“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.
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“It was incredibly exciting. There were a lot of opportunities after Covid and from a very young age I have always wanted to create an Asian food brand throughout the UK which could make a difference and there was an opportunity to expand so I took it.”
This year, however, independent businesses faced inescapable pressures as the cost of living crisis deepened. Larkin was forced to close three out of four of his Woky Ko sites just a month after Queens Road reopened due to the economic climate and rapid changes in market conditions.
Reasoning the closures, Larkin reflected: “We have had to cope with staff shortages, closure days as a result of covid related absences totalling 200 days’ trade which further exposed us. I sometimes think if I played it safer, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation, who knows? I always did what I felt was best for the business.”
Despite three cancelled holidays and putting everything he had into Woky Ko's growth, Larkin said he felt quite disconnected from the business during the past few months. He will be taking some time to rest over the Christmas period for the first time this year.
“In many ways, the business was running me this year not the other way around and that was never sustainable and something I’m not willing to repeat. Not being able to see my daughter as much as I would like, having time for myself has been difficult owing to the pressures of running a business and something I want to address going forward.”
On December 9, Larkin decided to turn a new leaf and reopen the original Woky Ko site at Wapping Wharf under a new name. Daily Noodles is a renewed concept from Larkin, offering a stripped-back service centred around fun, casual Asian food for eat-in or takeaway. “I reflected back on when Cargo first opened and I always said that I wanted an everyday price point serving great food in a casual setting. I think this ethos is more relevant than ever,” he added.
Inside the Cargo 1 site, diners will find a cosy restaurant that nods to an authentic Chinese noodle bar, with bench seating and a small open kitchen. Larkin’s new menu is concise and focuses on some of Woky Ko’s original dishes from six years ago, offering a selection of small plates, bao and noodle dishes ranging from £5 to £10.95.
The Laksa, a brand new dish that is popular in South East Asia, is the perfect winter warmer, consisting of a steaming hot bowl of rich and creamy coconut broth with rice noodles, tofu and bean shoots for £9.95. Customers can choose from fried chicken, pork or vegan chicken to add on top at no additional cost, piled generously on top of the broth.
There are plenty of vegan-friendly options including the vegan Korean fried chicken bao served with kimchi and mayonnaise (£8 for two). Larkin’s kitchens have always cooked bao to perfection - the dough requires skilled cookery to create a spongy, light bun that can be stuffed generously with the filling. The vegan chicken is crispy, moist and packed full of flavour, which isn’t easy to achieve with meat alternatives and also reassembled the real deal.
Each dish is carefully crafted with a lot of love, passion and quality ingredients, washed down perfectly with a can of Asahi (£3.50) or Tsingtao (£4.25), a Chinese lager. Daily Noodle signposts an exciting new chapter for Larkin and his team to continue exposing diners to the great flavours of South East Asia in a relaxed environment.
Larkin added that he has been humbled by the support from diners and Umberslade, the company that owns Wapping Wharf. The community is a vibrant community hub for Bristol city centre, home to almost 50 independent businesses.
“I quit my job as a lawyer to do this because I felt I could add something, solve a problem and create a great business. My focus is to go back to what I do best which is feeding people and I am committed to that.
“That’s ultimately why I chose to go into this profession. I would like to mention the landlords at Wapping Wharf who have been incredibly supportive and Daily Noodles could not have happened without their understanding.”
Daily Noodles is open Wednesday to Sunday each week available to eat in at Cargo, Wapping Wharf or for delivery on UberEats.
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