The Citiblog

A Conversation with Sons of Thunder
September 12, 2018, 11:51.09 pm ET

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Sons of Thunder, John and James Kim, Poke, NYC
Brothers John (right) and James Kim (left) have opened their second Sons of Thunder restaurant in the Financial District. This is part of our conversation with James Kim:

Where does the name Sons of Thunder come from? The Sons of Thunder are two brothers in the Bible who have the same names as us. So, that’s what people called us when we were growing up. I think they also thought we were troublemakers.

Are you planning to open more restaurants? Yes, but not in the near future.

You’re selling soft-serve ice cream. Does that go with poke? We were supposed to be a burger joint. But when we opened our first restaurant we had problems with the grill so we made poke. It was at the bottom of the menu. But we’re Hawaiian and that’s what we knew how to make. At that time nobody was talking about poke. We almost didn’t survive until the New York Times wrote a glowing review and things began to take off.

What’s your favorite dish? I’d have to say the half-and-half where you get a choice of two kinds of poke (from tuna, salmon and octopus). I also like the fish tacos. They're made with fresh cod fillets and topped with a mango-kiwi salsa.

There was a point when it seemed like a new poke spot was opening almost daily. Do you see the trend continuing, or are we seeing a shakeout? I think it is shaking out. We may have seen the peak.

What makes Sons of Thunder stand out? The freshness of our fish. It comes from boat-to-plate in 48 hours. Other poke restaurants, some of which have already gone out of business, sell frozen fish. I have a whole team breaking down our tuna in the kitchen daily. We’re also supplying our Midtown restaurant from this location. You may pay a premium, and our margins are thinner, but I think it’s worth it for the freshness.

Why did you pick this location? It seems to be getting more residential. We’re also near the Seaport and you get a good office crowd.

Why are you closed on Sundays? The staff needs a day to rest. We do too.

It’s hard work? Yes, it is.

Sons of Thunders opens its FiDi location Sept 13, 2018 at 225 Pearl St in Manhattan. To see more click here

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