Looking at EXPORTING? The overall winner as New Zealand s best caf is Fleur s Place, right on the waterfront at Moeraki in North Otago, and run by Fleur Sullivan. Amongst New Zealand s foodies Fleur is a bit of a legend, a couple of decades ago creating an amazing country lodge and restaurant called Oliver s at Clyde into one of New Zealand s best restaurants.
After a successful battle with cancer, and having sold Oliver s, Fleur took on the challenge of turning a little two-storey building right on the Moeraki Harbour into what is an idyllic caf that is earning a worldwide reputation. Last year the famous English chef Rick Stein, whose shows air on TV worldwide, was given the choice of visiting any place in the world to do an article for a major London newspaper. He chose Fleur s Place, undoubtedly because like himself, Fleur s focus is very much on seafood.
You could describe Fleur s Place as the perfect seafood caf . It s remarkably casual, catering to those who just drop in for a cup of coffee, although the majority of her customers are there for long, languid lunches enjoyed with a wine or two. The seafood at Fleur s could not be fresher.
She is one of the few caf -restaurant owners in the country who has a fish receiver s license so the seafood comes straight from the local fishing boats into her kitchen. There would be few New Zealanders who haven t heard the name of Jo Seager. Jo, along with her husband Ross, run the amazing Seagers in the tiny town of Oxford in North Canterbury, an hour s drive from Christchurch.
Seager s is runner-up as New Zealand s best caf Back in the days when Auckland boasted few good restaurants Jo joined forces with Helen Brabazon to open what became the city s best restaurant, Harley s on Anzac Avenue. Initially Jo had trained as a nurse at Auckland Hospital before moving to London where she worked for five years. With a strong interest in fine food she did a Cordon Blue cooking school course and then underwent training with the La Varenne Paris cooking school.
Harley s set the Auckland culinary scene alight and was undoubtedly the city s best and most popular restaurant until Jo moved on to become a regular contributor to food magazines, to write cookbooks, and front her own TV food show. From restaurant owner to running one of the country s finest cafes, Jo Seager is one of the country s most inspiring foodies. Seagers at Oxford, 78 Main St, 03.
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