Mr Go’s Hawker Restaurant

Mr Ah Go was an 1880’s Chinese market gardener on Tasman Street, Mt Cook, just up the road from our restaurant today. Through the middle of Ah’s gardens ran a stream, an integral part of his livelihood to grow crops. Under pressure to source land for Western settlers, local council proposed culverting the stream and developing Ah’s land for residential development. Instead, Ah proposed to divert the stream which would allow both his family and Western settlers to live and work side-by-side – a harmonious in-between. Council disagreed, forcing Ah from his gardens for a mere £3 compensation to commence culverting the stream for residential development. Within two years, Ah’s gardens were built upon and solely occupied by Western settlers. It is not known what then happened to Mr Go. Mr Go’s is a nod to Ah himself, but moreover all he wanted – Western settlers and Chinese market gardeners thriving side-by-side. Mr Go’s is a restaurant take on this. We’re neither a Chinese restaurant, nor a Western one at that – we are a harmonious in-between. This is Mr Go’s – this is not Mr Go.