The top line: Following success with pub residencies and an executive chef role at Brighton’s No No Please, Bookie Mitchell has opened a progressive Thai restaurant in The Lanes. Namo – which takes its name from a Thai word roughly translating as respect – eschews familiar staples like green curry and pad Thai in favour of lesser-seen regional dishes. Originally from Northern Thailand, Mitchell is well known in Brighton and Hove, having launched Street Thai in partnership with the family behind Italian stalwart Donatello in 2010. She continues to operate Namo Eat at The Eagle pub in the city’s North Laine and will also remain in post at No No Please, the South East Asian-inspired restaurant and bar launched by siblings Euan MacDonald and Mel Culross on Preston Street in 2023.
On the menu: Highlights include claypot rice piled high with seafood; a Laos-inspired salad of vegetables, charred nectarine, toasted rice, chilli and citrus; and a vegan take on the street food classic teaw lord – wide rice noodle rolls filled with tofu, shiitake, vegetables and crispy garlic, served in a pool of light but fiery dressing. Portions are generous and prices are accessible, with nothing breaking the £20 mark.
The vibe: Namo occupies the former site of long-running Mexican restaurant Dos Sombreros. Mitchell has invested significant time and energy (and paint – the previous occupants favoured a very garish colour palette) to create a calm, pared-back space with subtle Thai references.
And another thing: Mitchell is trading in close proximity to heavyweight brands including The Ivy, Ivy Asia, Pizza Pilgrims, Honest Burgers and Flat Iron’s recently launched Brighton outpost – and is holding her own. Just weeks after opening, Namo has already secured a rave review from Daily Mail critic Tom Parker Bowles.
24 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AD