INKA – 1K Paris
by Abdon FLORES
For many years, Peruvian cuisine was only known in -yes, you guessed it- Peru. And it’s strange that such a rich and varied gastronomy didn’t reach the apparels of foreign menus before. In Paris, for instance, Peruvian restaurants were mainly small cevicherías where melancholic Peruvians gathered to recall their homeland over Vallejo’s verses: la cocina a oscuras, la miseria de amor.
But suddenly, four or five years ago, Peruvian cuisine had its Big Bang. At the origin of this blossoming was the restaurant INKA, now well established in the hotel 1K Paris in the Marais neighborhood. For 2019 this establishment has renewed everything including the chef. Juan Carlos Récamier is an experienced chef from San Diego but with Mexican roots; and, more important, he’s a ceviche specialist.
The 1K Paris general manager, Andres Muñoz, has put together a team to rethink the INKA’s concept in order to conceive a pure, authentic menu of Peruvian and Nikkei gastronomy (Nikkei being a blend of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine, specially that involving seafood.) According to chef Récamier, one fundamental issue of this renewal is sustainability: the menu is made according to seasons, availability and the fact of choosing local products over others.
In any case the result is just delicious: rice with octopus, Picanha beef, potato Huancaina style, white Tiradito (sort of sashimi), anticuchos (brochettes), quinoa Solterito (salad), beef tartar on a bone with its marrow, grilled duck… It must be said that dressings add astonishingly degrees of flavor to these masterly conceived dishes. Desserts are another surprise. The lucuma, for instance, a Peruvian fruit recalling mamey is used to make ice cream or slush. Aloe vera combines also with crumble to produce an excellent dessert as well as the versatile avocado that can be declined to render sweet tones.
A notable concept in INKA is the Ceviche Bar, a kind of Table de Chef that can accommodate up to seven guests. This area is available only upon reservation, and will function as an oyster bar or a kaiseki counter; adjacent to the Pisco bar, it will have a privileged service. The INKA, as you may infer, has a profound Peruvian thematic in terms of décor. The folklore and colors of this ancient civilization is palpable all over the place: masks, artisanal fabrics and handcrafts make of this restaurant a must go place in Paris.
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