Restaurant review: Tiger Lane restaurant Inari dishing up new takes on traditional dishes

When it comes to tonight's dining option, Inari, it's just one of many new dining options set to come out of Tiger Lane.

The second restaurant to open its doors in the Canberra Centre's new dining precinct, Inari has been dishing up Japanese fusion, with a Peruvian influence, since just before Christmas. And let's face it, the new restaurant is not short of competition. There are plenty of Japanese options in Canberra, and what's more, there are plenty of great Japanese options in Canberra. So the question is, how will Inari stack up?

We walk into Inari and it's hard to deny how beautiful the interiors are. The restaurant's modern take on traditional Japanese design uses different timbers and leather used to bring warmth to the space. But more importantly, Inari feels a world away, rather than just a short walk from Canberrans doing their Coles shop. Yes, this is a shopping centre restaurant, but it doesn't feel like it.

This evening we kick things off with the ceviche ($25) and the sashimi tacos ($12).

Made with lime, chilli, jalapeno, spicy lemon dressing, coriander, Spanish onion, kingfish and snapper, and sweet potato crisp, the ceviche is unlike any I've had before. It has this delicious freshness, balanced well with a saltiness, and I loved the use of sweet potato crisps to scoop up the ceviche. It could have used a little more heat - considering the number of spicy elements in the description, I was expecting a little bit more. In terms of the consistency of the actual ceviche though, it had a lot of elements to it - including sweet potato - that made it feel a bit more like a salsa than a ceviche. Perhaps some more kingfish and snapper to outbalance the other elements might have helped with this.

As for the tacos, both were pretty minimalistic in terms of toppings with two different options - a diced tuna and a salmon sashimi option, both in crisp taco shells, and chilled tomato and jalapeno salsa. Both are more of a canape size and the tuna sashimi was not packed full of flavour. If you're looking for a taco with a bold fish flavour, I would opt for the salmon and leave the tuna for your dining partner.

Then out comes the quail karaage ($26) and the chilled mushroom toban ($20).

It's safe to say that the mushrooms were our favourite dish of the night. As soon as the dish hits the table, its earthy smell is almost intoxicating. Served with sauteed onions, tofu and assorted mushrooms in yuzu soy, it was this warm, nutty hug in food form. The tofu had this beautifully crispy exterior, and silky inside, and took on the flavours of the dish beautifully. We both agreed we could eat this all day.

Then there was a quail karaage - a twist on the chicken karaage that so many other Japanese restaurants have. This take on the popular dish did have bones in it - which is not an issue, but something worth noting - but the meat itself was succulent, with the crumb lovely and crispy. The hero was the side sauce, however. The red and yellow anticucho sauce had this brilliant tang to it, with just a slight hint of chilli.

For something a little more substantial, we opt for the black opal wagyu sirloin MB7+ ($59) and the Tokyo turnip steak ($20).

The wagyu was chargrilled and served medium rare with carrot puree, spinach and mushroom, wagyu pie, wasabi chimichurri and anticucho sauces. The meat, however, was a little tough in parts - one section had a big bit of gristle running through it. The wagyu pie was almost like crumbed sausages, but was a little bland. And really, both of the meat options relied on the side sauces for flavour. The side of mushrooms and spinach was simple but nice - however, shouldn't be the highlight of a wagyu dish.

MUST READS:

Then we got to the turnip steak. We ordered it because both myself and the friend that I was with enjoy exploring dishes that we've never had before. However, I am struggling to see where Inari was going with this one. The pan-seared shitake dashi, with infused daikon rounds, steamed daikon mochi and truffle teriyaki sauce just felt like a flop. The daikon mochi was a nice element - they almost had the texture of doughy pancakes. But the daikon rounds just soaked up all of the teriyaki sauce, so it felt like you were just eating solid soy sauce.

Dessert did rectify things, however. We opted for the tofu and buffalo ricotta cheesecake ($15) and the bubble milk trifle ($20).

The cheesecake had a digestive crumble, with a tropical fruit coulis and matcha dusting. The tofu added this spongy nature to the cheesecake but the fruit is where the magic lies. It almost gave pavlova in the flavours and was a great, light dessert to finish off the meal.

The parfait, however, was my favourite out of the two - and for anyone who likes caramilk, this dessert is for you. The crumble on top had those same caramelised, white chocolate flavours coming through - it was very sweet but also very moreish. The sweetness was balanced out by the creamy layer underneath, while at the bottom, it was almost a mousse version of the crumble on top. And mixed in with this bottom layer were the tapioca pearls, which added a fun texture to the whole thing.

While there were a few bumps in this evening's meal, Inari does bring something different to the Japanese food offering in Canberra. And with stellar service, and some really strong dishes on the menu, I think there are some exciting things to come from this new restaurant.

Address: Canberra Centre, FG16 A/B/C, 148 Bunda Street, Canberra

Website: inari.restaurant

Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days

Executive chef: Shaun Presland

Head chef: Maria Sheslow

Dietary: Plenty of options

Noise: Not a problem

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: