Street food / Reviews
Woky Ko: Robata Stall – review
Woky Ko founder Larkin Cen was busy preparing lunch on a robata grill at St Nick’s Market soon after midday the other day.
Turmeric-infused smoke rose from the stall creating a hazy atmosphere in the warm sun as every skewer was rotated with precision.
Woky Ko’s Robata Stall is a perfect little sister for Bristol’s three other Woky Ko restaurants in Wapping Wharf and on Queen’s Road, where you have the pleasure of watching your food being cooked in front of you.
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The robata is a traditional 300-year-old Japanese style of cooking which uses binchotan, Japanese charcoal which is considered the best charcoal in the world for its long cooking time, minimal smoke and consistent temperature, filling the food with an earthy, smoky flavour.
There’s also a robata grill at Woky Ko: Kaiju, which only opened on the first floor of Cargo 2 in Wapping Wharf just over a month ago.
While the skewers at Kaiju play second fiddle to the ramen, here at St Nick’s – in a stall that was most recently Grillstock – the sticks are centre stage.
Woky Ko: Robata Grill is the fourth Woky Ko to open in Bristol – photo by Kirstie Young
I ordered both the chicken yakitori (£6) with a base of Singapore noodles, and an extra skewer of miso aubergine for an extra £2. Other accompaniments to the skewers include a heartier curry with rice or a lighter noodle salad.
The noodles were thick and perfectly cooked udon-style. Every so often a crunchy and refreshing beansprout would crop up into the mix, offering a refreshing contrast to the slight spice.
The turmeric was beautiful, and its colour and flavour had seeped into the vegetables and noodles creating an attractive and vibrant dish.
Melting off the skewer, the chicken was glazed with Masterchef chef finalist Larkin’s own tare – a thick and slightly sweet type of aged soy sauce.
The skin of the aubergine meanwhile had just the right amount of crisp, with the flesh having a subtle miso flavour.
Larkin is one of the busiest men in Bristol at the moment and a wizard with different Asian flavours and cuisines. The smallest Woky Ko so far is street food done with impeccable style.
Woky Ko: Robata Stall, 33-34 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, Bristol, BS1 1JQ
Read more: Woky Ko: Kaiju – restaurant review
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