“It's been a tale of two halves this year,” admitted Woky Ko founder Larkin Cen. The former lawyer created an adored Bristol restaurant institution back in 2016 that survived the tumultuous pandemic, had four sites at its peak and overcame a huge amount of challenges that have plagued the industry in recent years.
At the start of 2022, Larkin appeared on the BBC’s Great British Menu earlier this year representing Wales, where he is originally from, and impressed the judges with his David Attenborough-inspired hot pot dish that earned him a 10/10 score. The chef is no stranger to the TV limelight, having reached the Masterchef final in 2013 that showcased his passion for authentic Chinese and Cantonese cookery.
The business was growing 40 per cent year on year and even grew 20 per cent in July this year, announcing the reopening of its flagship Queens Road site for the first time since Covid and Birmingham was earmarked for the first Woky Ko venue outside of Bristol. Larkin said he was proud of how the company adapted quickly during Covid and made deliveries a robust arm of the business.
