This is the opening line on the website for Shell Shock, a new oyster bar now open at 124 Castro St. in downtown Mountain View.
The seafood passion project belongs to Thuy Ta and Amanda Pham, longtime friends and lovers of oysters. Pham also owns next-door Vietnamese restaurant Xanh. (Shell Shock replaced Chinese tea lounge HoneyCreek, which closed this fall.)
Neither returned repeated requests for comment, unfortunately, but a very complete website gives all the food details necessary. There's an extensive oyster menu with raw oysters on the half shell, raw shooters, grilled oysters and seafood platters. Many have creative toppings: The "Dare Devil" comes with quail egg, roe, ponzu and siracha; the pancetta oyster comes grilled with pepper jack cheese and pancetta.
There's also fresh uni, clams, lobster, Dungeness crab, shrimp and marinated mussels. A dinner menu includes salads, sliders, shareable small bites. Much is seafood-focused, but there's plenty else on the menu.
With a full liquor license, Shell Shock offers two happy hours: every day from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and again from 9:30 p.m. to closing (midnight Thursday-Saturday and 11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday). This is sure to be popular. The happy hour menu offers discounted cocktails, beer, wine, punch bowls and a range of small plates (plenty beyond just oysters).
They even have late night brunch (genius concept): eight kinds of eggs benedict, breakfast tacos, D.I.Y. waffles, pork belly and pancakes and much more.
Shell Shock
124 Castro St., Mountain View
650-988-8880
shellshockrestaurant.com
Hours:
Lunch/brunch: 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. daily
Happy Hour: 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. daily
Dinner: 4:30 - 9:30 p.m. daily
Late night Happy Hour: Sunday-Wednesday, 9:30-11 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. to midnight
