On a roll
The Mount’s favourite sushi fusion restaurant and bar, Satori Lounge, has moved across the bridge to bigger, better and far more modern premises on The Strand.
Words Hayley Barnett
Lisa Wilson never pictured herself in hospitality, let alone owning and running one of the most popular sushi restaurants in the Bay. She didn’t even like raw fish. But, 13 years ago, that’s exactly what happened, and now she can’t imagine doing anything else.
“It was an accident, really,” says Lisa, gesturing towards her expansive, modern eatery on The Strand in Tauranga, which is right now heaving with the inner-city weekday lunch crowd.
“My ex is Chilean and sushi is huge in South America, so he talked me into giving him some of my savings to start a sushi restaurant in the Mount. Of course, he kept needing more and more money until eventually I didn’t have any savings left. And then we broke up!”
Lisa found herself having to quickly take the reins, all while working her day job in banking to stay afloat.
After one too many reviews stating that the food was great but the service needed some work, Lisa realised she’d have to quit her day job and take on the restaurant full-time – and to stop responding to those reviews with “If you want quick service, head to McDonald’s.”
“It took me a while to learn that the customer is always right,” laughs Lisa.
Today is Tuesday – gluten-free day – at her new premises. It’s always been popular, but now that Satori Lounge has moved across the bridge, every day is popular.
It could be the new office crowds that she’s catering for, but I suggest it might be the fact that Satori Lounge has such a great reputation for fresh (and fast) sushi with a difference.
All the best dishes are still on the menu, like my personal favourites, the Citrus Sushi Roll and the Ceviche Sushi Roll,as well as the Honey Chicken Sushi Roll and, well, everything else.
“I don’t like to change the menu,” explains Lisa. “Chefs have tried but people know our menu and they like it, so why change it?”
It was the Citrus Sushi Roll that was responsible for Lisa’s about-turn on the raw fish front. She added more raw salmon little by little until her tastebuds agreed, and now it’s one of her favourite foods.
Though a change in menu won’t be on the cards, it seems the change in scenery is working to the restaurant’s advantage. Lisa even has plans to landscape the back into a garden area for diners with the help of Blair, her landscaping partner and father to her twin boys.
So, whether you’re a hardcore sushi fan, or just keen to try the Honey Chicken Roll (the most popular dish), you’ll definitely find something to love about Satori Lounge. And say hi to Lisa if you see her fumbling around the bar area.
“I wasn’t cut out for hospitality,” she assures me. “I love talking to people too much!” Which is, funnily enough, what makes a restaurant so hospitable. That could be part of the reason this not-so-new eatery is really hitting the spot.