On Thursday, March 14th, Larkin Cen will open his third Bristol restaurant when Woky Ko: Kaiju comes to CARGO 2 at Wapping Wharf.
Located above Meatbox and Squeezed, Woky Ko: Kaiju will be serving up a ramen menu alongside seasonal fish, meat and vegetable yakitori dishes cooked on traditional Japanese robata grills.
Heading up the kitchen will be John Watson, who joins from his own restaurant No Man’s Grace after its recent sale. Before this, he was head chef at The Gallimaufry, and has also worked at Casamia and The Kensington Arms.
Woky Ko: Kaiju’s inspiration comes from the Japanese izakaya style of dining, where diners enjoy both food and drink in a pub-type atmosphere. Expect barbecued skewers seared over specialist Binchotan charcoal for a unique flavour – as well as Japanese-style ramen with toppings cooked over coal. The menu will also feature a soy sauce-based glaze called tare flavouring the meat, fish and vegetable dishes, sourced from producers like Wild Harbour and Grow Bristol.
The launch menu will include dishes such as charred leek with Sichuan peppercorn and sesame; gem lettuce with tosazu dressing; chicken thigh or wing yakitori; tsukune (chicken meatballs) with egg yolk and soy sauce; kamo dango (duck meatballs) with umeboshi plum ketchup; monkfish with yuzu and shallot ponzu; grilled octopus with sweet chilli; and tantanmen ramen with ground pork and mustard greens.
Alongside the food you’ll be able to enjoy a range of drinks that include beers, wines and cocktails – such as a Nikka Tan Old Fashioned, and a Psychopomp Woky gin Negroni.
You can book a table now via ResDiary – opening hours are 12-3pm and 4.30-10pm Tuesday to Friday, 12pm to 10pm on Saturdays, and 12pm to 6pm on Sundays. There is space for around 40 diners – including eight seats in front of the grills to watch the chefs at work, and an outside terrace to soak up the sun on warmer days.