Our punter says
Set just off Carnaby street, INO Gastrobar is a cosy yet vibrant restaurant with soft music and dim lighting. The service is splendid, with each of the servers focussing on three tables each, giving us the attention that the tapasstyle menu warrants. The prices are similar to other restaurants in Soho given the recommended amount of dishes.
The seasonal menu has a good variety of seafood and meat, although lacking on the vegetarian front. The highlight was the deep-fried metsovone cheese served with strawberry jam. The crispness of the exterior combined with the sweetness of the strawberry made this very exciting.
The flavour combinations across the menu were spectacular – whether in a plate of tomato and feta with charred okra, which added the right tanginess to the dish, or a tomato and coriander salsa complementing the spiced chicken and tzatziki with a bit of extra juiciness. The smoked tomato and crispy onions in the octopus taco helped to balance out the relatively dry octopus. The textures, though, of each of these dishes could have been more pronounced – the okra crispier and the salsa served separately to the chicken so it retains its crispiness.
Both the iberica pork presa souvlaki and the lamb chop ‘michichurri’ were very well seasoned and juicy, with the chimichurri adding just the right refreshment, although we would have loved to have had more tzatziki served with the pork. The lamb was served on an overwhelming bed of herbs but the flavours compensated.
There is only one dessert – kaimaki ice cream with sour cherry spoon sweets and baklavas cracker but the combination was exceptional. The sour cherry and the baklava cracker providing the acidity and texture to keep the kaimaki ice cream at the right level of sweetness. A great finisher. The drinks menu was inspired, with a limoncello margarita being the clear favourite, fitting to its Soho neighbourhood.
Bill for two, including service: £131 Atmosphere: 8
Service: 9
Food: 7
Total: 24/30