Monday, May 21, 2012

I've been visiting the South Island, New Zealand.

Lunch at Fleur's Place.

When the English celebrity chef Rick Stein came to New Zealand,
there were two things he wanted to do most.
One was to eat Bluff oysters
and the other was to
visit Fleur's Place.

Fleur's Place is at Moeraki,
a sleepy fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of NZ.

Moeraki (maori)  means 'sleepy sky' or 'a place to sleep by day'.
One hour north of Dunedin and a few minutes from the main highway..

it is a place of mellow peacefulness. 

"Every time I visit Moeraki I'm surprised I don't have to take a boat or a plane
to get there. .... (it)  is like visiting an island, a place remote from the cares of city life,
where the pace slows down,  
 

people stop to chat
and you can feel the tension of (busy) life draining away"

... Paul Sorrell  (in ' Fleur's Place' the book. Penguin.)

The story of how Fleur Sullivan came to Moeraki after beating cancer,
and how she came to build her restaurant from an old building on the jetty
is an inspiring one. 

During those early days
Fleur felt truly blessed when a huge right whale swam up and down
within metres of the shoreline by her new venture. 

This visitor was lolling on the front lawn when we arrived for lunch.

We sat upstairs on a quiet Thursday. 

and were served by a charming young man called Guillaume
from the south of France, on a working holiday in NZ. 

Here I am with my lunch.
Perfectly cooked blue cod, fresh local vege and a delicious lime dressing.
Fleur's secret is fish caught daily in her own boat.
The food was delicious.

I think it is Fleur herself who works the magic
by her simplicity and love of the earth. 
 
 
 
 
 
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4 comments:

  1. Now, that is a dream destination.

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  2. I had forgotten to say Rick Stein was the chef. He reported Fleur's place was all he'd hoped it would be. Fleur had to tell him she had no fish . The weather had been rough for four days. Rick was delighted. It proved she only cooked FRESH fish.

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  3. Enchanting, Joan, and you look so very lovely sitting there with such a bright smile on your face.

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  4. How beautiful; I can feel the serenity of Moeraki, a place I've long wished to visit. Fleur's Place looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing this.

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