UK’s McManus Brothers Oyster Bar, known for its oyster and Prosecco pairings, opens in Thonglor

A new oyster bar’s arrived in town.

Famous for serving oyster varieties that pair perfectly with Prosecco, England’s McManus Brothers Oyster Bar has opened a branch in bustling nightlife district Thonglor.

Step into 72 Courtyard community mall, and on the right hand side, you”ll see a Victorian-style oyster cart with a Union Jack flag hanging above it.

The oyster bar was founded by Darren McManus and his wife Saovanee McManus back in 2007. After receiving loads of word-of-mouth hype at London’s Spitalfields Market, it then traveled to other popular London locations such as Portobello Market, Borough Market and Covent Garden.

Darren said he wants to change the commonly held perception of oysters as a luxury food, stating: “We’d like to bring the accessibility back to people. They don’t have to only visit restaurants to enjoy great oysters.”

With a decade-long expertise the oyster business, Saovanee, who has been dubbed “The Oyster Queen,” also worked at the well-known Harrods Oyster Bar in London. She said she used to serve up to 1,000 oysters in a day during her post there.

Many people struggle to open the hard shells, but Saovanee can do it easily, quickly, and painlessly.

“You gotta find the right angle and pierce through it. Then make sure they look pretty to serve,” said Saovanee, while deftly shucking an oyster with a tiny blade.

At the oyster bar in Bangkok, there are two types of oysters to pick up: UK’s large-sized Maldon Rocks, or Japan’s petite, deep-cupped Kumamoto Oyster. The pricing’s the same for either varietal: THB139 each, THB699 for a half dozen, and THB1,199 for a full dozen.

“Our oyster bar is special [from] others because we travel to farms around England to select the finest oysters,” Saovanee said.

As for the boozy pairings — they’ve chosen Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco D.O.C.G, imported from Italy, which is served at the oyster bar for THB270 per glass, or THB1,600 per bottle.

McManus Brothers Oyster Bar is open from 6pm to midnight every day except Monday. It sits on the ground floor of 72 Courtyard. The community mall is located between Soi Thonglor 16 and Soi Thonglor 18. 

FIND IT:
McManus Brothers Oyster Bar, on the ground floor of 72 Courtyard, 72, Sukhumvit Soi 55, Wattana, Bangkok
Open 6pm until midnight daily, closed Mondays
Phone: +66 63 714 6988
BTS: Thonglor