The Oyster Bar
395 Narathiwas, Soi 24
Tel. 02 212-4809
Mobile. 089-895-2762
Opening Hours: Closed Monday; Tues-Sat 6pm-11:00pm; Sun 6pm-10:00pm
email: info@theoysterbarbangkok.com
www.theoysterbarbangkok.com
Credit Cards: Visa, MC
Prices: Moderate

The Oyster Bar is located directly across the street from the Oakwood City Residence on Soi 24. Bill Marinelli, fondly known as “Billy” is the owner, and you can find him on most evenings, behind the counter shucking oysters while sporting a red bandana on his head, quite a character in his own right. He spent some time in San Francisco during the eighties and Billy and I recalled a few people we both knew including a Frenchman who introduced the cultivation of French Belon oysters in California for the first time and his partner, in charge of the financial end of the business, and I believe a Swiss, who had an attractive, black mistress with a gregarious personality from Mississippi called Odella. He opened an oyster bar for her in the middle of the financial district in San Francisco and called it Odella’s and put her in charge, to sell Belon and other oysters, which their company were farm-raising at Pigeon Point.
In Bangkok at The Oyster Bar, the oyster selection changes frequently as shipments arrive twice a week, (unheard of in Bangkok as once-a-week is the norm) on Tuesday and Friday from Washington State. On the night I was there they had on display: Belon, Kumamoto, Skookum Inlet, Eld Inlet oysters all from Washington State, USA.
They also were showing Little Neck Clams and a delicacy rarely, if ever, found in Southeast Asia, Dungeness Crab!