This destination restaurant in the quaint fishing village of Paternoster pulls the regulars and seagulls in and out of season. Graham Howe visits The Noisy Oyster.

Food

Although the focus is on West Coast seafood, carnivores will find meatier fare on the menu, from poultry and pasta to steak. On the fishy side, whet your appetite with raw or poached oysters, billed as West Coast Viagra, snoek fishcakes, flash-fried sardines or pan-fried calamari with piquant paprika, lemon and aioli. After all, the restaurant is close enough to the sea to hear the surf pound the beach on a wild night.

Steamed mussels at The Noisy Oyster. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Top-quality ingredients get a gourmet spin in the kitchen, with globetrotting signature dishes like Malaysian laksa (a spicy seafood coconut broth) and oven-baked Cape salmon or whole stumpnose (caught on a hand line) served with crushed potatoes and capers.

Chef knows his sage butter from his beurre noisette, and surprises diners with a gastronomic twist on pairing flavours. The salads are fresh and creative, the portions hearty and wholesome.

Unassuming and consistently good, The Noisy Oyster never fails to surprise, delivering an authentic West Coast dining experience at reasonable prices.

Drinks

Look forward to a good, well-priced range of wines by the glass and bottle, with tempting cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc from nearby Darling wineries to match the seafood.

A roaring fire at The Noisy Oyster. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Service

Attentive and warm. Blankets are offered to offset the ocean breeze on a chilly evening.

Ambience

This rustic family-friendly venue is as chilled out as the hammock and beach umbrellas in the courtyard, and as warm as the brightly painted wooden tables and evening lanterns. Chess and trivial pursuits are available on the tables for you to while away the time.

The seating at The Noisy Oyster. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

And…

Check out the blackboard for the day’s specials: fresh West Coast line fish, Saldanha mussels and oysters, and whole crayfish as the star in season.

Eat Out critics dine anonymously and pay for their meals in full. Read the editorial policy here.

Have you heard the surf crash on the beach on a wild night at The Noisy Oyster in Paternoster? Let us know what you thought of the seafood by writing a review.