SOS Charcoal Seafood is a new restaurant on Glenferrie Road, which my friend pointed out has actually got quite a few great restaurants, must visit more often! George, the owner of SOS Charcoal Seafood explained to us that the restaurant specialises in all forms of seafood, and features the use of a charcoal oven, which can heat up to 1000 degrees! Because of the hotness of the oven, no oil is required, resulting in healthy and delicious seafood.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the most recent Zomato Meetup at SOS Charcoal Seafood, and I had such a blast mingling with my fellow foodies over some amazing Bloody Mary Oyster Shots!
We started at The Fish Shop, where there were four types of tin can seafood being served with some bread.
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| Clockwise: Pickled Octopus, Sardine in Olive Oil, Bread and Biscuit, Anchovies and Smoked Kieler Sprats |
The anchovy was a surprise favourite, briny and fatty, it paired perfectly with the bread!
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| Bloody Mary Oyster Shots |
I was quite skeptical about these oyster shots, I mean, come on, it sounds a little strange right? But omg, these were AMAZING. Like seriously, we kept going back for more haha. They were kind of like cold tomato soup with a hidden surprise, I could barely taste the vodka! Not sure if that's a good thing though...
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| Traditional Fried Calamari and Chips |
The calamari strips were very fresh and was fried to perfection! A light seasoning of pepper was all that was needed to enhance the flavour.
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| From Left to Right: White Taramosalata, Mixed Beans Salad, Pickled Octopus, Wakame Seaweed Salad, Kimchi |
I really liked the white taramosalata, which was milder than traditional taramosalata. The pickled octopus was acidic and quite a palate cleanser.
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| Oyster Bar |
There was a oyster bar set up for us to have a go at shucking some oysters on our own, and I gotta say, it is so much harder than it looks!
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| Trying to learn the skills from the master |
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| Failing so hard... |
Seriously, it looks deceptively easy, but when I tried to shuck it, the oyster would not open no matter how hard I pushed :(
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| Freshly Shucked Oysters |
After some help, I was finally awarded with some yummy oysters! The freshness can be tasted, and it was probably some of the best oysters I've ever had!
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| Grilled Octopus with Wild Rice Salad |
The octopus was again, grilled perfectly. It was marinated in herbs and spices beforehand, thus having a distinct herbaceous flavour.
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| Plomari Greek Ouzo |
Apparently this is what the Greeks sip on while eating seafood, but it had a strong licorice flavour, which I'm not a fan of unfortunately, so I could not appreciate the drink.
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| Charcoal Oven |
And then it was time for some more DIY, this time we were grillin' up some fish!
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| Swordfish with Sea Salt and Cajun Seasoning |
Chef Justin prepared the swordfish for us beforehand, and simply seasoned them with sea salt and cajun seasoning.
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| My friend trying not burn herself HAHAHA |
The grill was SO EFFING HOT. Like seriously, you can feel the heat oozing out, and I was actually scared for my life. Guess I'm not masterchef material after all :(
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| Grilled Swordfish with Sea Salt and Cajun Seasoning |
This is the finished result! The fish only needed three minutes to cook in the oven, and the final dish was quite delicious if I say so myself! The swordfish was plump and tender, and the subtle seasoing allowed the freshness to shine through.
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| Grilled Salmon and Grilled Australian King Prawns |
Eugene and Jenny cooked up these treats for us next! The crispy skin on the salmon stole my heart, and the freshness of the succulent king prawns amazed me yet again.
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| Seafood San Choi Bao |
Neat little green lettuce cups were filled with oysters, mussels and scallops I believe, the mixture was seasoned perfectly and the plumpness of the seafood went well with the crispy lettuce leaves.
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| Grilled Bananas |
Why are the bananas black? It's to hold the banana together when they're being grilled! Because of the lack of natural sugar in bananas, although there were char marks, there were no caramelisation, the butterscotch sauce did lend some sweetness to these bananas!
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| Grilled Pineapples |
These pineapples, on the other hand, were much sweeter, and won my pick for dessert of the night!
Good food, good people, what more do you need? I'm extremely thankful for this opportunity to not only enjoy some great seafood, but also meet people who are also passionate about food, coffee, Masterchef (minute of silence for Reynold please), Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and so much more!
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| Swordfish says hi! |
SOS Charcoal Seafood serves up some of the freshest seafood I've ever had, and the simple use of the charcoal oven as the primary cooking appliance allows the seafoods' natural flavours to shine! Simplicity at its best, this is the prime example of less is more. I'm already planning my next visit to order some fresh fish and chips from The Fish Shop!
How to get there:
SOS Charcoal Seafood is located on Glenferrie Road, a short five minutes walk from Glenferrie Station.
I dined as a guest of SOS Charcoal Seafood, courtesy of Zomato
Labels: dinner, event, food, Hawthorn, Seafood, ZomatoMeetup
