Inamo

At the weekend I lunched at Inamo on Wardour Street which offers ‘Oriental fusion cuisine’. Inamo is very futuristic, each table has a projector overhead and diners can use a touch screen to order food, play games and even change the tablecloth! I thought that these gimmicks would detract from the food, however the food was delicious and I’d love to return.

Interactive dining table

The menu is projected onto the table and you can scroll through images of the dishes, which allows one to see precisely what they are ordering.

Projected menu

The chicken satay was exceptional. The chicken was succulent, aromatic and dusted with toasted coconut. The accompanying peanut sauce was possibly the best I’ve had. Inamo elevated the satay sauce by carefully balancing the strong peanut flavour with fragrant oriental flavours, such as lemongrass. This gave a refreshing twist to a well known starter. If you visit Inamo, I would highly recommend this dish.

The actual dish

We also ordered the squid and spring onion dim sum along with the shrimp and vegetable dim sum. Both varieties were steamed and were served with a mango relish. The seafood in the dim sum, wasn't diced too finely and the texture was spot on. The accompanying sauce was sweet and tart and cut through the saltiness of the dim sum very well. We also had the battered prawns. These came with a sour and salty dipping sauce, which refreshingly cut through the light and crispy batter.

Dim Sum

Battered Prawns and a psychedelic tablecloth!

For my main course I chose the pigs cheeks as I hadn’t had them in some time. Inamo’s ones were delightfully rich and tender. They must have been slow cooked, as they simply fell apart. They were glazed in a tangy and sweet sauce, with a little chilli to provide an evenly balanced heat. Lightly stir fried vegetables accompanied the dish and added some needed refreshment to such a rich dish.

Projected Image vs Actual Dish

Service was smooth and easy. There were no overbearing wait staff, because you submit your orders on the table. At the same time, the restaurant didn’t seem cold and isolated. My friend accidentally ordered a dish and was able to call staff over to cancel it without a problem. We had a 2-hour booking and weren’t at all rushed. 

I would certainly recommend the restaurant, both to sample the delicious food and also for the novelty factor of the interactive dining experience.

8/10

Inamo Restaurant - 020 7851 7051 - www.inamo-restaurant.com/

134- 136 Wardour Street, London, W1F 8ZP