Inca Ceviche & Woodfired Grill
Westfield Newmarket has recently opened a host of new shops and fabulous restaurants – we were lucky enough to have a sneak preview of Nic Watt’s latest, the Peruvian inspired Inca.
You wouldn’t necessarily associate Peruvian and Japanese cuisines, however Japanese pioneers influenced cuisine in Peru at the end of the 19th century and now, happily, we can sample this fabulous fusion of flavours at Inca in Newmarket. Chefs Nic Watt and Darren Johnson have been working hard to create a menu that is both accessible and exciting, and we can attest that they have more than succeeded. The restaurant setting is light and spacious, and offers the option of sitting at the bustling bar to watch the chefs work the flaming grill behind, or taking a table in the inviting restaurant space.
The night we popped in for a pre-launch dinner we were lucky enough to sample a selection of incredible dishes, packed with flavour and texture. We started with the Ceviche Pacifica which was totally different from any other ceviche – bright and zingy with an aji chilli kick, plenty of lime, coconut and fresh coriander, it was sensational.
The Big Glory Bay salmon with ginger red chilli paste and yuzu nashi pickle was outrageously good…
…as was the Wagyu Beef tostada with wasabi ponzu, roasted garlic mayo and spring onion.
A speciality of the house is the beautiful Tiradito – a Nikkei-style sashimi, we tried the kingfish with charred cucumber, Szechuan chilli oil, black vinegar and garlic chips.
The lamb cutlets came straight from the barbecue grill with cumin, ginger, garlic and pickled ginger.
Huge congrats to Nic Watt and Darren Johnson, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening, and look forward to heading back to Inca soon!
INCA
Westfield Newmarket,
Auckland 1034 New Zealand
027 722 6008
reservation@incarestaurant.co.nz
Opening hours: 11AM till 11PM daily
latest issue:
126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.