Private dining · Queenstown, Arrowtown & the Southern Lakes
Private dining in Queenstown.
The dinner people still talk about.
One evening, at your own table, in the house or villa you’ve booked. Four to twenty guests, cooked and served by me.
Four to twenty
guests at one table
Queenstown & Wanaka
Arrowtown and the Southern Lakes
No corkage
bring whatever you like
One night, one table
A sixtieth. An anniversary. Everyone finally in one place.
You could take everyone into town, and it would be fine. But you would spend it watching the clock, splitting the table across two rounds of drinks, keeping half an eye on who is driving, and handing the room back at nine thirty.
Or I come to you, and the evening belongs to the people at the table.
Not a set list
Four menus, four tables
Every menu is written for one table, once. These are four of them — the shape and the standard, not a list to choose from. Yours will be written the same way, around the people sitting there.
Plated
Queenstown
First Course
Citrus Cured Blue Cod
Sprout Leaves · Smoked Leek & Tamarind Chutney
Second Course
Pearl Barley & Fiordland Crayfish Risotto
Fennel · Saffron · Bisque
Main Course
Lake Ohau Beef
Grilled Fillet · Duck Fat Potatoes
Charred Broccolini · Peppercorn & Shallot Sauce
Dessert
Chocolate & Mandarin
Texture of Chocolate · Honey Ice Cream
Fabien
Cooked and served in your kitchen
Plated
Queenstown
First Course
Beetroot & Shallot Tart Tatin
Whitestone Brie & Thyme Emulsion
Winter Kale Slaw
Second Course
Wild Hare Ragù
Herb-Laminated Pasta · Savoy Cabbage
Fried Sage · Shallot Soubise
Main Course
Wild Venison
Pan-Fried Strip Loin · Kumara Hasselback
Miso & Sriracha Butter · Black Garlic Ketchup
Dessert
Mulled Wine Pear
Amaretto Diplomate Cream · Caramelised Cocoa Nibs
Chocolate Tuile · Nut Streusel
Fabien
Cooked and served in your kitchen
Plated
Queenstown
First Course
Miso Cured Mt Cook Salmon
Fennel · Pickled Kohlrabi
Saffron & Tamarillo Dressing
Second Course
Turbot & Tiger Prawn
Turbot Crusted with Tiger Prawn
Leek & Fennel · Prawn Bisque
Main Course
Southland Lamb
Slow-Roasted Rump · Berbere Spice
Garlic Yoghurt · Homemade Flatbread
Dessert
My Grandma’s Apple Crumble Pie
Amaretto Custard · Honey Ice Cream
Fabien
Cooked and served in your kitchen
Sharing
Queenstown
To Begin
Oven-Baked Camembert
Honey & Thyme Glaze · Toasted Sourdough
To Share
Wagyu Beef Bavette
Grilled · Caramelised Shallots · Béarnaise
To Share
Free-Range Confit Duck Leg
Crispy Skin · Caramelised Cauliflower Purée
Sides
From the Garden & the Fire
Duck Fat Smashed Agria Potatoes · Kiwi Onion Dip
Garlic-Parmesan Cauliflower · Roasted Beetroot & Cabbage
Dessert
French Pear Tart
Vanilla Custard · Honey Ice Cream
Fabien
Cooked and served in your kitchen
Tell me who is coming, what they love and what they would rather never see again. I write the menu around that, print it for the table, and you approve every course before anything is bought.
How you want to eat it
The dishes matter, but the service style is what sets the temperature of the evening — whether people stay seated and formal, or reach across the table and talk over each other.
Plated
Every course arrives at once for everyone, introduced, and the table eats together. The most like a restaurant.
Shared
Down the middle of the table, everyone reaching. Louder, longer, and people talk to each other rather than at the plate.
Queenstown · Arrowtown · Wanaka · the Southern Lakes
What’s included
One price for the evening. Nothing added at the end.
01
A menu written for your table
Approved by you before anything is bought, printed for the night, and built around every allergy and everything nobody eats.
02
The shopping
Central Otago produce and New Zealand seafood, sourced close to the day rather than ordered in a box.
03
Cooked in your kitchen
Not reheated. I arrive three to four hours before service and cook it where you are.
04
Served, and introduced
Wait staff for the evening included in the fee. I bring each course out and tell you in a sentence where it came from.
05
Linen, crockery, cutlery, equipment
White linen napkins and all the tableware. Glassware and styling can be hired in if the house is short.
06
A kitchen left clean
Bins out, surfaces down, nothing of mine behind. Wine is yours — bring what you like, there is no corkage.
On the plate
A few nights, in passing
Dishes and tables from evenings across the last year. A dinner is more than the plates — the room, the table, the light as it goes, and everything in between.
Guest reviews
What people remember
Not that the food was good. That people were still talking about it weeks later.
Your delicious food is still talked about in our office.
Nicola Herbert · a work dinner, up from Dunedin
We couldn’t stop complimenting every dish. Thank you Fabien for making it a night to remember.
Olivia Sale · a sixtieth birthday
No problem catering for allergies, and my four year old loved it too. It was the highlight of our trip.
Justine Kim · a surprise family lunch
We were all blown away by the food, service and professionalism.
Cam Baldock · a private party
★★★★★ 5.0 from 144 Google reviews
Tell me about your evening
Start with the date and how many of you there are. I usually reply the same day with a menu and a price, and hold the date while you decide.
Or call me on 021 183 9268 · [email protected]