Fleur Cuisine Harborside
The second you walk in the door, you become family.
“No matter who you are. No matter how you come in here, our job is to make sure you leave better than you can come in, right?... We don't treat you just like a customer. We should treat you as a family. We want you to feel like you’re at home. You can relax like you on a getaway, not just any type of restaurant.”
And you’ll feel like you’ve found your second home at Fleur Cuisine.
Set on T Wharf in Rockport, Fleur Cuisine Harborside is a labor of love for Wanndy Lafleur and his wife Daphne, who wanted to bring the flavor of the Caribbean to the North Shore.
"Fleur Cuisine is an experience. It's a family owned and operated restaurant that is smashing the Caribbeans, Miami and New York together. We're making sure that the food that you're taking in is food that not only tastes good, but it's nourishing your body as well”
You’ll always find Wanddy back in the kitchen executing a Haitian inspired menu, while Daphne’s out front making sure everyone is comfortable in the festive space the couple designed themselves.
“So when you come to Fleur Cuisine, the first thing you see is our L shaped bar for our last name, La Fleur. If there is someone that doesn’t want the bar space, they can come into our dining area which we’re sitting right on the wharf. We also created a patio space as well to bring the vibe of Miami, to bring the vibe of the Caribbean out. So there's something for everyone. If you want bar or dining room or patio, you can have that. And the great part is that you can have it year round.”
There are so many delicious ways to start your experience at Fleur. From golden fried plantains served with spicy cabbage and tender wings slathered in a zippy Jerk sauce and charbroiled on an open flame to crispy coconut shrimp served with Fleur’s signature Creole marmalade- a family recipe made with orange peel and pineapple.
“You're getting the sweetness of the coconut from the shrimp, but you're also getting the pineapple and the zest of the oranges and so forth. So to me, it's just like a happy savory bite that takes you on an adventure. It’s so good.”
But it was love at first bite when Daphne tried Wanddy’s secret recipe for New England clam chowder.
“He made it for me, and that was like the day that I became a clam chowder lover, but only when he makes it. It's just so delicious.”
Since Fleur is set right on the water, lobster is a must, and nothing quite tops their absolutely enormous lobster roll.
“Once you get it, it's like, wow It's gigantic. It separates us from what everyone else is doing in terms of flavors, in terms of the size of it, in terms of the taste of it.”
Equally as impressive is the Lobster Overload Burger: A handheld surf and turf featuring fresh steamed lobster, a juicy beef patty, and American cheese on a buttery brioche bun.
“You get amazing flavors of the juices from the lobster, of course, the burger dripping down the side of your cheeks. You get that crunch. You get that tenderness. You get that cheese flavor. You get that lobster flavor, the tenderness of the lobster from every bite that you taste. And that’s what's so great about this Lobster Overboard Burger.”
Entrees at Fleur run the gamut from a perfectly seasoned Fried Whole Snapper Snapper; a Caribbean classic, served over rice to the instagram worthy Fiesta Pineapple Bowl.
“We get a lot of guests that come here because they saw…someone that posted a picture and tagged us with the Fiesta pineapple bowl. But not only that, it's pretty to look at. But when you're having the food. You're just getting all tastes of savory, like sweets and salty…Your taste buds are going to go crazy when you try that.”
Vegetarians will want to order Hanna’s Pasta. A dish inspired by Daphne and Wanddy’s daughter, featuring fresh fettuccine tossed in a creamy sauce with asparagus, diced tomatoes, spinach, corn and shaved Parmesan.
But if meat is more your thing, then check out the Ribeye steak, served with compound butter and presented over Emmental potatoes.
“To me, I believe the bone in ribeye is the most flavorful steak you can have. To have a medium rare steak that you can basically cut through it like a butter and it goes on potato cakes, and then we wrap those potato cakes in Emmental cheese we fry them. The potato is crispy, the meat is tender, and then you combine all those flavors together. Even if you're not a meat lover, you're gonna fall in love with it, because it's just to have so much flavor and just not gonna want to stop biting into it.”
Once dessert rolls around, there are decadent options like this tasty rum cake…
Or the Pineapple Upside Down Cake, a tropical sweet that truly bookends your island experience.
“You don't have to get on a plane ride. Just take a ride to Rockport, right? And come and just have a nice meal and end it with a pineapple upside down cake.”
And for the Lafleurs, it's not just about the food, it’s about family, fun and living out their lifelong dream at Fleur Cuisine Harborside.
“This is just like a blessing for us to be able to cook and entertain and have people in our home on a nightly basis, just to be able to support us. It's just like a dream come true for us.”
