Mr Go's Story
Mr Ah Go was an 1800's Chinese market gardener on Tasman Street, Mount Cook, just up the road from our restaurant today. Through Ah’s gardens ran a stream , providing access to water – an integral part of his livelihood to grow crops. In 1890, under pressure to source land for Western settlers, local council proposed seizing Ah's land, and culverting the stream for residential development. Instead, Ah proposed to divert the stream and move his gardening to one-side of the land, allowing Western settlers to occupy the other half with the two then to be living side-by-side. 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’re a harmonious in-between.
This is Mr Go’s – this is not Mr Go.