Virtual menus navigated via table top projections are only half the fun at Inamo, an innovative new pan-Asian restaurant and bar on Wardour Street in London’s Soho. Hi-tech diners can dial-up the Chef Cam – a live-feed into the kitchen – and play Battleship with the person sitting opposite, too. Along with navigating food and drink options via the touch-sensitive panel, choosy customers can pick from a range of animated appearances to create a virtual tablecloth. If you think all this fun comes at the expense of a creative kitchen, think again. Chef Alexander Ziverts’ pedigree has allowed him to develop an expertise in Asian-fusion flavors, drawing inspiration from Japan, Thailand and China. Put into dishes like soft-shell crab maki rolls, Hamachi in a soy truffle emulsion, cinnamon chicken, and Berkshire pork in an unexpectedly spicy chocolate sauce, it’s a flavorful reminder of what first made Asian-fusion such a revelation to Western palates. Amusingly, this first London restaurant venture from Danny Potter and Noel Hunwick was born from the pair’s frustration at trying to hail down a waiter to request the bill. “We wanted to create a dining experience that would adapt around the customer’s preference,” said Potter, “and at the same time reflect the technological advancements of today’s modern living.†Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. At Inamo it also hails what might very well be the future.
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