INÉ — Attraction in London

Quality of ingredients is good and can expect to have very decent sashimi, rolls and maki at the high end of pricing for quality. The rest of the menu doesn’t taste particularly authentic, eg agedashi tofu and avocado salad - tofu was covered in thick batter and the avo salad with kale on the side tasted more like something I’d get in an Ottolenghi rather than a premium Japanese restaurant. The karaage chicken/pork tasted fine although again I felt the batter was too thick and dish overall wasn’t particularly flavourful, the coriander sauce on the side was far away from either a sauce that would complement the flavour or a sauce that would showcase best of Japanese cooking traditions. The wagyu sando was tasty (ingredients are good here) but we felt like the sauce to accompany the beef in between slices of toast was overpoweringly sweet and lacked tanginess and character that the gherkins on the side tried to add, not exciting enough for a £50 sandwich and similar in flavour complexity to a good quality pub burger - which is delicious but in this case then not worth the price. Pickles were again similar to everything else and lacking in flavour - I doubt that daikon was pickled at all as it tasted like plain freshly cut daikon. Wasabi on the side of the dishes had clearly been out for a while so didn’t have a lovely bite and freshness that freshly grated wasabi has and that one would expect to get at a £100+ per person meal. Desserts were a complete write-off and an average London crepe matcha cake tastes better than the supposedly Japanese deserts on offer - sesame roll was just sweet and tasteless, the ice cream dessert lacked character and tanginess that would have complemented it nicely. Lastly, service wasn’t particularly attentive or welcoming and vibe was none to note. Nice to have a higher end restaurant in Hampstead for once but alas would rather go to central London for better quality...

Success turned huge disappointment

Bit of backstory - we’ve known INE for quite some time and anticipated a visit. We’re usually in Hampstead during daytime, so lunch seemed like a good option. We arrived at 2 PM for lunch (12-3 PM), and the hostess informed us that we'd receive some combined courses since other diners had started at 12:30. Which was fine by us.

Food was awesome and didn’t disappoint.

Other couples finished their meals and left, people in the kitchen were winding down, chef served us last course before desert. All good and mellow. Then the entire kitchen staff, including the chef, suddenly left and we were alone. Which is weird, as you’re still eating, and this gives you “Hey buddy hurry up, you’re holding us” vibe.

So, no one in the kitchen, we’re on a sushi bar having a desert and then maintenance technician arrived and began repairing a fryer just in front of us. Not only we were left alone and shown that we are delaying everybody, but now the vibe and all the magic fully gone. Time was 2:30 btw, so half an hour till closing time.

It felt like restaurant did us a huge favor and served us leftovers for free. Not at all a treatment you’d like to receive when you just paid $150+.

Super unprofessional hostess/manager: If you don’t have enough time to accommodate us – let us know in advance and don’t sit us The maintenance work could have been delayed until after we’ve finished meals

It was quick, expensive and in the end very disappointing experience. Not something you’d expect from place with supposedly high standards.

1/10 would...

This place is a hidden gem.

My partner and I are big fans of Japanese food especially sushi. My friend recommended to me and we came here to celebrate my partner’s birthday. Chef Ming and the team were very welcoming. The chef explained every dish to us and they were all fresh and delicious. We used to travel to Japan a lot so I would say the execution is quite close to Japan’s standard. We were very satisfied with the food quality. However, we were not pleased with the attitude of the sommelier. She was not friendly from the first moment I talked to her. Today it’s extremely hot so I wanted to order a beer. My partner was a bit hesitant and then she gave us a slightly annoyed look. I was trying to talk to her with a smile but she responded with a blank face. She made me feel like an idiot. Then when we had started to eat the food, I ordered a carafe of sake. She was very keen to refill our glass and perhaps hoping to us to order more. Due to her attitude, I decided not to order more even though in general I really enjoy pairing wine with food. When she heard that we were not going to have more sake, she sighed deeply. I know that sommeliers heavily rely on the sale of alcoholic beverages but her behaviour is extremely rude, adversely affected my dining experience tonight.

Thumbs up to all the other staff and I would have given this place 5-star without...