The Lowdown: Chef Bookie Mitchell of Namo

What is your earliest food memory?
When I was growing up in Lampang in Northern Thailand, there was a hawker stall next to my school. We called the owner ‘Uncle Kaew’. He would barbecue pork over a charcoal grill, and also he would make egg fried rice. He served it in a plastic bag and you just ate it like that with hot sriracha sauce. I’m thinking of putting it on my menu at Namo.

What is your favourite comfort food?
I like things that people don’t really eat - strange stuff like pickled plums. They’re salty and sweet. Sometimes I like sour green cooking apples with a dip made with shrimp paste, sugar, fish sauce and chilli powder.

Are you a coffee or tea person?
Matcha latte with oat milk is the new trend for me.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
I wanted to be a florist, an interior designer or a photographer. I seem to have a random interest in lots of things. After I graduated from university, I applied to be a flight attendant but it wasn’t for me. Being a chef is where my passion and my creativity lie.

What is the worst thing about being a chef and restaurateur?
The long hours. Being the owner, it’s just kind of around the clock. Even though you finish your work, you are still thinking about it. But I enjoy it.

Who do you most admire in the restaurant industry?

My friend Kanthi Thamma of The Spice Kitchen. He’s just so talented. He would be the one to call me on a decision because he’s has so much experience, he’s been in the business for a long time. Sometimes he will say things that you don’t want to hear, but it’s a fact, and he wants to help you. He’s very creative; every time that we come up with pop-up ideas, we just click. We can do the menu 24 hours before the pop-up and we can just nail it because of him. He’s just so talented with lots of things. He can dance, he can do everything. He’s just amazing.

What do you eat for breakfast?
I rarely eat breakfast, but if I have to, I’m probably going to have a boiled egg, some avocado and brown toast. I’d start with tea and then follow with coffee. And then some fruit - berries and stuff.

Tell us about a hidden gem in Brighton
I like the bar at No. 124 Guest House. Usually, I will pop in for coffee because it’s quiet and it’s nice in there, but one cocktail I really love is Gimme Mûre. It’s made with Brighton Gin, pineapple, and blackberry. It’s one of those drinks that’s really easy to enjoy but still feels a bit special.

What is the best food destination in the world and why?
Thailand. I’m Thai, so I’m probably just a bit biased. I love the food so much. It’s fresh, healthy, vibrant and full of favour. The way we serve food is totally different from the north to the south and to central, so when you go to Thailand, you can try different things. Chiang Mai in the north offers something a bit different; there’s influences from being next to Burma. Kao Soi, which we serve at Namo Eats at The Eagle, is so popular; people just love it so much, and that is from the north.

What’s the next restaurant that you are dying to visit?

Interlude in Leonardslee Gardens. I have seen some things on Instagram, and I really want to go there. Where it is is so beautiful, so that could be my present for this year.

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten in a restaurant recently?
There’s a dish I still think about from time to time. It’s Laphet Thohk, the tea leaf salad from Laphet, a Burmese restaurant in London. The main ingredient is fermented, pickled tea leaves, which might sound unusual, but the flavour is incredible. It’s savoury, slightly bitter, deeply umami, and full of texture. One of those dishes that really stays with you.

The details
Namo
24 Ship St, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 1AD
01273 911881; namobrighton.co.uk‍