Hop Namo, Boxpark, Shoreditch

Hop Namo, Boxpark, Shoreditch

19 December, 2011
by: Tom Jeffreys

Tom Jeffreys braves the dreadful new Boxpark for Vietnamese deliciousness at Hop Namo.

Few things epitomise the ghastly side of gentrification better than Boxpark. Long before it opened, architecture critics were queueing up to pan the concept. The Evening Standard's Kieran Long, for example, put it rather neatly: “Boxpark basically tells corporations that they can come along and sell to this market [East London] without really understanding it or investing in its future. It is a retail smash-and-grab, and will leave no legacy when it leaves beyond another empty site awaiting redevelopment in Shoreditch.”

And now that the shipping container shopping mall has opened – on that  long-empty land just by Shoreditch overground station – we can see why. Billing itself, rather hilariously, as “a living, fertile community of brands packed with talent, innovation and attitude”, Boxpark claims that it “isn’t intrusive or invasive”, that it “fits in, joins in and contributes to the community”, and contains “no high street retailers”. What this actually means is an ugly black eyesore, smeared with shoutily branded capitals, and touting wares by such small, alternative brands as, um, Nike, Levi's, Evisu, Calvin Klein, and Oakley.

So far, so dreadful. But if Boxpark can be said to have a saving grace then it's in its food. Whilst the ground floor is just like any other shopping mall anywhere in the world, upstairs does more to deliver on the promise of providing a home for smaller companies, like Bukowski, Crussh, Foxcroft & Ginger, Mexway, and Hop Namo – where I'm having lunch on a busy pre-Christmas Saturday. It's here, and here only, that you can see the benefits of the Boxpark's “low cost, low risk” approach for retailers.

Run by husband and wife Colin and Linh Vu (whose parents run long-term Spoonfed favourite Huong Viet on Englefield Road), Hop Namo is the second incarnation of their business. That the first, Namo, is located on Victoria Park Road means that this is probably the only local thing about Boxpark. With rows of little square tables, tiny stools, upside-down plants (that remind me of The Twits) and lots of salvaged wood, they've done a decent job of making the shipping containers a pleasant place to escape the soulless horrors outside, although the sheer quantity of wood does make it feel a little like sitting in a sauna.

This impression is only heightened by the fact that I order the Hue Soup (£6.50). There's no question that it's delicious – light but full of flavour and positively singing with lemongrass – it's more that I always forget how awful I am with spicy food. Halfway through I've turned redder than my rather vividly red jumper. It's not a pretty sight. Meanwhile, my companion, a professional perfumer, is a little disappointed by the comparative lack of vegetarian options, but her salad of mango, kohlrabi, and crispy tofu (£6.50) is so vibrantly fresh that any thoughts of a grumble are swiftly dispelled. Mint, citrus, crispy tofu crunch and fruity sweet mango makes for an electric combination.

The menu has a range of other temptations, like crispy chilli squid (£5.50), Vietnamese chicken curry (£7) and “chargrill lacquered” pork (£7.50), whilst banh mi – meat-packed Vietnamese baguettes (all £5) – feature particularly strongly. The five-spice honey-glazed pork with Asian pear sounds particularly scrumptious. But we simply opt for some fresh rolls (£2 each) and spring rolls (£3 for 2) which are light, crunchy, greaseless and full of flavour, before finishing things off with a fragrantly floral lotus tea for the perfumer and an indulgently sweet Vietnamese coffee for me.  

Despite my general loathing for Boxpark, I can't help warming to Hop Namo – but with Kingsland Road already awash with Vietnamese restaurants and recent openings like Keu! offering a similarly modern selection of banh mi, it'll be interesting to see how they get on. With keen prices, fresh, clean flavours and a relaxed vibe perfect for quick lunch, Hop Namo almost makes Boxpark worthwhile. Almost.



www.namo.co.uk

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Tom Jeffreys