Inamo

Soho

venues, October 2008, COMMENTS

Inamo, as in, ‘In a mo(ment)’, is a venue born out of the frustrations of its owners, Danny Potter and Noel Hunwick who had spent the years since meeting at Oxford University experiencing different levels of service; from the overly keen interrupter to the blasé ignorer. Said Noel: “We were frustrated with ordering in a restaurant, we couldn’t get a waiter’s attention to get another couple of beers and Danny had been thinking for a while that it would be nice to have an automated ordering restaurant, where you could reach down and your bill would appear.”

The duo set off in search of the components that would hone their idea into a credible service offer, wary there was a danger that critics could view such a venture as gimmicky. After considering touch screens as an option, they decided that a more elegant approach was needed, as Noel Explained: “Touch screens are a bit functional; they do the job but we thought we could add a lot more charm and theatre to it by changing the colours on the tablecloth and watching footage of what’s going on in the kitchen.”

These are two of the various functions that the projection systems, developed with Therefore Design, offer. Fixed in cocoons that house one or two projectors, the interactive content is beamed directly below, with each source servicing a table of two and each cocoon spaced out to allow for a practical table plan. Predominantly tables are set for four, meaning two projectors but with individual controls for each diner.

Following a quick rundown of the ordering methods and etiquette, customers are let loose on their own controls, which can make games appear on the table in front, or even call a taxi and in keeping with its original aim, lets the user order food and drink. When scrolling through the menu, a description of the item, as well as a picture of the dish being considered, is beamed onto the table in front. Amazingly, this is done quite tastefully, and raises only a slight thought in one’s mind of sun tarnished picture menus displaying ham, fried egg and chips on the costa del something. Individuals drag drinks and food into the order box at their freewill, breaking from the ‘great’ British standard of uniform ordering, arriving and eating; something that is, in some cases, taking a little gentle persuasion, as Noel revealed: “If you go to oriental fusion restaurants, the dishes tend to come as they’re ready, and we’ve tried to make that clearer to customers; that things come as they’re ready. Some things take longer than others but it’ll come.”

To make the system work coherently for the customer, and productively for the business, Noel and Danny called on the expertise of Bernie Sumption. Bernie had been designing online trading systems for banks, and so had the depth of expertise needed for such a unique project and the vigour for a new challenge. “This was more fun,” said Bernie. “It’s similar to ordering shares and making sure they don’t get lost.” He designed the content for the tables and linked the software to an off the shelf PoS system, replacing the waiter with a command that sends the order directly to the kitchen.

“The wonderful thing about having a complete customer built platform is that we can control everything. The big innovation is that it’s the first one that doesn’t have a touch screen. We are concentrating on making the first restaurant as good as we can but then once we have proved the concept, we can move forward with the first step to something more ambitious,” added Bernie.

With the innovative projection tables fulfilling such a predominant, and visually loud aspect of the venue, designer Blacksheep had an unusual challenge on its hands. Typically, designers have a blank canvas onto which they form their concepts and ideas, but with this scenario there were some significant existing elements that needed to be integrated. These weren’t the only challenges, as director, Tim Mutton explained: “There were lots! First of all, working with an old building, and then lots of challenges to integrate the technology so that it would be a feature in its own right, but without overwhelming the interior design. We had to try and maximise the number of covers the space might allow, without becoming too crowded and create unique table sizes and locations to work with the projectors.”

Working to four key words; warmth, vibrancy, charm and theatre, Blacksheep has employed some Zen ideology to create a slick, contemporary interior that works beautifully to complement the light emitting, and design clashing, tables. With numerous choices of table designs available to the customer, the various mixes going on at once could amount to visual noise without sympathetic surroundings. “We married the look of the tables with the graphic-led interiors treatment, including origami-inspired wall panels backlit with LED lighting to add drama and reflectivity in the main dining space,” explained Tim.
Dark floors, ceilings and smoked mirrors with etched graphics frame the stark light of the tables well by muting their reflections to ensure they don’t loosely bounce around the room.

Downstairs has a small snug bar with linking themes and lower energy levels due to the lack of interactive tables. It is a welcome retreat for after meal drinks, particularly cocktails, and offers an environment conducive to reflection and conversation.

Three years in the planning has resulted in a unique dining experience on Soho’s Wardour Street. Developing, testing and reconfiguring the technology, researching and selecting the right location and choosing the right designer to tie it all together have been fundamental to its creation. Noel, however, is under no illusion that at the core of the business, there has to be substance: “It’s all about the food; you’ve got to do great food and get the delivery right. No matter what the concept is, if you don’t have that right you’ve got it wrong and that’s why we took on Anthony Sousa Tam (head chef) and Mark Eggberry (GM). Mark has worked at the Sanderson Hotel and Tom & Gang, and Anthony was head chef at Tsunami, Clapham.”

A vibrant mix of innovation and substance, Inamo’s future looks as bright as the tables at its operational core.

Words: Michael Nicholson

Images: Jim Ellam

From: October 2008 Issue

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