Belon oysters, plats and creuses, are the very soul of Bretonne cuisine. The plats, while less populous, have survived multiple fishing catastrophes on the river. The creuses, imported from Portugal in response to an earlier disaster, have been struggling of late. The plats are the variety that seduced Louis XIV and put France on the oyster-munching map.
We came to Brittany strictly for the oysters and did not find much else to crow about food-wise. We started on the North coast and worked our way around to the sleepy Belon River in the south. By then, a bitterly cold Sunday in January found us wandering around the closed port with empty stomachs. Finally, we knocked on the door of an oyster house to ask the woman where the best oysters were. She sent us to Ty Ru and told us to order the plats with a white wine from the Loire Valley.
The oysterwoman did not lead us wrong. The oysters were crisp and fresh and tender, and tasted like nothing we have ever eaten before or since. The service was friendly and the crowd local. It was the perfect end to our search. read more