A whole world of flavour at Mr Go's
Mum always told you it was rude to stare – but you’ll be hard-pressed not to when you walk past Mr Go’s on Taranaki Street
Where
Courtenay Place
Through the restaurant’s all-glass façade, you’ll see a riot of colour: marshmallow pink, peppermint green, red vinyl barstools, warm mood lighting punctuated by neon. It’s retro canteen meets red-light district, about as far from minimalist as you can get.
Then there are the people. Seven nights a week, you can count on Mr Go’s being packed to the rafters. Locals know you don’t wander in expecting to be seated immediately; more likely, they’ll take your phone number and suggest you grab a drink somewhere nearby until you’re summoned. Is it worth the wait? Without a doubt.
We try very hard for the food to be of great quality at the best possible price, and we focus a lot on service. We wanted the service to be almost surprisingly good, way better than people expect from a fast-casual restaurant
Dean White, owner
The food
Officially, Mr Go’s serves “modern pan-Asian” cuisine. Unofficially, the mantra in the kitchen is “quality, quick and tasty”. The menu comprises Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian and Japanese dishes, and the sharing-friendly portions mean you can sample all of the above in one evening.
You can tailor your meal however you like, but the best approach is for each person to choose a gua bao (steamed bun) for themselves, plus two or three other plates to share with the table. Certain dishes have a cult following – there’ll be rioting in the streets if the Kung Pao cauliflower, Taiwanese popcorn chicken, kimchi-loaded shoestring fries or cream cheese wontons are ever taken off the menu – but you’ll want to delve deeper too because there’s a whole world of flavours to discover here.
The drinks menu features a good selection of New Zealand wines and local craft beers, but the real stars are the cocktails. You can keep it classy with mainstays like Visions of Woo (Kaffir lime-infused gin, apricot and lemon) or, for maximum Instagrammability, opt for one of the cocktails served in a novelty tiki mug. Like everything Mr Go’s does, they’re bright, fun, a bit surprising, and so delicious you’ll be happy to join the waiting list for your next one.
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