Sydney’s best restaurants and bars for oysters and a martini

Champagne with oysters is all well and good, and there’s a lot to be said about pairing briny Sydney rocks with the high-acid, wet-stone qualities of Sancerre. Guinness and oysters is a match made in Irish pub heaven, and one of my favourite ways to eat Australian bivalves is with a six-pack of Tooheys Old on the bank of any given river.

A martini and oysters, though? It doesn’t get any better, as long as the martini is murderously cold, and the oysters are in top form (which they are always in Australia in the dead of winter). The first jolting sip of martini to make the cares of the day fall away; then the richness of a peak condition oyster shucked to order. Brilliant.

The drier the martini, the better the palate cleanser to allow each new oyster’s flavour to run long and clean. Kudos to anywhere that offers various oysters to taste the difference between regions and estuaries. Anyone who suggests you sip cold vodka or gin immediately after an oyster (or caviar, for that matter) should be approached with caution. That certainly won’t happen at these following bars and restaurants, which treat both martinis and oysters with the utmost respect.

Rockpool Bar & Grill, CBD

Neil Perry has long left the art deco building, but Rockpool Bar & Grill remains wholly committed to showcasing Australia’s best produce. Oysters are beautifully handled and served on ice, and the bar is one of Sydney’s most sense-of-occasion spots for a quick cocktail and steak frites. At $30, the house martini is getting up there, but the high ceilings and precise service help justify the price. Perry, meanwhile, delivers a strong martini and oyster service at Margaret in Double Bay.

Elliott’s, Balmain

How great is happy hour on a Sunday afternoon? From Wednesday to Sunday, between 4pm and 6pm, Elliott’s sends out $3 oysters and $8 “mini” martinis, which seem closer to the standard pour and some CBD steakhouses. Every Friday and Saturday night, the same deal kicks in again at 9pm, and with former Kiln and Oncore chef Brad Crowle taking over the kitchen in June, there’s never been a better time to revisit the former Efendy site.

Morrison’s Oyster Bar & Grill, CBD

Unshucked oysters from at least four Australian farms are displayed in a cabinet which also displays plus-size prawns and caviar at this handsome steak-forward joint, and every Wednesday – for one hour from 6pm – those oysters are $2 each. Oysters kilpatrick continues the Sydney leg of its nationwide comeback tour here, and although bacon and Worcestershire are rubbish with a martini (even The Morrison’s Never Never Oyster Shell Gin and oloroso sherry version), the combination is an all-timer with pink champagne.

Mister Grotto, Newtown

With a curved, wood-panelled roof and lots of nautical knick-knacks, Mister Grotto is the next best thing to eating South Coast oysters at the source. The seafood-championing bar has its own “Mister Grotto Reserve” Sydney rock hand-selected by Sandingroove Oysters on the Sapphire Coast, and you can usually expect a few other fresh-shucked options from Merimbula, Wapengo and wherever the clean-water farming is good. Try them with a house martini underlined by seaweed and sake.

Shell House, CBD

For a plush multi-level venue with “shell” in the name, Margaret Street’s bar, bistro and two-hatted restaurant delivers on its promise. Menzies Bar on the ground level is Shell House’s most New York-ish spot for post-work oysters and a stiff drink, while Sky Bar’s “Golden Hour” special on the rooftop between 4pm and 6pm spruiks $2 oysters from Tuesday to Saturday. In June, the dining room and terrace hosted “Oysters at The House”, a day of tastings with more than a dozen of NSW’s best oyster farmers and no shortage of Hunter Valley semillon. The event was such a success, it’s already confirmed for next year.