Boxpark Shoreditch: Interview with Toan Co-Founder of Namo

G: Tell us about your business:

Namo is a Vietnamese family run restaurant offering a taste of Vietnamese cooking with a modern twist. Our main branch in Victoria Park, East London, opened in 2005. It is the sister to Huong Viet, in Dalston, one of the first traditional Vietnamese restaurants in London. It is run by my parents.

Hop Namo in Shoreditch has given us an opportunity to expand and offer what I personally love – Vietnamese baguettes, in addition to Pho and Goi salads, and other nibbles! We now offer specials for early evening and dinner which are really good.

G: What do you do?

hop namo peopleI am the manager for Hop Namo. I am the younger brother of two older sisters. Linh, my sister and chef creates the flavour that you taste in the cooking. My brother-in-law, Colin, designed both Namo in Victoria Park and HOP at Boxpark.

G: Why do you do it (mission/vision)?

Our family genuinely love food, Vietnamese food and all food in general. We are really passionate about it and always talk about it, aside from my dad who tends to be more philosophical. My mum is a fabulous cook (creative), as is my dad (technical) and they have both influenced our tastes considerably. Linh and I grew up in Vietnam but both came to London separately. Besides enjoying being our own boss and working really hard, it allows us to be creative. There is nothing more satisfying for all of us then to see our customers enjoying the food and introducing them to new dishes.

Hop1G: Why are you unique?

I’d like to think that we offer really good Vietnamese food and have great stories to back it up. My dad and Linh were one of the Vietnamese boat people who escaped and went to sea finally making it to London as refugees. My dad runs the Vietnamese cultural centre, An Viet, and has been instrumental in helping other Vietnamese families get established in Hackney from the 1980s. My second sister Tam runs a fantastic and over-subscribed Vietnamese supper club in Berkshire using home grown vegetables, Vietnamese herbs, honey and livestock.

As Linh and I have both been in London since we were young, we believe Namo offers traditional Vietnamese cooking but also dishes with a modern twist influenced by our upbringing here.

G: Why did you choose Shoreditch for your new store?

Shoreditch is creative, trendy, informed. Folks know their food and what they want. Boxpark and Namo fit very well with this concept so it made sense for us.

G: A lot of Shoreditchers have quite unique taste and sometimes are quite resistant to mainstream brands, so how your company is planning to win over the hearts and minds of local community?

Namo and our family are down to earth, friendly and personable so we try and ensure that the staff we take on are like-minded. So long as we stay true to our food and our values, we can let you guys decide the rest.

G: What do you think will be the other challenges developing the business in Shoreditch and how are you planning to overcome them?

We have had a really good response from our lunch time customers who have been as excited and positive about Hop as we are. The Vietnamese baguettes are great, the Pho hits the winter spot. Post lunch and early evening has been challenging as Boxpark is still viewed as a daytime venue I believe. It makes us want to shout out and say ‘hey guys we actually have really yummy specials post-lunch and evening dinner is great at our place. Relax with a Vietnamese coffee and have a glass of wine or Hue Beer’.

G: What were the most memorable experiences while developing your business?

Hop6Testing so many different recipes for our Vietnamese baguette. The actual bread went through numerous testing sessions until Linh and Colin were happy that it was crispy and light enough. Then finally having a baguette with coriander, chili, pate, home pickles and pork. I used to have to go to Houston, Texas (where my relatives are) for this!!

G: What does the future has in store for your brand?

We shall do it for as long as our family remain passionate about what we do. Feedback is important to us and it keeps us motivated.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/namorestaurant

Website/Blog: www.namo.co.uk