Boris Stojanovic
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OYSTER FARM SHOP – American River, Kangaroo Island
The Best Find Ever!
We arrived on Kangaroo Island outside of the prime tourist season and are so glad we did because we may not have discovered the Oyster Farm Shop otherwise. During a chat with a local in Kingscote it was recommended to us to go to the shop if we like seafood. Thank goodness we took that advice.
Forget fine dining, there is no need for silverware, getting dressed up or anything of the like. In fact you can turn as relaxed as can possibly be. The people are laid back and super friendly, and they know their product.
The Oyster Farm Shop is exactly that a shop front to sell the oysters they farm nearby in the river. Along with other fresh seafood and provedore items they source from other local businesses. The business runs on exceptional core values and is based on a sustainability and healthy model.
There is a menu, sort of, not really, well there are about two options. Just go for the daily harvest!
The Farm Shop Aquaplatter is a great way to taste the aquaculture and sustainable seafood from the island including Marron or King George Whiting, abalone and of course Oysters.
This is not a restaurant, fish and chip shop or a fish monger – they don’t even have a deep fryer! It's a harvest of the day concept so each day the menu options may be different. That is the beauty of the place, the freshness of the food.
It’s a funky little farm gate where the menu is based on fresh from ocean, best local product, grilled simply to allow visitors to the island to experience the beautiful island produce. The cutlery and crockery is all recyclable. Yep, it’s recyclable knives and forks, plates and the platter is served in a cardboard box that is also recycled. I’m not joking, this is the best box of goodies you will find.
So after having done a couple of hours of walking in the morning (we saw the farm) we decided it was time to relax and have some lunch. Our box was filled with absolute delights. Remember this is for just two people.
Naturally, there were a dozen oysters and you could genuinely taste the freshness, the best I have ever had. The dozen mussels were superb and just about my favourite part of the meal. Four pieces of perfectly grilled King George Whiting, wonderfully flavoured smoked mullet, prawns and a fish dip to smear on the island baked ciabatta were all delicious. There were big servings of coleslaw and a green salad and a number of dipping sauces to round out the options. Take a look at the picture to get an idea of just how much food we ate. This is what the word feast means.
Oh, and the best part of all, the box was just $100 for the two of us. That’s right, just $50 each for the freshest seafood you will try.
You want hidden treasures, well the Oyster Farm Shop is just that and so worth a visit. Kangaroo Island is amazing and should be somewhere you visit. This is the bonus for getting there.
