Korean Kai & Cafe is a Korean restaurant on King Street in central Whakatāne — fittingly, the kai in the name is the te reo Māori word for food. It holds a 4.6 rating on Google.
Korean cooking runs on dependable pleasures: rice and noodles, stews that bubble at the table, and banchan, the small kimchi and pickle sides that arrive alongside the main order. Fermented pastes like gochujang give the food its savoury depth, and heat swings widely between dishes, so it pays to ask before you order. Places that call themselves a cafe as well tend to keep things relaxed — quick plates and coffee alongside the heartier fare — so they suit a casual lunch as much as a slower dinner.
In a coastal Bay of Plenty town where dinner options often skew towards fish and chips, that is a welcome bit of variety on King Street.