Tasting Tips From Vancouver’s New Fanny Bay Oyster Bar

Oh, shucks! Have you not heard the good news yet?

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar, Vancouver’s first true tide-to-table experience opens in the Stadium District. The 50-seater dining room offers “a number of rare varieties of oysters delivered fresh from our farms each day,” says General Manager Issac Martin del Campo. There’s something for everyone at the oyster bar: daily happy hour specials, weekend brunch service, and even a retail shellfish market for home cooking (get fresh, live, or frozen oysters, mussels, lobster, crab – you name it). —Miranda Sam

Chef Chris Andraza, formerly of Rodney’s Oyster House, shares with Vitamin Daily readers how to pair his signature in-house sauces with each varietal:

Fanny Bay

Flavour Profile: Sweet and salty, slightly metallic, pronounced cucumber.

Sauce: Watermelon Chili — sweet, spicy and refreshing all at once; balances out the brininess of the oyster and brings out the cucumber.  

Royal Miyagi 

Flavour Profile: Vegetal, with fresh notes of parsley and a hint of lavender

Sauce:Apple Cider Mignonette — small bubbles awaken the taste buds; apples bring sweetness and a touch of apple cider vinegar balances it all out; shallots add the perfect crunch.

Kusshi

Flavour Profile: Clean, mildly sweet, delicately meaty.

Sauce: Mango Habanero — sweet yet spicy; a perfect combination with this plump, deep cup jewel (perfect for oyster virgins!).  

Golden Mantle

Flavour Profile: Full-flavored, sweet ivory meat with a deep cup and melon finish

Sauce: Chef’s Signature Cocktail Sauce – fresh horseradish adds just the right amount of heat and texture.

Mattaki 

Flavour Profile: Filled to the brim with plump, dense meat; comes with the bite and chew of a Kusshi, but the salinity and mild earthiness of a Kumamoto.

Sauce: Best enjoyed with just a couple drops of lemon to truly let the flavours shine. 

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar, 762 Cambie Street, Vancouver, 778-379-9510, www.fannybayoysters.com