Aerated monkfish-liver terrine, drizzled with spruce oil and beechnuts. Enoki mushroom stem layered with venison lardo (cured fat). Toyama shiro-ebi shrimp on toasted kōji cake, served with fermented wild beach roses ... There's no mistaking where these starters are being served. At Inua, the cuisine is as unique and distinct as a fingerprint.
When it first opened in June last year, everything about Inua was new and exciting, not just the menu. The mysterious ninth-floor location atop an office building; the beautiful Scandinavia-meets-Japan dining room; indeed, the very concept of sourcing premium Japanese ingredients and giving them the Nordic treatment.
Amazingly, a year and a half in, Inua still feels just as innovative, especially the remarkable range of dishes emanating from head chef Thomas Frebel's test kitchen and onto his menu. What has changed, inevitably, is that it no longer feels so experimental. There is a strength and confidence about his cooking now that reflects the long weeks of experience.