Eating oysters is like kissing the sea on the lips

And there they were, laid out on a cold bed of glistening ice, all of them open, soft, and ready. 

I’m at Atelier 317 on a gloomy June weekend to have my very first taste of Fines de Claires oysters.

French poet Leon-Paul Fargue once said that eating oysters is “like kissing the sea on the lips,” and, as anyone who has ever drawn fresh oysters into their mouths will say, the taste and experience is at the same time sensual and raw. I’ve never once thought of describing gnarly-shelled crustaceans as regal, but there they were: translucent, unusually uniform in shape, less fleshy than our local variety, and perfectly splayed out on their luminous half shells. They almost make you feel lucky to have had an audience with them. I gingerly squeezed some lemon on one and carefully tried to put it into my mouth with one gentle suck.

Gourmands say that if you pay attention, you can always taste the land from where a food item comes from. These oysters are mild, juicy, with a very soft yet firm texture. Not as salty and fleshy as some of our local varieties. They’re like shy little oysters that were sheltered their whole lives and have lived in only the cleanest and prettiest oceans.

“Fines de Claires oysters are harvested from the St. Luzac sea beds when they are 30 months old and then placed in claires (ponds) for two to four more months, “ shares Kerrie Anne Legaspi of Chef Selection, exclusive importers of Fines de Claires to the Philippines. “This approach gives them their mild flavor,” she adds.

Fines de Claires taste clean with no chewy, rubbery bits and no lingering metallic aftertaste — the perfect variety for someone trying oysters for the first time or someone who doesn’t usually enjoy eating them raw. The experience is smooth, clean, and simply elegant.

To make this rainy-day treat even sweeter, the fresh oysters are paired with some of its homeland’s world-famous products. “We’re serving these Fines de Claires oysters with a fine selection of French cheese and wine from June 28 to the end of July,” shares Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi of Atelier 317.

That rainy afternoon, Steph paired the oysters with creamy Reblochon, made from uncooked pressed milk from the region of the Alps. Coming from the same family as Brie, the texture is soft with a nutty taste and a noticeable herbal aroma. It tastes like it came from the milk of a happy cow grazing on pretty grass — a natural complement to my precious little French oysters.

“It’s been common practice to pair cheese with red wine, but if you want to be technical, cheeses are always best paired with white wine,” reveals Thomas Bonhomme, national sales coordinator of Sommelier Selection, distributors of fine wine. “The mild flavors complement the subtle nuances of the cheese.” This surprised me as I’ve always had red wine with my cheese, but as it turns out, the practice came out of practicality. “Families usually have red wine with their meals. To open a bottle of white wine just for the cheese would seem wasteful.”

Today, deciding to be indulgent and proper, we pair the perfect oysters and pretty cheese with Petit Fumé-Pouilly Fume, a crisp white wine from the Loire Valley. “This is one of my favorites from our selection. The taste is gentle and rich and you never get a hangover the day after,” shares Jeanne Marie Panis, sales associate of Sommelier Selection. “They only use environmentally friendly pesticides on these grapes if needed, and not as a usual practice. This results in a clean, organic taste.”

I’m a wine novice and I just always gratefully sip whatever is served to me, but this white wine truly tasted wonderful. It was crisp, fresh, and fruity — the perfect partner to our seemingly very feminine and sensual spread of smooth oysters and soft cheese.

After the indulgent spread of oyster kisses from the French ocean, creamy cheese from the Alps, and fragrant wine from the Loire Valley, I step out into the dusk drizzle with happy lips and a full heart — grateful for this brief yet thoroughly satisfying French encounter on a rainy June afternoon.

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La Festivales des Indulgences at Atelier 317 will run from June 28 to the end of July. Fines de Claires oysters will be served with Truffle Salami from Germany and fine French cheese and wine from the Sommelier Selection. Atelier 317 is at the ground floor of Palm Rock Bldg., 6060 Palma cor. Osias street, Poblacion, Makati, tel. nos. 358-0987 and 0917-830-8393.