Woky Ko : Kauto to open on Queens Road on May 22nd

On Tuesday, May 22nd, the team behind Woky Ko will be opening their new Asian restaurant – Kauto – for a two-week launch period before their grand opening.

Opening at 5.30pm on May 22nd, Kauto – headed up by chef Larkin Cen and his team- will be running their launch menu downstairs at their new two-floor restaurant at 7-9 Queens Road opposite the Wills Memorial Building, formerly home to Caffe Nero. During this two-week period, diners will still be able to enjoy a drink upstairs, with the first floor to be fully opened after the launch fortnight is over.

Named after a champion racehorse, Kauto will be more than just a bigger version of Larkin Cen’s Wapping Wharf restaurant. While there will be a nod to Woky Ko favourites like their bao, sharing plates and noodles, there will also be a new cocktail menu created by Gary Roper of Little Victories, as well as a whole host of new dishes, such as Roast Char Siu (Chinese Skewer Roasted Pork), Shallot Ponzu; Korean Fried Chicken, Ramen Noodles, soy egg, Umami Broth; Shrimp and Tiger Prawn, Lemon and pickled Daikon Bao; Roast Char Siu, Alkaline Noodles, Soy Egg, Umami Broth; and Clams, Wild Prawns, Rice Vermicelli Noodles, Tom Yum Broth.

Read our review of Woky Ko here

Down the line, the Kauto team will also be rolling out new dishes, a takeaway service, kids’ menu and lunch offering.

Larkin says the aim of Kauto is to show the people of Bristol everything that is great about Asian food:

“Woky Ko: CARGO is the core of our culinary and cultural values and our Wapping Wharf base is still very much part of the business. Woky Ko: Kauto takes on these values but in a different atmosphere and will enable us to show the breadth of a cuisine I truly love. We want to be more than a restaurant to our customers. We want to be a connection to the culture that this food is from.

“I grew up in a family of chefs and I see the art of a stunning cuisine dying out. I see a generation not wanting to go into this style of cookery. I believe Chinese food is beautiful so I wanted to push myself to learn more and to build a great company, not only to teach these values but also to respect the traditions and the art of Chinese cookery.

“We’ve not lost our innovative edge and are incredibly excited about our new menu. We have developed our own umami broth which is golden and crystal clear and targets the fifth flavour sense. All great soup noodles require a good chilli oil on the side to complete the authentic Chinese eating experience so we have developed Woky XO Chilli Oil to complement our soup noodles. The cocktails made by Gary at Little Victories will also complement the food perfectly. My favourite is the Jasmine Nashi Martini which is light and really refreshing. We’ve tried to stay quite playful and fun in our ideas but still deliver in a precise way as we’re passionate about our food.”

Used in the cocktails and a new addition for the Kauto bar is a gin made in collaboration with Bristol distillery Psychopomp. Woky Gin features nashi pear (the symbol of Woky Ko) which has a pure and crisp flavour.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11.30am until 11pm (10.30pm on Sundays).

Find out more at www.wokyko.com/kauto-1.