Le plônc is a small, twenty-seat licensed restaurant on Hardy Street in Nelson's The Wood, currently serving a Japanese ochazuke-themed menu under new chef Chiaki. The restaurant recently changed hands within the same family: after years of her husband Ko's cooking, Chiaki has taken over the kitchen, bringing the Japanese family recipes she learned from her own parents.
As a licensed venue, Le plônc offers beer, wine, sake and spirits alongside the food. The dining room is intimate by design, with limited seating, and the restaurant also offers a takeaway option for those who can't get a table.
Le plônc is open Tuesday to Sunday, 5:30pm to 9:00pm, and closed Mondays.
Tucked into a twenty-seat dining room on Hardy Street in Nelson's The Wood, Le plônc is in the middle of a heartfelt transition. For years the restaurant was known for the cooking of chef Ko, but a new opportunity has taken him overseas to develop a cuisine abroad. In his place, his wife Chiaki has picked up the keys to the restaurant and stepped into the kitchen herself.
Chiaki describes Le plônc as always having been a place of love, and that spirit continues under her care, just "simmering in a different pot." Rather than continuing Ko's exact menu, she has introduced the Japanese dishes she learned growing up from her own parents, food she describes as built on soul, memory and warmth. For 2026, that has taken the shape of a Japanese ochazuke edition menu, ochazuke being a comforting Japanese rice dish traditionally finished with tea, broth or dashi poured over the top.
Le plônc seats only twenty people, giving it the feel of a close, personal dining room rather than a large restaurant. It is a licensed venue, with beer, wine, sake and spirits available to accompany the food, and Chiaki has spoken of wanting to welcome guests into her own style of hospitality, one family recipe at a time.
For those who can't secure one of the limited seats, Le plônc also offers a takeaway option, so the current ochazuke menu can be enjoyed away from the restaurant as well.
Le plônc is open Tuesday to Sunday from 5:30pm to 9:00pm, and closed on Mondays. Given the small size of the dining room, booking ahead is worth considering before visiting.