Mermaid and the Oyster: The Lobster Roll that will change your life
The Mermaid and the Oyster, 351 Kerr Street @ Washington Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3B7
351 Kerr Street @ Washington Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3B7
On a corner street of the picturesque Oakville neighbourhood, Kerr Village is a fresh seafood market that also serves sandwiches and boiled lobster. They make the best lobster roll I’ve ever had. It’s so good that it’s worth putting up with the atrociously rude customer service. The staff at The Mermaid and the Oyster are the no-nonsense, prickly-around-the-edges PEI fisherman type, they don’t have time for pesky questions from snap-happy food bloggers. I learned that the hard way but as soon as I bit into that lobster roll, I knew I could overlook any rude service. Over the summer, line-ups loop around the corner for this incredible lobster roll. I can see why.
Lucky Limey oyster, The Mermaid and the Oyster, 351 Kerr Street @ Washington Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3B7
While we waited for our sandwiches, I slurped up a couple of oysters fresh that day. An oyster that I’ve never tried in Vancouver (or have even heard of) was the Lucky Limey, named for it’s green shell. The Lucky Limey was smooth, clean and fresh. The Glacier Bay oyster was meatier and a tad on the brinier side but it was equally delicious and silky in texture.
Lucky Limey and Glacier Bay oysters, The Mermaid and the Oyster, 351 Kerr Street @ Washington Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3B7
Glacier Bay oyster, The Mermaid and the Oyster, 351 Kerr Street @ Washington Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3B7
Now for that glorious lobster roll. I was impressed by the giant chunks of lobster in this sandwich. The lobster was very lightly dressed with mayonnaise and some lemon juice, but the seafood was mainly left naked to shine on its own. And boy, did the lobster meat ever taste fresh, juicy, succulent and moist, I barely swallowed my first bite before I hungrily bit in for more. The soft bun was toasted on both sides with butter which only enhanced that incredibly sweet and tender lobster meat.
Lobster roll, The Mermaid and the Oyster, 351 Kerr Street @ Washington Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3B7
There’s just something about east coast lobsters that can’t be beat – they’re meatier, bigger and drenched in so much more flavour than wimpier, daintier westcoast shell fish.
Lobster roll, The Mermaid and the Oyster, 351 Kerr Street @ Washington Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3B7
I can’t wait to go back for my next lobster roll. I can tell I’m not alone. Judging from the celeb photos plastered on the wall inside The Mermaid and the Oyster, the Toronto Maple Leafs and other hockey players also love this place. Maybe I’ll spot one of them at my next visit. Does Ryan Kesler like lobster?