I am constantly eating on the go. Wherever I am in Wellington, I often want something super quick, super delicious, super fresh and super friendly.
Although it sounds easy, it can be hard to find all four in one place. Mr Go's recently opened in Taranaki Street, however, filled this tall order. For fresh, Asian fusion set in a modern vibrant interior, you’ve got to go to Mr Go's.
On Thursday evening I arrived with my dining companion (Matt) knowing we only had 30 minutes for us to eat. With a name like Mr Go's I was keen to see if they would live up its name.
We arrived and were immediately greeted by a fuss free friendly front of house waiter who patiently listened to our requirements. We needed to be in and out in under a half an hour. He suggested the list of food above the seated counter which set out a range of options and said they would be served in about 10 minutes. There were plenty of staff on and the restaurant had a healthy hustle and bustle about it. Mr Go's had also clearly thought about the interior carefully. The look of the interior reminded me of a funky Melbourne bar, colourful and modern with a retro twist, cheeky humour ("take a bao") and gorgeous fresh flowers.
We settled on the Gado Gado - steamed vegetables, fried tofu with peanut dressing (large $12), marinated fried tofu with pickled ginger and chilli sauce ($9) and smokey Korean bbq chicken wings ($12.50). We told the waiter what we wanted and he showed us to a table before speeding away to deliver our order to the kitchen. We were also offered either sparkling complementary water or still so naturally we took sparkling. It's nice to be offered sparkling water - when soda machines have become so common it still adds an extra touch and shows the restaurant has thought about making your experience a bit more enjoyable.
Before we knew it, steaming hot chicken wings were before us, along with a handy finger bowl to help us stay clean. Nevertheless, the chicken was so good, moist and salty from the sauce we wanted to lick up every morsel.
Next came the tofu. I LOVE tofu and this crispy variety did not disappoint. Sweet chilli sauce complemented the crisp texture and it was firm and clean tasting, the way I like it.
Finally, our Gado Gado salad came out. I have to say I didn’t get quite as good a go on this because Matt wolfed it down so fast. “I could come and have this for lunch when I want something fresh at work” he commented, his chopsticks in rapid relay. What I did try was well mixed, abundant with mung beans, fresh veggies and salad that tasted like it had come straight that day from over a block at Moore Wilsons. While I can’t say for sure whether that was the case, it certainly was super fresh and healthy.
We finally settled up our bill and were back on Taranaki Street all in that half hour window as promised. Both of us turned to each other and agreed that we were well impressed by the speed, quality and level of service we had just experienced. It felt like being a VIP without the hassle. If you are looking for a fresh Wellington Asian restaurant that delivers on time, get on the go to Mr Go's.
You go, Mr Go's.
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