winosandfoodies: Fleurs Place

Fleurs Place

I'm almost reluctant to tell you about this restaurant. The last thing we want is for this little fishing village to be spoilt with camper vans full of tourists. At least not until I've celebrated my next significant birthday ending in a zero there. There aren't a lot of options when it comes to accommodation. The village has one motel, one camper van park, one tavern, one gallery and when you can't go any further before ending up in the water there you will find Fleurs Place. The no apostrophe is deliberate. As Fleur says the name just happened and it happened without an apostrophe.

New Zealand has this rule that says you can't buy fish fresh off a boat. All commercial fisheries must land their catch through a licensed fish receiver. So even if your restaurant is opposite the wharf where the fish is landed it will by pass your door and go to the nearest big city to the fish receiver, from which you can buy it and then it travels all the way back to the restaurant opposite the wharf where the fish was first landed. How silly is that?

However the very clever Fleur has obtained her own license and the fish comes off the boat and into her restaurant kitchen and onto your plate while still as fresh as it can possibly be. And it shows. This is how fish should taste. It is served simply on a bed of vegetables with a sauce served alongside in a paua shell. I followed it up with the best Bread and Butter pudding I've ever tasted..... and I make a pretty mean one myself.

So this is the front door and this is on the back of the front door.

For the best table upstairs with an ocean view ask for Gwen's table as in Gwyneth . It's where she sat when she dined there when filming Sylvia. I didn't ask where Rick sat but there is a choice of downstairs or upstairs dining. The small bar downstairs is a great place to sit after dinner and meet the locals. In summer I could see myself drinking at the outdoor tables until the staff go home.

I was up early the next morning.... and from our motor home window I could see the lights were on in Fleurs Place as the staff prepared for breakfast. I showered, dressed and took an early morning walk to get a few sunrise photos of the area.