BY KELLY BESWICK
From start to finish our dinner at the Noisy Oyster was a genuine blinder, displaying such innovative and sublime seafood cookery that I’m finding myself still salivating about it more than a week later. It’s no wonder then that the place was already heaving on the mid-week, early evening of our visit.
Located in Nicholls Clarke Yard, named after the Victorian builders’ merchant that previously occupied the site and is now part of the fabulous Norton Folgate development, the Noisy Oyster may look all ‘old London town’ on the outside, but step inside and you are transported into a minimalist, futuristic space. Dubbed by one recent diner as an ‘industrial, work-in-progress aesthetic’, it certainly forms a striking backdrop and one which, as we soon discover, is perfectly apt for the unusual and attention-grabbing dishes that emanate from the kitchen.
Initially seated at a corner table, the arrival of a surprise guest necessitated a move to the chrome-clad counter in front of the bar, which was fine by us, being closer to the action and closer to the Crémant and signature martinis we’d ordered to kick off the proceedings.
We began with the snack section of the menu, ordering an oyster nugget each. These duly arrived on their shells, battered and deep-fried with Parmesan mayonnaise and Oscietra black caviar on top and a dusting of paprika for good measure. It seemed wrong that such a carefully crafted bivalve could be devoured in one mouthful, but suffice to say its deliciousness lingers on.
From the raw section, we decided to stick with the oyster theme choosing half a dozen of the little fellas, accompanied by a mouth-tingling raspberry shallot vinegar. To help our mouths tingle even more, the barman handed us a glass dropper of fermented scallop roe hot sauce, which we liberally applied and was a great addition, taking the already fantastic oysters to another level.
Next came a flurry of starters – we ordered four as we wanted to sample as many as was decently possible, and not a single one of them disappointed. The red caviar toast, which consisted of Yarra Valley salmon roe, whipped butter and Guinness bread proved the perfect blend of textures, with the dense, dark bread and creamy butter the ideal foil to the eggs, which upon consumption popped to release a burst of briny flavour.
Our charming waitress had steered us towards the monkfish skewers, and we were very pleased she did. These arrived in an anchovy sauce in the style of an XO and had us unashamedly using our fingers to clean the plate. The fish, meanwhile, was beautifully moist and seasoned to perfection, with slithers of sweet Tropea onion also adorning the skewers while thinly sliced, silky lardo graced the top.
Bottarga, sour cream and chives managed to turn the humble baked potato into something to be fought over, albeit with this spud coming in hassleback form, with its precise incisions making it all the better to soak up the flavours.
And last but not least in our quartet of starters were the crab doughnut holes, which arrived as three golden orbs. This meant we didn’t have to divvy them up and could truly savour their crisp outer shells, giving way to a fluffy interior filled with crabmeat. They arrived nestled on a pool of crab custard, which thanks to the inclusion of the brown meat, was rich and punchy, while a sprinkling of grated orange zest brought a delightful citrusy note.
After so many dishes, we knew that a single main to share would more than suffice, and boy, did we luck out in our choice. We’d decided on the grilled monkfish, and it was a whopper, laying there in all its grilled glory on a bed of the most divine almond sauce, while scattered samphire added an additional note of saltiness. Our earlier choice of a Vinho Verde proved to be such an excellent one that we ordered another bottle on the arrival of the main course, and as we had strongly suspected it was a match made in heaven. So often this Portuguese wine can be a little too green and acidic, but not this one, being balanced, but with a complex flavour profile that paired amazingly with all that we ate.
I’m pleased to announce that the fishy theme stretched all the way to dessert, with us again deciding to share, this time a soft serve with churros and caviar. My goodness, what an incredible sweet and salty combination this proved to be, and one that I am planning on replicating in my own kitchen. In fact, if I could, I’d replicate the entire meal!
Noisy Oyster, 2 Nicholls and Clarke Yard, London E1 6SH
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