Where to eat in Bristol – UK: WokyKo at CARGO, Wapping Wharf

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Where to eat in Bristol - UK

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When exploring destinations – and cities – to write about or, indeed, if you’re on holiday or a short break, naturally you’ve got to eat.  So on my second night in Bristol, where did I go and eat?  I’m a fan of Asian cuisine and when I was invited to try out the cuisine of WokyKo along the harbour side in Bristol, in their container village known as Wapping Wharf, I jumped at the chance.

**All thoughts and opinions remain my own, despite any complimentary services**

Where to eat in Bristol Wapping Wharf – CARGO Village

Along the Bristol Harbour side you’ll find Wapping Wharf, the alternative food, drink, coffee shop and shopping quarter of Bristol.  It’s re-generated the harbour area and also offers apartments for sale.  Amongst Wapping Wharf you’ll find CARGO.   The novelty is in the name: it’s a concept made up entirely of shipping containers encompassing places to eat, a florist, a barber and cider shop.  CARGO 2 opened in 2017 offering further retail opportunities plus yoga and relaxation space.

More on Bristol

CARGO is the location of WokyKo, so as well as having the opportunity to eat one of my favourite dishes, I could sample this in an alternative location…I mean, have you ever eaten in a shipping container?  Talk about recycling!

bristol harbour photo
Bristol Harbour – Photo by Larry Johnson

WokyKo

I met my host from Visit Bristol and we made our way to this eclectic area. There’s some great street art on display around the CARGO harbour area – and I was looking forward to the evening ahead.

The appeal of WokyKo is that Larkin Cen, the creator of the small eatery and BBC TV programme Masterchef finalist, is that all ingredients used in the creation of his menu are ‘responsibly sourced’, and to top it off, there’s no added MSG.   The place opened in October 2016, so it was a very recent addition to the Harbourside.

You can’t make a reservation – the seating area’s too small – but when you do sit to eat, the open kitchen means you can see the chefs prepare their magic.

WokyKo Menu

Larkin Cen has created an eclectic menu of what he terms as ‘Asian street food.’  And with dishes such as:

  • Korean Rice Cakes with Red Dragon Sauce
  • Chicken Singapore Vermicelli with free range egg, Asian Vegetables, herbs, toasted sesame seeds and lime
  • Aubergine Green Curry with baby corn, green beans and steamed rice

it’s easy to see why I was excited to try out the menu.

I settled on the following:

  • Bao with Braised Pork, Hoi Sin Ketchup, Apple and Peanut Powder
  • Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pomegranate and Pineapple salsa
  • Bao with Salted Caramel Ice Cream (so good my dining guest and I actually had two)

What’s a Bao?  It’s an Asian steamed bun, filled with your choice of ingredients.  They can be savoury and sweet (see above).

Gorgeous Asian cuisine at @wokyko by @larkincen in #Bristol. Thanks @visitbristol for organising. #Asiancuisine

A photo posted by Rebecca – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on


Conclusion and Facts

  • The food was undeniably delicious at WokyKo and made all the more unique to be in a shipping container.  You’d think that it’d feel claustrophobic as they’re really not that big, not once you’ve factored in that a seating area and kitchen is squeezed in…and were it not for the clever layout, it could well have been a claustrophobic experience, but it wasn’t.
  • My Braised Pork Bao with Hoi Sin Ketchup, Apple and Peanut Powder was £3.95 each
  • The Salted Caramel Ice Cream Bao was £4,25 each
  • There’s an eclectic menu on offer – both lunch and dinner
  • Opening Times:

Tuesday to Thursday, 11.30am to 10pm;

Friday and Saturday, 11.30am to 10.30pm;

Sunday, 11.30am to 10pm.

**Disclosure: I was a guest of WokyKo, arranged by VisitBristol.  As always, all opinions remain my own**

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22 COMMENTS

  1. CARGO sounds like a cool concept! And boy does that meal look delicious! I’ll have to bookmark this place for the next time I’m in Bristol!

  2. Wouldn’t have thought of a shipping container as a likely source of great food but you’ve converted me!!

  3. What an awesome concept! That food looks amazing, especially the Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pomegranate and Pineapple salsa!

  4. Yes – it’s a clever way to convert and recycle unused shipping containers – and they’re made really artistically too.

  5. Well I definitely love Asian inspired cuisine and this looks amazing – just had a wonderful Korean Meal in the Bay Area last night

  6. Reminds me of the Restart Mall in Christchurch, New Zealand, which was built from shipping containers. I’ll have to make a note to go to Whapping Wharf – and to try the food at WokyKo.

  7. The concept is cute since I’m all for recycling! I need to venture out and try other cuisines because your photos have me salivating!

  8. Looks like this is a nice place to indulge in some authentic Asian cuisine.
    I think I would settle for the Aubergine Green Curry with baby corn, green beans and steamed rice. Considering my vegetarian preferences.

  9. Oh the pork/hoi sin bao looks sooo delicious! Great filling too! This looks like a really cool area of Bristol and I’ve never been to it or heard of it. Container towns remind me of Christchurch in NZ!

  10. Hi Claire,

    Yes – someone else commented here and mentioned a Container place in Christchurch, NZ. There’s one in the East End of London too – again with food outlets. Seems they’re all the rage now!

  11. CARGO sounds like fun- not sure how these containers would be in the summer- and I’m a big fan of Asian Street food and sustainable sourcing so I’d love WokyKo.

  12. Oh they’ve been completely refurbished Billie, not just left in their natural state so naturally they’d be fine in the summer. The food was delicious!