The Handbook Reviews: Is This London’s Best New Omakase Counter?

19th March 2024 | By Patrick Dunne

They have it pretty good in Hampstead, don’t they? As a South Londoner, it’s admittedly not a place I either visit -or think about – that often, beyond a bi-annual trek around the Heath, or pointing out the slight irony of having to pay to view Karl Marx’s grave.

But walking around the hilly neighborhood, filled with quaint boutiques and bookshops, wholesome pubs, and the lights of the London skyline twinkling in the dark wintery evening, I understand why they keep to themselves. And now, they have one of the city’s best Japanese restaurants to boot, Inè.

What sets it apart

Iné is an offspring of legendary Michelin-starred Taku, and while very much its own place, comparisons are inevitable. Head Chef Law Kwok Meng was initially trained there, while Chef Patron Takuya Watanabe oversees both. What is offered here is a more casual, more flexible offering than the 16-seater, £400-a-head omakase. Iné’s omakase stands at a (relatively) more affordable £100, which is still punchy, but not mortgage-the-house expensive. And there is also the choice of going á la carte in the main dining room.

If you thought the price drop indicates any drop in quality, you would be wide of the mark. Sushi chefs have a special aura about them – the attention to detail and astronomical skill levels required mean that a booking at this counter is the best kind of privilege – a delicious one.

Our experience

The interior of Iné is sleekly designed; wood-paneling, minimalistic, and aesthetically soothing. We were there to sample the omakase, 15 courses of what promised to be culinary bliss. Sitting up at the counter early we began with a glass of sake and miso soup as the Chefs did their prep opposite us, like an Orchestra tuning their instruments before a concert.

The beauty of omakase, at least for those of novice-to-intermediate experience levels, lies in embracing your own ignorance. The practice calls for even the most micro-managing diner to relinquish control – go in willing to try anything and everything, and you will be rewarded.

What we ate

Over roughly an hour you’re hit with course after course, bite after bite of some of the best fish I’ve ever eaten. The opening salvo includes a signature fatty toro tartare with salty caviar bleeds, and a sashimi duet of tuna and sea bream, providing a precursor to a meal featuring shifting flavours and textures that fly at your taste buds like a sensory blitz. 

Afterward came a simultaneously never-ending but gone-too-soon conveyor belt of nigiri hits. As they work almost holistically, the real delight of each dish lying in how it plays against both the former and subsequent, picking a favourite feels unfair. But, a few highlights: Scallop and rice laced with lemon and salt, followed by rich, melt-in-your-mouth tuna, followed by charred red mullet, and on and on, seamlessly switching between salty and sweet, smoky and sour, rich and light. 

Verdict

For those looking to try their first omakase, or enthusiasts looking to discover a new favourite, Iné should shoot high up to the top of your list. There is no pretension that, although admittedly earned, can sometimes intrude in an omakase seating. There is just a dedication to craft, and genuine mutual appreciation of a diner being able to sample a chef at the top of their game, and a Chef able to demonstrate their skills. This strikes the perfect balance between being casual and serious, and both a local favourite for sharing bites, and a genuine destination venue for its omakase.

WHERE: 16 Hampstead High St, London NW3 1PX

WEBSITE: inebytaku.com


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