Inamo St James, London - Review
‘Sci-fi sushi’ - it was only a matter of time before this food trend emerged on the London restaurant scene, and why ever not?
There’s something deliciously odd about nibbling on small squares of raw fish for supper and it’s the perfect cuisine to accompany an experimental dining experience. So last week I shuffled off to sample some exotic edibles in the innovative Inamo St James, a futuristic response to Japanese fine dining just off Regent street.
It’s USP is the furniture’s gadget wizardry, this is the only place I’ve ever accessed a control panel on my table top to order a drink.
Here’s how it works; hidden next to your chopsticks is a touch sensitive screen displaying small, large and side dishes. Scroll along each category and you’ll find not only a description but also a photograph too, very useful when trying to differentiate your sashimi from your endame…..
Each confirmed order takes between 10-15 mins to arrive, so you can graze at a leisurely pace without pestering the waiter every five mins for extra rice or find yourself getting dizzy with eyes glued to the usual sushi conveyor belt.
Portions are typically Japanese ( ie small) and the quality is high so keep and eye on your electronic basket, it’s easy to keep notching up more plates and therefore your bill without noticing. For the Sushi novice it’s worth chatting to the staff on stand by, they know their menu inside and out and can help pick dishes to suit your tastes.
If there is a big group of you the process is especially easy, with each person ordering 3-4 dishes you’ll get to sample an array of unusual bites without feeling overwhelmed. Certainly the young trendy crowd nearby me seemed to have the ordering down to a fine art and had a table over loaded with fabulous looking dishes.
Personally I’d recommend the new seared black bean tuna black bean tuna coated in wasabi served on a pinch of pickled mouli with cucumber miso dressing. Incredible.
My dining companion had heartier tastes and is apparently ‘still dreaming about the spiced pork belly that came served on ginger, spring onions, with a ‘fuji apple sauce and leek wool.’ Impressive stuff. There are lots of healthy options too if you’re watching your diet, I loved the new vegetable temaki, very simple- just steamed broccoli, asparagus and roast peppers wrapped in nori and served with wasabi soy.
Rather charmingly you can also alter your tables’ ‘screen saver’ as you dine, so if a wallpaper of whirpools or sun drenched beaches isn’t to your taste you can switch to a bright pink orchid or some tasteful autumn leaves. (This gets especially amusing after several cocktails where the fight for the right to lead the ‘mood’ can get rather serious!).
I confess I loved every minute of my Inamo visit. It’s sexy and swanky in the way that only cocktails and sushi can be- but it’s fun too. The crowd is a hip, smart casual lot hanging out somewhere cool after work where they can guarantee delicious food and drink with some extra factor thrown in for good measure.
I hope Inamo wins repeat business from its visitors after the novelty factor wears off, it really does deserve it. I’ll definitely be returning, there are still several hundred screen saver/sushi combinations I’ve yet to work my way through….
READER COMMENTS:
No comments yet.
In order to write this post or review the author may have tested complimentary services or goods to ascertain an accurate picture of quality and standards. It is important for us to declare this so that our readership fully understand that we are where possible speaking from experience when reviewing a product or service. In spite of this, we aim to maintain high journalistic standards and provide useful objective analysis.