Byron Bay has welcomed new seafood destination Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant, which landed at Hotel Marvell last week.
The venue was inspired by oyster-driven concepts found in New England and New York, and has delivered a unique seafood-led experience to both locals and visitors of the picturesque area.
There’s no doubt oysters form a significant part of dining here, and no expense has been spared. The restaurant has its own land-based oyster tank which purifies and holds up to 500 oysters at any one time.
“Our tank uses filtered water collected on a king tide from Brunswick Heads to naturally cleanse the oysters of any impurities,” says James Pearce, general manager of Hotel Marvell. “It also regenerates them to the pristine condition usually reserved for oysters consumed straight from the water at a farm.”
On the topic of oysters, they are sourced from across Australia and New Zealand, with options spanning species including Akoya, Angasi, K’Gari, and Black Lips, to name a few.
The restaurant’s front-of-house team shucks oysters from a dedicated station on the dining room floor in front of guests, who can select options served hot or cold – think baked miso, Kilpatrick, mignonette, and verjus with pomegranate.
After oysters, diners can move on to dishes from the raw bar such as rainbow trout tartare with Bloody Mary vinaigrette or tuna carpaccio with tonnato before enjoying starters and mains. Highlights include Fremantle octopus with tomato relish and herbs as well as whole fried market fish with sauce vierge.
The menu has a dedicated grill section which lists Bangalow pork chop, Darling Downs eye fillet, 250g swordfish loin, and a pure Angus ribeye which are all served with a range of condiments.
Guests are invited to finish off their meal with a sweet pick from the dessert menu or locally sourced cheeses.
Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and for dinner Tuesday to Saturday.
