A high-end sushi restaurant has turned around a 1/5 food hygiene score to receive the highest possible rating.

INÉ BY TAKU Is assuring customers that standards at its Hampstead High Street restaurant are in great shape after receiving a 5/5 in a new inspection by Camden Council’s environmental health team on August 15.

Inspectors said “no further action” was needed, with each area inspected – its cleanliness and condition of facilities, its hygienic food handling and its management of food safety – scoring a ‘very good’ 5/5 rating.

It follows after the restaurant was given a 1/5 after a visit on July 5, with inspectors saying ‘major improvement’ was needed.

At the time, its cleanliness and condition of facilities was deemed ‘generally satisfactory', hygienic food handling was given an ‘improvement necessary’ rating, and its management of food safety needed ‘major improvement'.

Omakase is a set menu of chef's dishes prepared in the edomae styleOmakase is a set menu of chef's dishes prepared in the edomae style (Image: INÉ Hampstead)

And while any issues found in July were promptly dealt with, the restaurant says there is a “serious delay” in getting the score updated publicly on the Food Standards Agency and has assured customers that “all issues are dealt with”.

The Ham&High can confirm that INÉ BY TAKU does now hold a 5/5 rating and Camden Council deems standards to be ‘very good’.

Even when a business achieves a new rating, there is a delay in the data being officially published online.

The restaurant was among 11 places which featured in the Ham&High’s monthly food hygiene round-up, which at the time of publication showed the latest hygiene scores as per the Food Standards Agency data.

This is the Hampstead outpost of Mayfair one Michelin star omakase Taku.

At its launch in 2023, co-owner Geoff Leong said: "Our mission is to provide an experience that captures the essence of authentic Japanese cuisine with contemporary twists and traditional omakase cuisine.

“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 the same ethos to INÉ as we did with Taku Mayfair."