Piri burger to f ill fan stomachs
Pulled pork and long-awaited upgrades are on the menu at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium.
Former All Black Piri Weepu was on hand yesterday to launch ‘‘Piri’s Burger’’ – a burger he helped to design and promote.
The burger is a one-off special by the stadium’s new caterers Delaware North, and will be available at dedicated stands during the All Blacks-France test match on June 6.
Weepu said it was his penchant for hunting that inspired his choice of pulled pork, after his initial pick of venison proved too hard to source.
The burger, which will cost $13.50, was presented by chef Kupsami Gounder. It took 18 hours to cook the pork, which was seasoned with horopito barbecue sauce, he said.
‘‘It might be a bit different for [the French]. They are probably expecting frog legs,’’ Weepu said.
Also sampling – and approving of – the burger was Westpac Stadium chief executive Shane Harmon, who confirmed that a long-delayed, $10 million concourse upgrade was weeks away from kicking off.
‘‘We’re literally just about to start ... over the next few weeks we’re going to start to remove some of the cladding on the building and installing glass.’’
Steel cladding from the wharffacing mezzanine lounge to the railway station entrance will be removed, bringing light into the concourse.
New kitchens will be installed for Delaware North, which has remodelled the stadium’s food offerings in conjunction with Wellington Hospitality Group.
Most of the work would be completed in the next 12 months, Harmon said.
The upgrade has been substantially delayed by a year of cosmetic repairs after the Kaiko¯ ura earthquake, costing about $1.2m, and a decision to wait until after the Lions tour in July 2017.
Resource consent for the project, half funded by Wellington City Council, was granted in January 2018.
Already installed is a new wi-fi system, launched prior to the Lions tour.