V Shine: The Least Pretentious Oyster Bar We Know

By Noelle Mateer

Let me tell you a little story. When I was 16, I traveled to France. To welcome me, the family I stayed with served oysters. I do not come from the most sophisticated of dining backgrounds; suffice to say I had no idea what to do. I’d had oysters (deep-fried), but I had never had any food, ever, straight from its shell. In America, we prefer not to be reminded that our meats were once alive.

But these oysters, damn, they were alive. And to prove it, my host’s father poked one, and it moved. I shared this story with everyone back home, thinking this was the most badass thing I had ever done. Ha ha, that crazy girl, eating raw oysters, became my family’s refrain, as we sat around the lunch table, smothering our fried ones in Wal-Mart-brand tartar sauce.

Despite all odds, I have since become a food editor (I’m not as clueless as I was back then, I promise) and fallen for the briny stank of real, fresh oysters. There’s a joy in seeing a plate of them next to a glass of Champagne, a stupid satisfied smile on my face, and thinking, damn, I am blessed.

And yet, I’m still plagued by an oyster-specific impostor syndrome when I am tasked with choosing oyster varietals. Aren’t so many of us? Beijing of late has been so overcome by an onslaught of ‘foodie’ culture. Suddenly, we’re all expected to know the difference between a Belon and a Gillardeau.

V Shine takes an explanatory approach to its oysters. In the lower reaches of Sanlitun’s unpretentious Topwin Center sits the least pretentious oyster bar we know, sandwiched between a poutine joint and a ramen shop. It is a starting point for your journey of oyster exploration.

The sample plates here feature different varieties of fresh oysters: La Lune, Gillardeau and Belon. Staffers are happy to explain their differences – or better yet, suggest a wine to go with them – and the menu even offers tasting notes. We love the intense, fragrant Belon, but the gentle La Lune is perfect for those looking to enter the oyster world slowly.

There is more to V Shine than oysters. It is also a bistro and tapas joint. We enjoy plates of charcuterie, Icelandic scampi and Spanish-style shrimp. Dishes here are perfect for sharing, and we imagine this would be a great place for after-work bubbles. The New York-bistro-meets-Sanlitun vibe – all brick walls and leather couches – soothes us the second we walk in. No stuffiness here.

Because when you think about it, holding a shell to your mouth and slurping it like an animal isn’t all that ‘fancy’ anyway. So who needs the pretension?

B1-11, Topwin Center, 1 Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯1号通盈中心B1-11

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