SU AZIZ dines on delectable oysters from northwest Ireland.

HERE'S a fun fact for you to chew on: in the days without refrigeration, people were advised to only buy and eat oysters during the months where there's the letter "r" in them.

It curbs oyster-eating frenzy during winter, spring and fall.

These days, the advice still applies because oysters captured during summer are less flavourful and more fatty. At least, this was what I found out from the internet and Equatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur executive chef Jochern Kern.

Kern, who runs the hotel's kitchens, is holding a two-week oyster fest at the Chalet restaurant.

The oysters featured are from the cold waters of northwest Ireland -- from the surfing-worthy ocean of Donegal, to be exact.

Being close to Iceland and North Pole, the waters there are not only icy cold but clean. And how do I know this, you ask?

Simple. Oysters, absorb flavours of the ocean they inhabit. And the ones I tried at Chalet, were delicately salty, silky bites with the ability to redefine ocean freshness. There's a pleasant juiciness and silky slither too.

Scent-wise, they exude cold, oceanic-spray fragrance, which spells "clean". Yes, the overall experience turned out to be quite a feast for my senses!

Also, these oysters have deep bowls to their shells that allow for prolonged moisture, delaying drying which results in loss of flavour.

Chalet's oyster fest is on till Jan 30. The oysters are in the forms of:

• - freshly shucked with a splash of lemon or chef's unique minty leprechaun salsa
• - truly creamy chowder in their signature papa bun and excellent with a splash of lemon juice
• - sauteed lightly with homemade linguine folded into double cream, sprinkled with truffle sauce that's full of texture
• - braised in Pinot Noir and shallot stock, then crusted with herbs de province. This one's my favourite and there's a light freshness to the flavours
• - another creamy but dreadfully memorable glazed with Chardonnay cream along with a layer of Maine lobster and Italian white truffle

All that's a feast for your palate for RM12++ per gramme. There's also a choice of dining with an Irish Oyster expert on Jan 22 at RM160++ per head.

My recommendation is to acquire the skill of cooking oysters with Kern at the cooking class on Jan 23 for RM120++, which includes eating everything you've cooked! Plus honing your skill on opening, washing and serving fresh oysters.

So, as a bonus, I've included two of Kern's recipes -- oyster chowder and leprechaun salsa -- for you to experiment with.