A charming French-inspired oyster bar is about to open in Freo (and it’s BYO!)

Oyster lovers, lend us your ears!

In wonderful news for those who love the invigorating, briney indulgence of a freshly shucked oyster, a brand new dedicated oyster bar is opening in the heart of Fremantle.

Set to open tomorrow, January 12, Douzaine (French for dozen, bien sûr) is inspired by holidays in the south of France with plenty of long afternoons whiled away at low-key oyster bars.

“Jacqui [above] and I are great friends as of the last few years, with a shared love of beautiful experiences — tastes, visuals, smells, sounds — the lot!” explains co-owner Odetta, pictured below.

“We have long shared a love of wonderful hospitality; Jacqui has previously run a catering company in Carnarvon and teaches Home Ec; I love home cooking, make ceramics, and adore the curation of a beautiful time.”

“Jacqui had a recent trip to the south of France, visiting a friend and attending a music festival in Sète. There, a bottle shop neighbouring an oyster provider served as the catalyst for this offering.”

“She’d spend long lunches there with friends, a bottle in hand from the wine shop, and beautiful freshly shucked oysters with lemon and no frills attentive hospitality. This is our driving force and our vision at Douzaine.”

It’s an enticingly simple proposition – and really, what else would you want?

“Bread, beautiful from Hunter Bread. Butter, whipped with flaky sea salt. Fresh WA oysters, shucked to order. BYO, alfresco tables. The backbone, amazing, real and connected service.”

And fittingly for their French inspiration, they’ll be serving up a “French dozen” of oysters, which, similarly to a baker’s dozen, includes an extra on the house. Formidable!

“This is an ode to the generosity of the French hospitality,” Odetta tells us. “We’re here to make you feel looked after!”

To celebrate their opening, as well as exclusively shucking Leeuwin Coast Albany Rock Oysters, they’ll be stocking the bar with lo-fi drops from local producer Chouette alongside champagne from distributors Vintage Fine Wine. Otherwise, the bar will be BYO – which is handy, considering its close proximity to Wise Child Wine Store.

Douzaine is scheduled to open tomorrow, January 12 and will be located at 8 Cantonment Street, Fremantle.

Image credits: @noeko.film