Our last two nights on the South Island were at another Luxury Lodge and FlockHill is also a monstrous sheep farm of 10,000 head of sheep on 35,000 acres! What fun it was to hike to limestone formations in the area (with a guide), tour the farm, herd the cattle and watch the dogs run the sheep. The best part of our stay was definitely dinner both nights which were at the top of our dining list for the entire country!
Each night we arrived to be proffered a yummy tasting menu and asked if we wanted everything. DUH?! The first night we had arrived later in the afternoon, so dinner was just after unpacking and settling into our villa. We had a beautiful view of the Southern Alps and the Craigieburn Cut (a slice through the mountain that leads to nearby Arthur's Pass) from our table as we discussed the wines with Theo (from France, as many of the employees in the F&B are here). Will had a glass of Peregrine Rose while I ordered a fabulous bottle of white for the meal from 144 Islands Winery in the Bay of Islands to the way north. Called "Melika's Field" the varietals were Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Albarino and we adored the wonderful minerality and tartness with all our food. All the crystal here is Riedel as well.
First came a Daikon Dumpling with Smoked Mackerel, followed by a Stuffed Mussel from Cook Strait stuffed with chicken fat/oyster and fermented gooseberry (all the photos are on FB). We were hooked with this one simple bite and virtually every course for the entire meal and next night was a revelation of flavors. Next was Maori Potato Bread which was the first bread made by the original Polynesian arrivals, but here it had an aioli and was topped with lamb tartare. OMG!! An entire array of crudites followed and this would put any crudité display you have seen to shame as everything was from the local organic gardens: Tomatoes, Celery, Strawberry, Carrot, Cabbage and Endive all drizzled with the famous local Manuka Honey.
Marinated, Steamed, Smoked & Grilled Mushrooms, with Natto arrived in conjunction with the other "mid-course" plates of Ciabatta (more like Sourdough) with cultured house made butter and Shredded Mozzarella drizzled with a fennel honey. Now y'all know I am not a fennel fan and I simply removed the excess fronds and adored this dish as all the others.
Theo was thrilled when I told him we love Cabernet Franc, which is not common in New Zealand and he raved about the Boneline Cab franc 2020 from North Canterbury (nearby) which he said was sadly the last generation of this winery since it was sold a while back.
It was gutsy, earthy and minerally and was super with all our main courses.
First came South Island Crayfish (I could live on this for life) which was steamed and grilled and sauced in a to die for tomato butter. Full yet? We were getting there but the Steamed greens of spinach, zucchini and bok choy from the garden arrived in lemon juice along with a perfectly medium rare grilled Wagyu in a Horapito (native pepper) sauce. We were in heaven.
We rested a lot between courses and loved the simple "Beach day" dessert which was a fun and gritty creation by the brilliant pastry chef to mimic the sand and ocean. A white chocolate oyster shell had a pearl inside and was created with nori and yuzu and raspberry gel with ganache, mousse and crumble (the "sand"). It was ingenious and superb. A caramel and sea buckthorn macaron was the finale to an amazing meal.
We met Chef Hun (executive sous chef while the exec was on break) from South Korea and could not stop raving. After dinner Theo arrives with a local whiskey tasting of Pokeno Discovery, Cardrona Full Flight and Scapegrace Anthem fermented in manuka wood. We were mightily impressed, but exhausted after the 6+ hour drive and hike at Mr. Cook earlier in the day!
The second night was just as impressive and started with our regular pre-dinner drinks. I loved my Pear Butter martini of fat-washed Reid vodka with black pear and Will adored his spicy Cilantro of Thai-spiced Espodon Tequila with chilli, kaffir lime, which the handsome Louis (also from France) made for us at the bar. Theo arrived and insisted on creating new drinks for us as we enjoyed them with the GM Andrew. Mine was a Kiwi Martini made with Waiheke Island Gin, Macadamia nut, Reid Vodka and Lillet (not kiwi as the fruit!) and Will had a Mezcal Creation with tomato. WOW!!
We rolled across the room to dinner and sat down at the beautiful blonde wood tables in front of the warm fire as Ximena arrived to serve us and Chef Hun ran over to greet us. We were now regulars! We asked Theo to pair wines with each course and it was monumental for every course and sip starting with a Zenkuro world top-rated New Zealand Ginjo Sake. It was so earthy we begged Theo to tell us where we could try to buy it in Auckland, but alas, it is so small in production, it can only be found online!
The canapes/amuses arrived in the form of North Island Snapper Tartare from nelson with fresh wasabi, pickled coriander and nasturtium leaf. Kina croustade was one of the most amazing dishes in the form of Wellington Sea Urchin mousse deep fried with pecorino cheese--another miraculous creation that melted in our mouths. Potato Doughnut was made with fermented chardonnay vinegar and topped with aioli, homemade pancetta and honey.
Chef Hun appeared with an extra dish which he called a local salad of beetroot, strawberry, tomato, baby asparagus (as thin as pencil lead) and fennel and fennel flowers all in a to die for combination that simply defied description. We were hooked again, but another Flockhill grilled salad of zucchini, cabbage and rapini followed! We switched to Hans Herzog "Mistral" white blend of Roussanne/Marsanne/Viognier as Theo knew us well. and then more starters of Akaroa Smoked salmon from Christchurch that was more like poached salmon with herbs and 6 min cooked eggs as well as radish, carrots and aioli. The last "starter" of leeks with pear butter were some of the most meltingly delicious leeks ever.
We switched to Puriri Hills "Pope: Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Frace and Carmenere blend from near Auckland that was as good as any Bordeaux wine and paired perfectly with both the Nelson Grilled Snapper with Koji Butter, Lavender Oil & EVOO. It was as divine as the snapper we had at the Lindis. Only the Pork Loin was a tad fatty for us, but the sauce was soy mustard and mustard seed with Worcestershire and Black Prunes which was divine. The New Potatoes were a great foil.
Dessert was another fabulous creation of Olive Oil Cake & Crispy Strawberry with tomato, caramelized pistachio and mascarpone. Oloroso Fernando de Castilla sherry was paired and had a mushroom-y flavor. A very break your teeth chewy caramel was the final touch.
WOW what an amazing two nights here at FLOCKHILL truly a fabulous experience,
