In a city teaming with events, and boasting a rather extensive selection of theatres, it’s easy to see an evening of dinner and entertainment as two separate ideals. But Inca masterfully merges the two, delivering a rather intoxicating dining experience that’s part show, part feast.
The epitome of the swanky Mayfair scene, Inca is the sort of place where queues flood down the street, with its pulsing subterranean dining room, seductive lighting, and the undeniable allure of a nightclub. There’s no subtlety here – Inca is pure glitz and glam, from the showy interiors to the sequined performers who weave through the tables with flames. On a packed Saturday night, the atmosphere is electric; an addictive buzz fills the oval room, with each seat poised to face the central stage.
Beneath the glossy surface, however, Inca is serving up some seriously good food. Menus showcase upscale Latin American cuisine, in the nikkei style that blends Peruvian and Japanese influences. We start with a chunky guacamole – the way it should be, in our opinion – loaded with crisp red onion and charred corn, served in a weighty graphite bowl.
The hamachi ceviche is another standout; sharp, tender cubes of fish arrive bathed in a bold tropical sauce, and topped with a light, aerated foam. Tactfully charred chicken skewers are smothered in an indulgent sweet, sticky sauce. In Inca fashion, as much goes into the presentation as the taste - the shrimp ‘Martini’ sees crispy-fried fish, straw-like battering that wraps around in a golden cage, served up like cotton candy on a stick and placed dramatically over a jalapeno sauce-filled glass. The star of the evening, however, is a piece of miso black cod, served on a pristinely cut banana leaf and dotted with yellow chilli mayo. It’s colourful, vibrant cooking, but like many things at Inca, it tastes just as good as it looks.
Cocktails pack a punch with their extensive ingredients list; a Lemon Balm combines dry gin, limoncello, lemon verbena tea lemongrass, Mediterranean tonic and citrus oils in a skillful blend, but look a tad bland in comparison to everything else we’ve encountered throughout the evening.
With a hefty minimum spend, Inca isn’t for everyday dining, but if you’re seeking a celebratory spot with a spectacular blend of live entertainment and high-quality cuisine, it’s hard to beat.