On the former site of Chinese restaurant Goldfish, INÉ will offer a la carte sushi and contemporary Japanese dishes alongside an eight-seater counter that will serve a 15-course omakase menu.
Seating 50 in total, the restaurant will be split over two levels and arranged into four distinct spaces. INÉ will feature a main dining room with booth-style seating for a la carte dining, an eight-seated omakase counter, a semi-private lounge space offering a selection of sake and wine which will also be available in an upstairs bar with light bites.
The project follows the success of chef Takuya Watanabe’s 16-cover Taku on Albemarle Street, which launched at the end of last year and already holds a Michelin star.
Taku was brought to London by Geoff and Lucas Leong, whose family have owned and managed a string of Chinese restaurants in the capital including Leong’s Legend, Dumpling’s Legend and Goldfish.
Goldfish relocated from its original site on 16 Hampstead High Street to a new site on Camden's Chalk Farm Road early this year.
Contemporary Japanese with French influences
The kitchen at INÉ will be headed by head chef Law Kwok Meng, who has trained in the Taku kitchen under Watanabe and brings with him 23 years of experience as a ‘master sushi chef’.
INÉ will offer a contemporary Japanese menu with French influences - Watanabe spent much of his career in France and continues to hold and interest in Jin Paris - with highlights from the a la carte menu set to include lobster with cauliflower and sudachi jelly; grilled Iberico pork; wagyu beef katsu sando; and grilled Yuan chicken.
The eight-seater omakase counter will see Meng prepare 15-courses echoing Watanabe ever-changing menu that uses the freshest ingredients in edomae style.
At £100 per head, it will be considerably less expensive than his mentor’s signature omkase experience which is priced at £300.
The drinks list will feature wines and speciality sakes selected by Taku sommelier Bowie Tsang.
The interiors will follow the minimalistic design ethos of Japanese fine dining, ‘to place emphasis on fresh produce and delicate flavours’.
Guests can expect natural woods and white interiors, as well as scattered bonsai trees for ‘a space of stunning simplicity and serenity’ that ‘effortlessly blends in with the surrounding green heaths of the Hampstead borough’.
“We are honoured to introduce INÉ to the Hampstead community,” Geoff says. “Our mission is to provide an experience that captures the essence of authentic Japanese cuisine with contemporary twists and traditional omakase cuisine, in the heart of North London.
“We have always pushed the boundary of the UK’s perception of Asian food through the creativity of our chefs and we will be applying this same ethos to INÉ in the same way we did with Taku Mayfair.”
Fellow co-owner Lucas added: “INÉ is designed to be the perfect showcase of true contemporary cooking whilst respecting edomae traditions. The core ethos of our group is to give customers the most unique experience - to break boundaries with innovation and creativity whilst paying homage to traditional ways of cooking.”
INÉ will officially open its door on the 24 October.
