INKA Japanese restaurant — Restaurant in District of Canberra Central

I was quite apprehensive about reserving Inka for my special occasion after learning that was a change of ownership recently. However, the recent reviews were promising so I decided to visit and it was a great choice!

The front manager was quite attentive with what is going on inside the restaurant and was ready to step in if the servers were not there to assist. The servers were nice and professional as well, and it was nice to see the open kitchen and the kitchen staff smiling at each other and enjoying their work.

The venue is not very big and can feel a bit cramped, especially if you are sitting by the twos tables by the wall. I sat in the middle of the room, and it didn't feel too cramped due to the seating arrangements of the other tables, although it was pretty close by.

We had the $140 pp tasting course with two cocktails and it was a great experience. The food portion for each plate was good enough for me to get the full experience and actually savor the food.

Oysters: sweet and savory flavoured broth almost kind of like dongchimi (radish water kimchi) and it was the perfect seafood to get us started with the cuisine

Eggplant: Nicely fried battered eggplants with unique miso yuzu sauce.

Sushi platter: the sushi was good and I liked that different parts of sashimi were served. One thing I noted is that the sauce of the eggplant is too strong for me to taste the subtle flavours of the sushi, so it may have been nicer to switch up the order of the course

Scallops: it is was yummy but the flavour and the topping seemed similar to the oysters, except that the scallops are cooked and drier, but oysters were juicier.

Ceviche: It had watermelon bits, corn, and sashimi which blended nicely in the tigers milk and it was a great combination of strong flavours and textures. Definitely a highlight of the course and I will probably order one ceviche per person when I visit again.

Pisco punch: this is the first cocktail I ordered and I really loved the mix of the pisco's bourbon-like flavour with the tangy pineapple. It was my first time trying a pisco drink and it was special!

Somoan cocktail: I forgot the full name but it came in a really cute cup and made me smile. It was quite strong for a cocktail as it has three types of shots in it: gin, rum, and pisco. It felt a bit strong at first, but it paired nicely with the wagyu steak which was kind of greasy.

Potato: it was yummy and a good pairing with the steak. I was too full so I took this and the brussel sprouts home.

Brussel sprouts: it was yummy but a bit salty, so I had it with the steak or the potato together.

Wagyu steak: I didn't really see this menu fitting in the course, and the wagyu part had a chunk of lard that was not chewable. I didn't tell the manager or server because we were already full, but I am sure they would have exchanged it if we told them. Otherwise, it was a normal steak, but too greasy for my taste and didn't fit in with the rest of the meal.

Dessert: The chocolate lava cake was average (too sweet for me as always..). I was a bit worried about the "Chocolate Miso Fondant" but I couldn't really taste the miso, so it was okay. I personally would have wanted less cake and more ice cream.

Overall, I had a great experience, and I would definitely visit again if I have someone visiting Canberra and I want to treat them to...

If you’re looking for a fine dining experience with incredible service that is allergen friendly - go to Raku instead.

My partner and I dined at Inka on 25 June to celebrate my birthday.

When we made this reservation on 1 June, we noted that we were both gluten-free, and my partner is also dairy-free. We reconfirmed this via the booking confirmation text again a few days prior, and immediately upon speaking with our wait staff on the day.

We booked the $98 tasting menu. One item on this menu is not naturally gluten-free, so we asked if we could replace it. We were told the only option was a zucchini dish. We politely asked if there were any other options for us to consider, and were told there wasn’t, so we accepted the zucchini dish.

We received this dish, it appeared to have a cream base, though we were assured that it did not contain dairy. We tasted it, didn’t enjoy it, weren’t comfortable eating it, and politely asked the waiter if we could swap it for something else. The waiter said they would check. At this point, who we assumed to be the head waiter, came to our table.

This waiter was quite hostile and confrontational in their interaction. Upon getting to the table, they immediately said we had not informed Inka of our allergies, and that if we had done so, they could have arranged for a better substitute. We explained that we had confirmed the allergens three times total (twice during the booking process, and once on arrival). They implied again that we hadn’t done so, but would see if they could arrange another dish.

They were eventually able to present us with two other options - and the one we chose was so fantastic, I’d say it was my favourite of the evening!

Unfortunately, the way Inka handled the situation was completely inappropriate and unacceptable for what is considered a fine dining experience. It left quite a poor taste in our mouths for the rest of the evening.

Interestingly, when the dessert arrived, there was (very kindly) a birthday candle in my dessert. The only time this was mentioned to the staff was during the booking process. If Inka were not aware of our food allergies, as listed in the booking, how were they aware of the occasion?

Following the dinner, we emailed Inka directly to describe our disappointment with the experience, and subsequent issues with feeling unwell afterwards. We requested compensation (specifically, a refund) for the above. We had to follow up on this email after 4 days, as we did not receive a response.

On 28 June, Inka responded and offered to welcome us back for the full value of our previous bill. While we appreciate the gesture, we responded and explained that we didn’t feel comfortable returning, and would instead prefer a partial refund for the food portion of our bill. Inka responded on 1 July, declining our request.

We responded to Inka on 1 July and 7 July respectively and asked for this to be reconsidered. To date, our concerns have not been responded to.

Overall, this was an extremely disappointing experience. If you want to spend $272.00 on dinner and drinks without feeling belittled for having allergies, and know that you’ll leave without feeling unwell,...

Update: Went here for express lunch but they don't make any changes to the menu. So had octopus dish and a maki roll instead. The flavours in the octopus dish were too strong on its own, too sour, too oily, the chili oil burnt instead of smoky. I was wondering why Inka had not received a hat yet but the food is just missing something. Shame because it's one of the most authentic Nikkei restaurants in Australia. Also, smoke alarm went off on 3 separate occasions & was most disconcerting.

From June 2021 TL: DR Not as expensive as menu seems Quite filling! The best part of the restaurant is the food, not the fitout!!

The fitout of the restaurant is definitely grand, and certainly raises the bar! Everything is authentic! From the custom built feature wall mimicking Inca masonry, to the tiled staircase, to the commissioned art pieces.

The ladies bathroom is nice, the mirror is very dark glass. The hand dryer is the new Dyson dual airblade. Cool.

Service: it's well staffed, the wait times were ok, the waiters answer any specific questions you ask them.

Food breakdown:

Custard apple mocktail: the custard apple flavour was overpowered by some generic fruit juice/ sweet soft drink type flavour. Would order again, though. Looks cute and tastes ok.

Edamame: A good filler. Covered in medium spicy chilli garlic sauce.

Oysters: Topped with traditional sweet mignonette. I loved the onion kick, which I haven't tasted at other Canberra restaurants.

Squid sashimi: Served with beetroot, avocado, cherry tomatoes, dill and a creamy sauce. Not my favourite but my dining partner loved it.

Chicken skewers: I loved the sauce this was covered in... Some sort of authentic chilli sauce... Tasted like smoked paprika and slightly tangy. Couldn't get enough of the sauce. Almost reminded me of mole, but not really.

Chicken empanadas: Perfectly cooked, ( filling + crust) and again the sauce was stunning! Quite spicy, would have loved to pour it on my potatoes, but it was cleared away too soon. Shame.

Potatoes: Crispy outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. My favourite potato dish I have tasted at a Canberra restaurant and very filling too.

Broccolini: surprisingly good, crisp and cooked perfectly with just the right amount of char grilling. So much flavour!

Dessert: Matcha roll with yuzu mascapone: The sponge was a thin dense layer. I wondered how the citrus would pair with the very creamy mascapone, but it worked a treat. I even loved the taste of the little microherbs.

Pumpkin donuts: They pair very well with the sweet sauce that it comes with. There is something very delectable about a home cooked donut vs store bought, so ++ recommend.

Overall, a lovely experience! A lot of dishes that you won't see at other restaurants. Good ingredients and balance...