Inari, the second venue to open in Tiger Lane’s hawker-style food precinct, pays homage to Japanese 1960s retrofuturism, creating a space which feels grown up and fun all at once.
The interiors balance a restrained and nostalgic colour palette with playful Easter-egg-like sushi-shaped chopstick pillows at the bar.
Borrowing its namesake from the Japanese ‘god of rice’, Inari is the signature restaurant of Tiger Lane’s own “Sushi Shaman,” Shaun Presland.
Presland is one of just a handful of gaijin that have been enthusiastically welcomed into the world of Japanese cuisine, having won silver after competing at the 2016 World Washoku Challenge in Tokyo.
His menu explores traditional Japanese dishes fused with Peruvian influence and centred on locally sourced seafood.
I tried Inari’s Rock ‘N’ Roll maki roll ($25) made with three different kinds of fish and lavishly dished up with fried tempura on top.
My dining partner had the buttery popcorn shrimp ($24), and we shared the crispy chicken with honey yuzu miso and Korean buffalo sauce ($32) which came highly recommended by the staff.
Dessert, as it so often is, was my favourite course of the night. I enjoyed their bubble milk trifle ($20). While the tapioca pearls were a bit tough for my liking, the first bite of the trifle was heavenly. The crunchy milk tea chantilly cream was a delightful touch.
Other hero dishes include the Quail Kara-age, an adult’s version of chicken Kara-age – butterflied whole quail, in a buttermilk marinade, dusted with spices and served with the house anticucho red and yellow sauces.
This dish is a nod to the Peruvian influence (Nikkei) on modern contemporary Japanese cuisine.
There’s also the glacier 51 Miso Tooth-fish, sustainably caught from Antarctica, and marinated for two days in a traditional old-school Saikyo miso paste from Kyoto.
“I learnt this dish in 1995 and have paid homage to it my whole career,” says Chef Presland.
Inari joins Taki, the first venue of Tiger Lane which opened last November. Both are of a higher, ‘date night’ price point; however, the dining precinct will reportedly feature a wider range of higher end dining experiences through to fun, lively street food upon its completion.
The end product will span 2000 square metres and feature 12 hawker-style dining outlets and bars split into different sections reflective of their cuisine including: Japan, South Korea, Southern China, Northern China, and Southeast Asia.
Inari is open for lunch and dinner every day of the week.
For more information or bookings visit tigerlane.com.au/
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