Loan & Merc (Fleur's Other Place)

We have stopped at 'Fleurs Place' in Moeraki a few times and rate it very highly so we have been eager to try Fleurs 'other' place - The Loan & Mercantile (Merc).

The Loan & Merc - Harbour St, Oamaru, NZ

Fleur Sullivan earned reputation for creating great food a bit closer to home, owning Olivers in Clyde for around 20 years. She has crafted a winning combination in 'Fleurs Place' - fish and seafood straight off the fishing boats blended with fresh local produce. Even though this particular day I really did fancy a nice fresh fish dish, it was pleasing to see that the Loan & Merc was based on a different concept - Hearty, Wholesome Victorian Fare. The Loan & Merc is located in what was once an old grain house on Harbour Street in Oamaru and reaps tons of its original character.

The Loan & Merc is a Victorian style eating house set in an old grain warehouse.

The waiter was one of the most studied up I have come across wanting to spend the time to explain each and every dish on the menu. We could choose any of the long wooden benches in the eating house and although it was quite empty, it still oozed atmosphere and we could see this as a great place to park up with friends for the night.

The ploughman’s smorgasbord is the centrepiece of the lunch menu - the centerpiece of the evening meal is a carvery. A La Carte items included Fleurs famous Rabbit, Venison and Pickled Walnut Pie, Colonial Goose (which is actually Lamb) and Aged Sirloin with a Wood Mushroom & Port Sauce on Sautéed Potatoes ($32.50).  Nick opted for the aged sirloin and myself the ploughman’s because I didn’t fancy a heavy meat and potatoes type feed for lunch.

I want to start with Nicks. He absolutely raved about his, specifically the combination of the wood mushroom and port sauce combined with his wine choice - 3 miner’s pinot. This really was Nick’s kind of restaurant and it was 5 stars from him!

Aged Sirloin in wood mushroom and port sauce with sauteed potatoes and salad

Let’s move onto the Ploughman’s, that we were invited to observe before ordering. The smorgasboard of cold, smoked, cured meats and fish, pate's, terrines, spanish tart, cheeses, pickles, chutneys, salads and freshly baked breads "made fresh each day from locally sourced produce". For $20pp this seemed a good deal but it was never really clear if it was a 'one plate and one plate only' or a 'buffet' style arrangement.

The Ploughmans spread is the centrepiece of the Lunch Menu

We guessed the former but it really should have been spelt out. As I approached the spread the chef pounced to his station and proceeed to point out all the things he wants me to put on my plate "have 1/2 egg with that red sauce there", "Have some seaweed salad, 'Irish whitebait' that is" and "have this polenta slice with curry spices". It was great to have these things explained but then I just wanted some alone time with the spread after this to choose rather than being hovered over. I also wasn't offered to be cut any of the cured meat or bread. Once I trot back to my table I have a some real treats on my plate. The most memorable being the coleslaw, yip coleslaw! I liked this so much that I went to discuss with Chef himself, I found out its contents but I promised not to share. The other was the smoked tarakihi; it was in some mayo type sauce - Yum. It was great to have so much variety!

My Selections

One thing that was noticeably missing was a lack of cheese choices. Nick reckoned that cheddar is the only cheese on a ploughman’s traditionally but with Oamaru being a cheese region I would have liked to see a few different choices. I looked this up on Wikipedia and it states "usually a thick piece of cheddar, stilton or other local cheese". The Spanish omelette also lacked a bit of good old salt and pepper but small criticisms only. I want to be fair with my overall verdict because I really was more in the mood for a hot meal (just not a heavy one), so choosing a cold ploughman’s immediately set me up for disappointment but if I consider:
1. Nicks 5 star impressions.
2. The character of the place.
3. The concept of the ploughman’s and the little gems found within the verdict is......Not Better From My Kitchen.