule our ordering is pretty standardised barring any problems. We tend to order pretty consistently as well. The guys over at Carlingford Oysters – The Louët Feisser family – are incredible innovators and their product reflects this. Closer to home, the guys from Maldon Oysters up on the Blackwater are producing amazing oysters at a really amazing price and driving them into town everyday themselves, which is a real asset to us. Without their flexibility, our lives would be much harder. And of course, over at Whitstable, which is really establishing itself as the kind of spiritual home of English oysters, they are really upping the game. Their trellis-grown oysters are amazing, but their wild pearls are truly out of this world!
How important is the concept of provenance when it comes to oysters? How much does ‘meroir’ affect flavour?
Rob: Provenance is very important. We sell varieties from up to 8 farms around the UK, and when tasting alongside each other, you can really taste the difference. Obviously, being local, we get a lot from the South East, where the clay soils give a much more earthy taste. Up in North Wales, on the other hand, where there is a large amount of slate and granite, the oysters tend to have a more metallic, ‘clean’ taste. The West coast of Ireland is special for the kind of peat flavours that permeate the flesh. So in short, yes: ‘meroir’ definitely impacts on flavour!
Of course, your offerings go beyond oysters. Tell us a little bit about what else we can expect to find on the The Oystermen menu.
Matt: We have a wonderful chef team, who have trained and worked in some of the best restaurants in London. We pretty much give them the freedom to come up with new menu items as and when they please based on the season and seasonality of ingredients. Rob and I always have the final say to ensure they fit the brief. We sell a lot of whole crabs, all priced by weight and served simple, cracked, and opened. We always have a number of fresh fish mains, too. At the moment, the highlight is a whole Mackerel with a freekeh salad. Typically, starters lean towards cured and raw dishes. Sardines are amazing at the moment, as is our trout tartar.
What sort of drinks do you feel best compliment oysters?
Matt: This is entirely subjective. I love a clean, crisp white. Something like a Muscadet, or of course Champagne. Rob is more of a beer man, and our Oyster Stout collab with The Canopy Beer Co. is the perfect accompaniment here, nice rich sweet malts work perfectly with the soft salinity of the added oysters.
Tell us a little more about the Oyster Stout. How did that come about?
Rob: When we were just starting out, in our pop-up years, we did a couple of events with Canopy Brewery in Herne Hill and just got chatting with the owners and the brewers over beers and got all excited about it. The Imperial Stout was a one off for Christmas 2016 (although it has aged amazingly, and there are still a few bottles knocking round under my stairs). It was 8.5% and an absolute belter. When we opened the restaurant, we decided we needed to tone it down a little bit, and so worked together to create an ‘everyday’ version, which we pulled back to 5%. It still has 200 oysters (Maldon’s) per 1000l of beer, so you still get a lovely salinity, but you can drink a few more of these ones before calling it a day.
Say someone walks into The Oystermen with no real prior experience with seafood. How do you guide them through the experience? What do you recommend they start with?
Matt: This is exactly why we sell oysters individually and do our weekday happy hour (6 Oysters and a glass of bubbly for £10, Monday-Friday 3-5pm). We want them to be as accessible as possible. We also try and do a few different things to make the whole thing more approachable. We had lunch with a friend yesterday, for example, who said he has always struggled with the texture of oysters, so we got him to try cooked oysters. Same flavour, but firmer, dressed up a little and he absolutely loved them. I like to think of these cooked oysters as a bit of a gateway drug: Once we get you hooked, you’ll be eating them as nature intended soon enough. Don’t shock yourself in to it though, if you’re a little apprehensive. Take your time. Smell the oyster first – it really does bring the aroma of the fresh sea air. Next, taste a little of the liquor (the salt water surrounding the flesh) – this is a big salty hit. By tasting this first, you’re not going to get the shock of briney salt water. Lastly, slide the oyster in to your mouth. At The Oystermen, we always release the bottom adductor muscle so it’s slides off the shell with ease. Also: Always chew your oyster. I think just swallowing the oyster is where some people’s dislike comes from. The flavours of minerals, sweetness, creaminess will all come through when bitten in to. If you come to The Oystermen and have never tried oysters before, all of our staff will take the time to walk you through it. It’s a fabulous experience.
And lastly, what’s next for you guys? Any new projects in the pipeline?
Rob: The Oystermen well and truly isn’t a “roll-out” brand. If the right site comes up in the future, we’d consider doing another one. But this isn’t a chain. We have a few other ideas we are working on, a few things close to our hearts and lots more seafood, but it’s a tricky and competitive old market out there and we need to make sure we find the right place. There’s no rush for us, slow and steady and all that.
