Bliss in a shell

Fortunately for his oyster-and-meat loving patrons, Oyster & Chop's executive chef Darren Lim is not into serving nouvelle cuisine-style tiny portions.

He'd rather people come in and have a good feed of fresh oysters, followed by a succulent steak for dinner, with creamed potato and roasted cauliflower cheese on the side.

As the weather warms up he's expecting more of the after-work crowd to take advantage of the restaurant's happy hour; between 4pm and 7pm each day rock oysters are $2 each, Bluff oysters $3. From Wednesday to Friday a chef will shuck the shellfish live at the oyster bar.

In the summer Lim expects to get through up to 120 dozen a day. There's even an oyster menu. "Big Fat" Bay of Islands rock oysters are grown for three years before harvest, marking them larger and creamier; "Kaipara" are grown in the nutrient-rich waters of the Kaipara Harbour, giving them a creamy texture with "notes of citrus and a fresh cucumber finish". Te Matuku come from Waiheke Island, Orongo Bay from Russell and "Wild Stick" are found in the wider Bay of Islands area.

Diners can also have oyster shots, like bubbles and Lemoncello pearls, or hot oysters from the menu - such as tempura with aioli and lemon or served with kimchi, pork belly and chilli butter.

But for the most part clients swallow them natural. One day Lim watched a couple of diners happily work their way through 14 dozen oysters between them.

And then there was the man who came in last month and ordered the July special, a Tomahawk scotch fillet, recommended to share between four, just for himself. The lone diner did pretty well; he nearly finished it but not quite.

Lim gets a Tomahawk from the chiller to demonstrate. It's enormous - platter, not plate, size.

Lim is fussy about his meat. He sources it from top suppliers like the Neat Meat Company.
"We use the best cuts we can find," he says. "If the better quality cuts are out of Australia then I'll do it."

His specialty is the Wagyu Hanger, the hanging tender taken from the diaphragm of a steer or heifer. There's only a little of it on each animal and it became known as the Butcher's Cut of steak because butchers often kept it for themselves.

But Lim is happy to share. He disappears to cook me a sample, served well seasoned and grilled rare. It's the most divine piece of meat I've ever eaten. Tender, juicy, full of flavour, melt-in-the-mouth delicious. At $49 for 200 gm it's not cheap but worth every cent and so rich I couldn't have eaten any more.

But Oyster & Chop is not just about oysters and meat. Yes, they'll cater for gluten-free vegans with allergies. There's chicken and fish on the menu, as well as favourites like braised lamb shanks and venison loin served with brandy whipped yams, Cipollini onions and worcestershire butter.

Oyster & Chop, Market Place, Viaduct Harbour. Open seven days, 11am until late.

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