We live in a digital and an interactive society, no ifs, and, buts, or sex-bots about it; so how has the dining scene evolved with the times? Leading the charge in restaurant innovation, Inamo is a name that makes technology your friend rather than your foe at the dinner table, and we headed on down to their new Camden venue to see why, and how.
The Venue
Propped a few jay-crossing steps away from Mornington Crescent tube station, Inamo Camden is the newest restaurant in the Eastern-led chain, and in my opinion, one of their best yet. Not only have walls and rooms been opened and aired out with more windows, geometric features and spacial dining than ever, Inamo Camden's two floor space (both of which feeling as though it boasts its own theme of dulcet, yet full-bodied colour tones) has the luxury of both street-side dining, and a roof terrace on the second floor with heaters, cocktails and branded blankets.
The downstairs space at Inamo Camden looks out onto the street-side tables.
The Food and Drink
If you have, as I do, a thing for Asian cuisine, Inamo Camden make dining hard.........to pick just the one thing. One of the biggest Asian menus in London and split between tapas, sushi and classics, we thought a blend of all three would steer us on the right dinner course. Opting between us for the California Rolls (6pcs at £10.95), the Vegetable Spring Rolls, the Spicy Aubergine with Pinyin Mushroom (£5.95) and the Crisp Tofu in Shichimi Batter, all four were a blessing from the off. While the sushi melted perfectly alongside pops of orange tobiko, the spring rolls were a clear winner thanks to a tanged chilli tip and a velvety interior, we only wish they didn't come in a set of 3.
In two whole years my boyfriend and I have never been defeated by dinner, and four starters couldn't hold these wild horses back. Bang on vegetarian trend my boyfriend opted for the Jackfruit Stir Fry in a Soy Ginger Dressing (£13.95) while I had my way with the Spicy Black Cod, marinated in miso. While the sweetness of the jackfruit may convince in a vegan pulled pork recipe, we weren't convinced by its place in a curry, the cod however was something else. Almost tart and slinking off the skin, this sweet and fleshy main was perfect alongside a bowl of rice, and warranted its place as one of the most expensive dishes on the menu at £24.95. All that without a drink would have been trouble, and it's the Kyuri Plum Sour that stood out. Cutesy and prime for Instagram thanks to a short tumbler and decorated straw, most sour cocktails rely on the twang, but this plum sour is the perfect closer to a meal thanks to its cucumber and hint of vanilla.
The California Roll makes for the perfect sushi teaser before mains.
The Atmosphere and Experience
Owing to a space that feels far bigger than a lot of their London restaurants, the Camden branch of Inamo seems to have more to play with, and that's not a tactic missed on the dining crowd. Owing to its position directly opposite Mornington Crescent, not only is the space happily filtering through guests, added functionality to the interactive tables make for more head-down-hoofing. Sure, i'm the first to slap a phone out of the hand of anyone i'm dining with, it's downright rude and we can talk about that pretty kitty later, but this was tech I can stand at the table. Not only are the clickers extended across the table now, rather than just a small circular space, there's new games, chance to sketch on the table to create your own design, and functionality for private parties to upload their own images to the table cover. I've got a great pic of me and a moose that I think your mum on her 60th birthday would be dying to see.....
The cocktail list at Inamo is just as tailored and impressive as the menu.
Summary
The size of the space may be rumoured to be the same as their Soho venue and the menu may be similar, but there's more to Inamo Camden than I feel the rest. Tables here aren't forced into intimacy by the large and overhanging projectors of their other venues, intimacy here is created by battling over pong, sharing the last tofu teaser and coming up with excuses for another stint of cocktails on the roof terrace.........of which you need none.
