La Cale aux Huîtres
136 rue Saint-Maur - 75011 Paris
Tél: 01.48.06.02.47
Open every day till 1 am except monday

Irish Eyes, October 2001 / I love raw oysters and I love sushi. La Cale aux Huîtres is an oyster and sushi restaurant. They also serve fish and vegetables with a French-Japanese twist. The gaily coloured interior reminds me of a beachside cabana complete with a boat-shaped bar and pinewood tables and benches. We were the only customers there but no staff could be found. Finally someone came out of the kitchen and seated us. We ordered and were served an amuse-bouche of whelks. These peppery sea snails are delicious and stubbornly resist being removed from their shells. We sipped saké and plum wine while I impressed Nikki (or tried to) with my extensive knowledge of oysters.

The fines de claires oysters begin their live in the estuaries along the atlantic coast of the Charentes Maritimes region in France. As "spat" (oysters larvae), they desperately fight the tides and currents to cling onto the wire lines the oystermen stretch under the water at the mouths of the estuaries. After a year of feeding in the estuary waters (the combinaison of fresh and sea water gives them hypertrophy of the liver, thus fattening them), the 1-inch oysters are harvested and loaded into wire mesh bags. Then they are trucked five hours to the northern coast of Brittany where they are laid onto large metal racks on beaches. Here they spend two years drinking 400 litres of tidal water per day and trapping tiny plankton and algae in the cilia lining their shells. After this intensive feeding they are loaded onto trucks again and returned to their native estuaries for another 1 to 2 years. A month before being sold, the oysters are taken from the estuaries and lain in a 3'feet-deep rectangular beds about 500 meters from the shore. These beds are efd with seawater that has been naturally filtered through the ground. The oysters drink this water absorbing an algae called the Haslea Ostrearia or "navicule bleue" until they acquire a pretty greenish-blue tinge on their "lungs". This alga imparts a particularly succulent flavour to the oyster as well as vitamins and fatty acids. At this point the "ostreiculteur" can claim they are fines de laires.

Nikki yawned and ordered some more plum wine as my dozen fines de claires n°3 were served with two slices of "crépinette" sausage. This fried sausage is a great accompaniment to oysters and is made of pork, nuts and duck cooked in Jurançon wine. Nikki delved into her delicious vegetable salad composed of chopped cabbage, daikon radish, seaweed, pickeld ginger and cucumber with a sesame oil and sesame seed dressing. By now the restaurant was packed with cheerful customers. Nikki sat with a mysterious smile as she watched me devour every oyster and drink the briny "liqueur" in each shell. The she informed me that the tasty liquid is actually oyster urine.She always has to hace the last word.

I sulked until our main courses were served. Nikki ordered a mixed grill of gambas served with marinated and sautées plantains, carrots and mushrooms with white rice all covered with sesame seeds. The shrimp were too sweet for me - apparently they were marinated in the same sauce as the vegetables

The whole plate was tepid. I happily ate a plate of 7 "huîtres chaudes Charentaise", oysters baked with a garlic and parsley dressing. They were nice but did not compare to the nutty flavour of their raw counterparts. We were still quite hungry and ordered some sushi to round out the meal. My California roll was remarkable, the salmon and avocado were buttery and fresh and the nori (poryphora seaweed) covering melted away. Nikki cucumber maki was equally delicious.

Our total bill came to 60 €. When I return I will eat only oysters, sushi and salads. The service was slow, but the staff is very kind and efficient considering how many people had to be served.

by Marc Cosnard Des Closets