Oyster tasting at the producer or dinner in a beach restaurant?

In the Thau Archipelago, there are two ways to eat with your feet in the water:
one, facing the lagoon, around a shellfish tasting,
the other, facing the sea, in a straw hut.
I've been told about both of these local experiences,
and I wonder which I'll prefer...

  •  - © Didier Cavalhes - NPS

Act 1: Shellfish tasting in front of the lagoon


Here I am! Here I am at last between Bouzigues and Loupian, the view is breathtaking: the glittering blue of the water and the oyster beds as far as the eye can see... I can even see Sète and its famous Mont Saint-Clair in the distance.

Producers offering to taste mussels and oysters from the lagoon, that's not what is missing here! I choose a producer with a singing accent, whose place of production has been tastefully fitted out for tasting. I am warmly welcomed and I know at once that I am in the right place.

As for me, I like my oysters natural! I choose fresh oysters, fished the same morning by my dear host. Fleshy, melting and with subtle aromas of hazelnut, the Bouzigues oyster conquered me immediately. I accompany them with a typical Muscat wine from the Archipelago, with fruity notes.

On my next visit, I will be curious to taste the mussels from the Thau lagoon, whose merits the producer has praised so much.  
  •  - © Didier Cavalhes - NPS
  •  - © Didier Cavalhes - NPS
  •  - © Didier Cavalhes - NPS
  •  - © Didier Cavalhes - NPS

Act 2: dinner in a straw hut


This day was spent without taking my eyes off the water! This deep blue has definitely guided my stay here...

This time, facing the sea, I sat down with my feet in the sand in a chic but relaxed atmosphere, immersed in a natural setting: I chose a straw hut that I was looking forward to.

Fresh products, specialities from the Archipelago and seafood, the menu is full and I have a hard time making a choice... I first opt for a fruity and refreshing cocktail that I accompany with a cuttlefish a la plancha, a local speciality, on the advice of the hostess.

Lulled by the sound of the waves but also by the music, I get up to go dancing... This is also the atmosphere of the straw hut: conviviality, simplicity and sharing.
  •  - © Olivier Octobre
  •  - © Olivier Octobre
After these tasty experiences, it's hard to say. Shellfish farm or straw hut? Impossible for the moment to make a choice, and all I can hope for is that this territory has other surprises in store for me for the rest of my stay!