The nephew of my wife, an avid oyster lover, is currently visiting us from Hong Kong. Though there are plenty of decent oyster bars overthere, however, products they offer are mainly from Japan, down under or Europe. Finding a good diverse selection of North America, East and West coast bi-valves for tasting are a rarity!
Since our focus will be devouring products from the raw bar rather than cooked food, we therefore decide to stay in our neighbourhood and eat at the ‘questionable cooked food‘, Diana’s Seafood in Markham.
The driving condition was so bad, we had to call the restaurant three times to extend our reservation time … .from 12.45 pm to 1.30 pm!!
To reward our bravery and loyalty, our super friendly lady server extended and offered us their week-day ‘ Shuck fifty for a buck fifty ‘ premium oyster special! Featuring a mix of both East and West coast oysters……French Kiss, Lucky Lime, Katama Bay, Raspberry Point, Malpeque, Fanny Bay, Kusshi and Arcadian Gold ….etc. This was one hell of an offer and an incredible deal. However, for the passionate oyster lover in me, what really made my day was the availability of two of my favorite varietal, the priced and hard to find, French Gillardeau and the plump, mellow and meaty Effingham ( medium ) from BC. With the large size Gillardeau priced at $7.00 each, I was ecstatic to hear that currently, a platter of the priced French molluscs is being offered for only $52 for a dozen! Another unexpected great deal! To that we also added half a dozen of Little Neck Clams…..so crunchy, chewy and sweet and a few of the huge and meaty Effinghams!
Overall, our oyster feast was absolutely delightful featuring pristine, fresh bi-valves that’s as good as it gets! Well worth braving the weather for!
Lastly, contrary to some of the disparaging, negative reviews found on food blogs trashing Diana’s cooked food. The selection we ordered was surprisingly well executed, more than acceptable and enjoyable. Stand outs included the delightful and hearty clam chowder, superb, nicely battered, on-greasy fish and chips, generous, tasty Crab sandwiches and the scrumptious Molten Lava Chocolate cake dessert!
We made it home safely, though the drive was a huge challenge!
