Fitzroy Oyster House Does Exactly What The Name Says

After 13 years running Longplay, chef Tim Richmond knew his next venue would be smaller, more focused and a little more personal. At Fitzroy Oyster House, that focus is right there in the name. 

Richmond has long been fascinated by oysters – not only eating them, but understanding how the waters they’re grown in can change what ends up on the plate. He and co-owner Sunny Leunig, a director, travelled to the Sapphire Coast in New South Wales, meeting farmers and documenting Sydney rock oysters and the influence of tide, water and place on their flavour. 

That trip became the foundation for their casual oyster and wine bar on George Street. “I like the fact that people don’t need to spend a lot [here],” Richmond says. “You can just have a pot of beer and an oyster.” 

Consult the blackboard to see what’s available – generally three to five types of oyster. Recent picks include award-winning Tathra Oysters, Wapengo Rocks Wild Organic Oysters and Merimbula Gourmet Oysters. Sydney rock oysters are a particular focus, prized for the subtle sweetness Richmond says sets them apart from their Pacific counterparts: “They’re sweet, they’re native and they’re just a very special food.” 

Here, they’re served with lemon. Mignonette is there if you ask, but the kitchen is reluctant to bury them under the usual arsenal of Tabasco, Worcestershire and vinegar. Part of the point is tasting the oyster itself, and understanding the differences arising from where each one was grown. 

Beyond the shells, the European-influenced seafood menu centres on small plates and a changing fish of the day. Richmond shucks oysters at the front bar, keeping service deliberately close to the customer, while the space (previously home to Min Lokal) extends into a middle dining room and courtyard out back.

The drinks list follows the same tight brief. After more than a decade tasting and pouring wine at Longplay, Richmond resisted building an encyclopaedic list. Instead, whites dominate, chosen for freshness, acidity and minerality, alongside a concise selection of sparkling and red wines. 

“It’s very much an oyster wine list,” he says. “Everything is high-acid – young wines that I really like and that I know work with oysters.” 

One current favourite is a fresh, breezy vermentino. There’s also muscadet, the famously oyster-friendly Loire white, and Martinis, naturally. Very cold ones.

The restraint is intentional. Fitzroy Oyster House isn’t trying to pigeonhole oysters as a special-occasion items. It’s somewhere to settle in for seafood and a bottle of wine, or stop by for a single freshly shucked oyster and a drink. And the chef isn’t finished tinkering. Smoking oysters in-house and experimenting with seasonal preparations are both on the cards. For a bar devoted to one of the ocean’s simplest pleasures, there’s plenty left to explore.

Fitzroy Oyster House
422 George Street, Fitzroy

Hours
Wed & Thu 5pm–10pm
Fri to Sun 1pm–10pm

fitzroyoysterhouse.com
@fitzroyoysterhouse