Fleurs Place

Turn off of Highway 1 at Moeraki, drive til the road ends and find yourself at Fleurs Place. Come not just for a meal but for a chance to stop, rest and simply enjoy - this is what ‘Moeraki’ means after all. 

Fleurs Place has long been a gastronomy destination. Foodie pilgrims have been travelling from all over to try Fleur’s simple yet storied approach to cooking since she opened the place back in 2002. Families, friends and locals have been coming here for years and celebrity chef, Rick Stein, picked Fleurs as the place he’d go if he could dine anywhere in the world. Foodie or not, you can be sure that a meal here will not only be delicious but be an experience - a memory made by the sea in Moeraki.

Fleurs Place sits atop an old whaling station. It’s perched precariously close to the ocean but with just enough land border for wild fennel, miners lettuce, calendula, nasturtiums and other edible plants to grow wild. The tide pools around the bulkhead are full of salty seaweed and the banks are dotted with crunchy ice plant. These teeming little ecosystems create a colourful fringe for the weathered structure that is Fleurs Place and give a nice preview of what’s to come; plates inspired by and constructed with what’s already here.

As Fleur put it, “I didn’t actually want to make a restaurant when I moved to Moeraki, I came here to be a hunter gatherer by the sea.” We’re happy she did though because this place is one of a kind, whimsical but no-nonsense, a wholehearted celebration of kaimoana and a showcase for foraging in the Waitaki. The menu (and the chalkboard out front) lead with ‘Filleted fish today: our fish from the Moeraki boats’. Served with steamed organic vegetables and homemade sauces this is “naturally good” kai - caught here, prepared here and enjoyed here. 

Fleur endeavours to wholly use and appreciate the ingredients found in her kitchen. The seafood chowder is a wintery favourite made with her fish stock, fresh herbs, a “non-traditional” tomato base, freshly cooked fish, steamed shellfish and homemade bread. Fresh blue cod frames, heads and wings are used to create the slow simmered stock that support these hearty bowls. Potted smoked eel, whitebait omelettes, local lamb shanks, shellfish hotpots - the seasonal plates that Fleur and her team whip up are always a reflection of what’s swimming and growing around them at any one time. Many of the fruits, vegetables and garnishes used here are foraged or grown by local farmers.

Be sure to flip through Fleur’s books while you’re here, too. The restaurant copies can be found near the till and will give you even more of a glimpse into her world, her humour and how she thinks about food. Sit inside or out, turn off your phone, order a wine, tuck into Fleur’s food and leave feeling well fed, inspired and looked after. “Booking is best” -Fleur