Can you imagine being able to eat as much as you can and nobody would ever think of accusing you of outrageous gluttony? Yes, it is possible. Recently a friend was sharing “Every time I get the chance, I’ll eat 30 oysters in one sitting” and we were all “Oh, yeah, it’s great isn’t it!”. Good luck with a “I had 30 pork chops” story… Deadly sins aside, it is clear that oysters are great and having lots of them is an exquisite way to reach nirvana, a basic human right. In fact, there is evidence that suggests the right of oyster-induced nirvana may have been exercised for the first time 164 000 (!) years ago on the coasts of South Africa.

Science also says oysters are good for our health - zinc, vitamin C, omega 3, fatty acids, iron, protein… Casanova, allegedly, ate 50 of them every day (our friend has some catching up to do), and this being Casanova, we know what’s the point there. But apparently zinc aids the production of testosterone, so there might be something to it. Urban myth or not, oysters have been heavily used in artistic expressions to add erotic overtones of the not too subtle kind. We are straying from the path here, but our most favourite is the sexy scene going on inside of a clam in Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights”.

Where we get to almost erotic levels of excitement though is when we found out the stories about oyster ice cream. There are records that suggest it has been on the menu already 200 years ago. No surprises there actually — 17-18-19 century are the golden era of ice cream, during those days there were myriad of flavours available - and predominantly savoury. What is happening in 20-21 century is terrible - industrial strawberry ice cream without strawberries, industrial vanilla ice cream without vanilla, mediocre chocolate ice cream, blue ice cream...

So yes, this needs to change, and at Ludo & Hedo Headquarters in Oud-West we bring oyster ice cream dessert to help our collective happiness. Without disclosing too much, the dessert consists of oyster ice cream, oyster sauce caviar, exciting garnishes and served in a very special way. And another pleasant extra, there is a special cocktail pairing to go with it — collaboration between Ludo & Hedo’s founder and visual artist Ola Lanko, and our wonderful mixologist — Loren Holmes.

Have a look at our Headquarters menu, available until 27 December. Desserts and cocktails are ordered a la carte, or in tasting menus of three, four or six courses. Bookings can be made directly on our website, or if you like - get in touch via email, we always like direct contact!