Oyster Express in Chinatown, East Vancouver

I really enjoy fresh shucked oysters. They’re not something I eat every day, to be sure, but they’re nice to have as a treat every now and then. You might remember when I last wrote about the “buck a shuck” special at the now-closed Merchant’s Oyster Bar on Commercial Drive. Today, we’re heading over to Chinatown for Oyster Express. And yes, I realize how odd that sentence may sound.

The truth of the matter is that Vancouver’s Chinatown today is decidedly different from the Chinatown of my childhood. The “lo wah kiu” (older generations of Chinese immigrants) are far outnumbered by more recent immigrants these days. As a result, many “old shops” have now been “gentrified” and repurposed into other businesses.

To the best of my recollection, the Oyster Express location on the southwest corner of Keefer and Gore was once occupied by a corner store. Well, I shouldn’t say “corner store.” It was more like a shop that sold random knick-knacks, like slippers, nail clippers and umbrellas. I might be thinking of Pender and Gore; correct me in the comments if you can recall for certain.

Now, it’s an oyster spot. The decor is decidedly simple with minimal seating. The menu is equally brief. Beyond the raw shucked oysters — the daily selection of 8 to 10 varieties runs about $2 to $5 each — you’ll find a prawn cocktail ($12.95), grilled cheese sandwich ($8.95), and chicken wings ($13.95/pound), for instance.

But, of course, you’re here for the oysters. When my dining companion John Chow asked, the guy behind the counter said they go through around 400 to 500 oysters on a decent day, more on a busy day. Considering there’s only seating for about a dozen people, that’s quite a lot of shucking!

Each day, Oyster Express features two oysters on special: one regular one and one premium one. Here, you see the premium oyster on the day of our visit: Raspberry Point for $2.95 each. Raspberry Point is located in Prince Edward Island. We ordered a dozen each.

Even before diving in, two things struck me about these oysters right away. First, the surface is remarkably smooth and flat. Just the shape looked different than other oysters I’ve had before. Second, there is minimal “fringing” (I’m sure that’s not the right word) around the body of the oyster. In short, they just look premium.

And, indeed, they taste premium too. While I’m certainly no expert, I think I prefer east coast oysters over west coast oysters. These were relatively small, sweet and briny. Excellent stuff.

To go along with the lemon and freshly grated horseradish on the iced oyster platter itself, Oyster Express also offers an array of condiments. From left to the right, there’s hot pepper-infused pure vodka, a classic cocktail sauce, a mignonette sauce, and a bottle of Tabasco. I guess you could say the pint of Old Jalopy pale ale was also a condiment. (It was on special too.)

The pepper-infused vodka was my favorite, as it combines two different kinds of heat. You will want to dab it on sparingly since it can pack a significant punch if you put too much.

After each of us finished polishing off a dozen (each!) of the Raspberry Point oysters, John and I decided to share a dozen of the Pink Pearl oysters, which were their oyster of the day at $1.50 each. These are harvested from Denman Island (Sla-dai-aich), one of the Northern Gulf Islands here in British Columbia.

The Pink Pearl contrast significantly from the Raspberry Point, particularly in the areas I highlighted above. Pink Pearl oysters are visibly larger and plumper, decidedly less “flat” than the Raspberry Point. There’s a lot more of the dark “fringe” around the edge too. And whereas the Raspberry Point oysters were small, sweet and briny, the Pink Pearl oysters were fatter and more buttery.

It’s a matter of personal preference, to be sure. Myself, I like the Raspberry Point.

So, for a total of three dozen oysters and two pints of beer, the bill came to a little over $100 including tax but before gratuity. That might sound like a lot, but it’s not every day that you consume 18 oysters each for dinner. Thanks again to John Chow for the invite (and for paying for dinner).

Oyster Express is located at 296 Keefer Street at Gore Avenue in Chinatown. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Happy hour runs until 7 p.m. Check out John’s video below for more from our visit there.