Review: Whitstable Oyster Company, Whitstable

Ever been to Whitstable? No? You should go, it’s a treat. Lovely old seaside town, very warmly gentrified now with loads of good food and shops. And of course, oysters. You could actually make a brilliant long weekend on the north Kent coast. Faversham is another charming little town, steeped in history with some amazing buildings (and a nifty converted tin chapel called “Hot Tin” that does good coffee). At the very tip of Kent, you’ve got Ramsgate and Margate which are both a bit more like recovering bucket-and-spade resorts of yesteryear but definitely have charming corners. And then there’s Sandwich, a bijou little medieval walled port town, perfect for a ramble around.

Anyway, back in Whitstable there are two superb culinary reasons to go there: one is The Sportsman, just one of Britain’s greatest restaurants, and the other is Wheelers, a tiny no-frills front-room seafood restaurant that serves up all the best stuff that comes out of the sea here. If you didn’t book ahead, you’ll probably have to forego those. May I suggest the Whitstable Oyster Company instead?

Right on the seafront, with an old cobbled slipway scattered with discarder oyster shells visible out the window, this is a barn of a place that includes a restaurant, a bar, a cafe and a homewares shop. All of it is charmingly coastal-shabby. But we’re here for the seafood.

Four rock oysters come grilled with champagne and truffle butter. Good, although there was a surprising amount of bits of shell on a couple of the shucked oysters. None of that with the two plump, magnificent native oysters served straight on ice. Could have had a few more of these, but we were only after a light lunch after all. And hey, here’s a magnificent pink mountain of smokey truffled taramasalata! This was deluxe and clever, ‘cos the earthy truffle fragrance actually paired beautifully with the silky cod roe. Last up, a crab and leek gratin. Really rather filthy and splendid, although to be fair the crab was a little overwhelmed by the leeky cheese.

Prices are what you’d expect for quality seafood, £3.50 for the wonderful native oysters, £8-10 for the small plates like the gratin or the taramasalata. Lots of good drink options. If you’ve rocked up in Whitstable unplanned, I’d head here.