The Fat Duck
Located in the heart of Te Anau, The Fat Duck is a welcome haven for weary travellers and locals alike. Te Anau is the last town on the long journey to Milford Sound, making it a thoroughfare for tourists and a place to get essential supplies or grab a bite to eat. The bustling Fiordland town is also brimming with locals who go to The Fat Duck Gastropub for good times and delicious food.
Cam and Selina tell us about their special venue.
Describe your hospitality journey.
We have been running The Fat Duck since 2016. We are both local to the region, but we met while working on super yachts in the Mediterranean. I was working as a chef and Selina was working as a chief stew, so we made a good pair. Yachting makes for a pressure cooker environment – small workspaces, high expectations from clients, limited resources. It was that pressure that set us up with the skills and experience to own our own restaurant.
Who are your customers and how do they describe The Fat Duck?
We have designed it to be a place for everyone. It’s an environment where people gather. It’s humble and cosy and all about the experience. The feedback we get from our guests is that they love the food and the service is amazing, and that’s what we focus on, delivering exceptional service. Whether they are regular families, groups celebrating a special occasion, or a tourist stopping by, everyone is made to feel welcome.
What makes you the best gastro pub in NZ?
It’s the combination of really great food supported by amazing hospitality, they go hand-in-hand. We have worked really hard to make it a place where our staff want to work. Some of our chefs have been with us for seven years and that has helped us create consistency and an epic environment where the team loves their jobs and loves sharing the experience with our guests. We are all passionate about pleasing people, it’s important to us to under-promise and seriously over-deliver.
“Under-promise and seriously over-deliver”
Describe your menu style.
The menu is restaurant-style meals with pub roots. The menu caters for a range of people, with tapas-style sharing plates to 55-day aged steaks. We lean heavily on local ingredients – Pure South Lamb Rump, wild Fiordland venison, and locally caught fish. It means the menu is fresh and delicious while also showcasing the region.
What is your favourite meal on the menu at the moment?
Oh that’s easy – it’s the Braised Lumina Lamb Supreme Shoulder. It comes with potato and rosemary gratin, pea & watercress puree, wilted greens & green peppercorn jus. It’s hearty, filling, delicious, and is one of our best sellers.
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