Edgy Eastside eatery
For Avi Cohen and Lois Parmenter, their hospitality ventures are all about creating communities.
Scoundrel, hosting a roastery, bar, and eatery, is their latest restaurant in Christchurch following the success of Merivale café Six Ounces.
The team has transformed the space into a modern restaurant in a former garage on St Asaph Street. Bi-fold doors open into an airy, plant-filled space.
Lois and Avi aimed to create a “living room” with an understanding of how the modern customer works, quite literally. A bar overlooking a classic Austin truck, slowly being taken over by plants, is specifically set up for remote workers with power points all along. There’s plenty of other options for customers too.
“So we’ve got a bit of a 50/50 split; we’ve got loads of couch suites, coffee tables, and rugs, and kind of soft areas, as well as more traditional dining areas.”
The menu has been spearheaded by chef Pedro Johnston, focusing on tacos.
Diners will be able to build their tacos, which Avi and Lois hope will encourage sharing and socialising. “You can buy them by the dozen; pick your protein alongside black beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole. The more you get, the cheaper they’ll be.”
The tortillas will be freshly made to order. “We’ve got a fantastic machine that presses the tortillas and shoots them out. That’s going to be great fun to watch.”
On top of the tacos, they will have options from a cabinet for staying awhile or grabbing on the go, other hot menu options, an extensive wine collection (with other wines on tap), a full bar, and coffee roasted just feet away.
Alongside Scoundrel is another business, Shane Cullimore’s Rad Roasting Co.. With a state-of-the-art Dutch Giesen coffee roaster enclosed by glass walls, diners will be able to peer into the action.
It’s sure to be a vibrant, fun place to hang out at any time of day and, like their other ventures, dog-friendly – an exciting addition to the city centre’s burgeoning eastern fringe. With opening in sight, Avi and Lois mention that it has been a great team effort to get to where they are now.
“Scoundrel has been created by a group of friends who happen to all be hospo veterans and wanted to make something cool together and to invest in the east side of town.”
Joining Avi, Lois, and Pedro are long-time friends Rowan Fox, their web and IT mastermind, General Manager Gabs Chanon, a hospitality veteran, and of course, Brixton, an all-round good pup.