EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
ST PIERRE’S RELOCATES To larger premises in Three Lamps offering Bento Bowl meals & the K10 Sushi Train Tell us the back story of St Pierre’s - when did the business start and where?
The business started in 1979 in Cuba St, Wellington. But it wasn’t first known as selling sushi. It was called “The Fish Factory” and specialised in fish; fresh & fried. Long story short, after a few attempts of staying within the ‘seafood’ department for business, in 1994 the first sushi bar was opened by St Pierre's in 277 Newmarket; with only six flavours. How many outlets do you now have? Any overseas?
We currently have 70 stores across New Zealand only, which includes Bento Bowl and our K10 Sushi Trains, and the newest kid on the block “drive-thru!” How does the sushi train work?
Customers are seated by a moving conveyer belt that carries a range of sushi on different coloured plates. When a customer sees a dish they want they are able to remove it from the belt and enjoy it. They are able to get as many as they want and the different coloured plates help indicate the pricing. Everyone has their own favourites but what are the dishes ordered the most - including one vegan/ vegetarian or gluten-free option?
K10 is next level sushi in terms of choices and variety. Of course safe flavours like salmon and chicken are plentiful in various forms; cooking styles, presentation and sauce garnishes. Often popular are the torched sushi (Aburi). But K10 also has a “weird and wonderful” selection of popular shellfish, fish and crustaceans that have made sushi trains (called Kaiten Sushi in Japan- hence the abbreviated name K10). You’ll find a variety of different prawns, eel (unagi), anago (sea eel), soft shell crab, kina (uni) kingfish, tuna and the seasonal opulent ikura (salmon roe). These weird and wonderful sushi are often “a bit scary” for first-time customers at K10 but once tried, they are “hooked” and customers keep coming back for more. We also have a special vegetarian option of a poke salad bowl that is loved and that features Sunfed chicken-free chicken served with broccoli and fried tofu. Most sushi is gluten-free as long as they are not crumbed and deep-fried flavours. The great thing is you can order a la carte. You don’t only have to choose from the conveyor's selections. The soya sauce used by St Pierre's has no detectable gluten (the gluten disappears during the natural fermentation process). If there are any special dietary needs from customers the friendly staff are always willing to help. We love your new store in Three Lamps. But we noticed there were some changes of location in Ponsonby over the past couple of years. Can you tell us more about the strategy?
The original Ponsonby St Pierre’s store was part of the old Ponsonby butchery which had been in the location for decades. After the butchery closed down it was leased by NZ Post which used the rear access (from Pompallier Tce) for customer access to private post boxes situated in the rear of the butchery space. The front part on Ponsonby Rd was vacant so St Pierre's decided to sublease the space from NZ Post. It was quite a small space, but the store was really cute and customers loved it. Local iconic artist John Papas was commissioned to create ceramic artworks which were scattered attractively across the walls. The store was busy with locals, school and college students, staff of stores, as well as a few celebrities from Media Works located nearby. The store was even visited by Justin Bieber on his trip to NZ in 2015.
54 PONSONBY NEWS+ February 2022
After 8 solid years, the lease expired and NZ Post wished to take back the space. This meant St Pierre's would have to vacate and find a new space. NZ Post moved out of the large premise next door to consolidate into the St Pierre's space. Not wanting to disappoint its loyal and regular customers St Pierre's decided to immediately create a pop-up store about 50 metres away, opposite Gusto. At the same time, we looked for a new permanent location in Three lamps. “We love Three lamps,” said Nick Katsoulis, co-director of St Pierre's. “We want to be a part of this area of Ponsonby, which has been neglected somewhat but still has so much potential. We know there is lots of vibrancy on the other side of Ponsonby Rd, but this part is close to our hearts and we want to see it continue to flourish.” The only space that seemed suitable for a permanent new store was the original post office that had been recently vacated at 314 Ponsonby rd. It was far too big for St Pierre's. However, after the recent opening of the Westfield shopping centre in Newmarket, St Pierre's had opened its first sushi train under the “K10” brand. The success of this new venture gave confidence that Ponsonby could be a great choice for a second K10 Sushi Train. This would be possible in the larger space and integrate well for the demand for late-night dining in Ponsonby Rd. The store has proven to be a hit with families especially enjoying the casual yet elegant atmosphere of the K10 Sushi Train. It can get very noisy at times as children can overreact to the excitement of the sushi train. So far K10 has proven popular for birthday parties of all ages at it can cater for groups from 6-12 in size. We see being community-minded is important to you with your Daffodil Day support. What other charities do you like to support?
St Pierre's has been a proud Gold sponsor of the Weetbix TRYathlon for the past few years. As a major sponsor, we support by providing free lunch to all volunteers who work tirelessly on the setup day or main event day in their local area. Being a nationwide event, it requires a huge team effort from the St Pierre's branches all over New Zealand. As you’ve mentioned, St Pierre's also has an annual fundraiser appeal for the Cancer Society with Daffodil Day. St Pierre's donates $2 from every cup of miso soup sold on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Daffodil Day weekend. At a very local level schools, charities, and individuals raising funds for various reasons also approach St Pierre's requesting vouchers or food for their fundraising events. “We do our absolute best to support all our local schools, clubs and causes,“ said Director Nick Katsoulis. “It’s an important part of our company values. “We’d also like to support other charities such as The Mental Health Foundation. The pandemic has been hard on everyone. People have lost loved ones, lost income and may have become more isolated due to the many lockdowns we have had to go through. Working with The Mental Health Foundation would be an honour to work with as we know the importance of taking care of others as we have such a large team and loyal customers to look after.“ www.stpierres.co.nz www.k10sushi.com
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