Loved by those in the know for its full-flavoured North African cuisine and intoxicating decor, The Blue Man is one of Brighton’s best-kept secrets.

But this is set to change as the restaurant moves to a more central location in the Lanes this weekend, to the site where Momma Cherri’s original Soul Food Shack used to be, on Little East Street.

“It’s time for me to play with the big boys,” says owner Majid Benslimane.

“I’ve been around for more than five years and although people who know about The Blue Man love it, we could definitely have more of a presence in the city.”

Half Moroccan and half Algerian, Majid is a former professional footballer who came to Brighton 15 years ago. The youngest of 13 children, he learned how to cook traditional North African food from watching his mother, who ran a restaurant.

Now he insists on doing all the cooking himself and makes everything from the bread to the baclava from scratch. Traditional dishes on the menu include starters like teguella bread from the Saharan Berber, served with home made baba ganoush and Jerusalem artichoke dip (£4.90); B’stilla-roast fennel, butternut squash and almond cous cous wrapped up in filo pastry, served with roast pepper sauce and sprinkled with icing sugar (£11.50) to follow; or Khrouf – a rich lamb tagine, cooked slowly in the oven with prunes, chick peas and plenty of ginger and cinammon, served with home-made bread and cous cous (£12.50).

For dessert try Hhobz Tunsi, orange semolina cake served warm with vanilla ice cream (£4.25).

Magid is proud of his heritage and says he named the restaurant in honour of his grandfather, who belonged to the nomadic Tuareg tribe. The Tuareg use indigo dye on their clothes, which stains the skin blue, hence the name.

The new Blue Man will remain essentially the same in style as the former version, with ambient lighting, mosaic tables, Moroccan lanterns and an abundance of rugs and cushions – “like an Aladdin’s Cave”, says Magid. “It’s cosy, like the lounge in the house where I grew up.” The only difference will be the restaurant will now have a licence to sell alcohol, with plenty of North African and French wine and beers to choose from.

And as for the famous atmosphere? “Where I come from hospitality is everything,” says Magid. “I hope that comes across in my restaurant.”

Review by Xenia Gregoriadis

If you are interested in restaurants in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, visit www.theargusfoodguide.co.uk