McDonald's (Lima, Peru)

Pin It Now!

Twelve days in Peru, 5+ cities/towns and this was the first McDonald's I saw on this trip (not including the one in the Lima airport).  This might the first trip I've ever taken without a McDonald's or a Starbucks on every corner.  This was was located in the Miraflores district of Lima.

A ChickenMac meal with Inca Cola. 

A combination of the Peru's love of chicken and the BigMac. The Chicken Mac was actually a BigMac which used two fried chicken patties instead of the 2 beef patties found in a BigMac.  Pretty tasty and a unique twist on the traditional BigMac.  I'm not sure why they never brought it to the United States.  I can see it being a popular item.

Address:           McDonalds
                                 Lima, Peru

Quick eats at the Cuzco airport

Pin It Now!

Waiting for my flight to Puerto Maldanado for my Amazon adventure, I grabbed a couple empanadas to snack on at the Cuzco airport.

Chicken empanada.  Nothing fancy here, just a point of a finger to the snacks in the display case and a quick minute in the microwave.  More satisfying that I expected, so I ordered another one.

This time I chose a carne (beef) one.

Just as good as the chicken one.

 Address:          Cuzco Airport

Type:                 Peruvian

Cicciolina - Cuzco, Peru

Pin It Now!

My last night in Cuzco before I headed out for some camping in the Amazon, I chose a very highly raved restaurant called Ciccolina.  I deterred myself and my stomach from the tempting street vendors  to save an appetite for this place.  First of all, I could not find the restaurant!  I must have walked past this doorway about ten times before I almost gave up.  

Apparently, you walk through the doorway into this little courtyard and Cicciolina is upstairs.

Some tasty bread with olive oil and dipping sauces.

Peruvian scallops in their shell that were bbqed with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and lime.  I was hoping these scallops would be similar to those I had enjoyed in Barcelona (seen HERE), but the soy sauce overpowered the sweetness of the scallops.

A dish of bbqed octopus tossed with roasted rosemary, tomatoes, and garlic.  Again, the sauce overpowered any flavor the octopus had.

A tartar of fresh Langui red trout with wasabi mayo and caviar layered on crispy yuca.  A very standard tartar.  Nothing too special here besides it was made with trout, which is a popular fish in the Andes region.

Red trout that is bbqed sauced with coconut milk.  Crispy fried sweet potato balls accompany this dish.  The fish was as little overcooked for me (It didnt flake off).  Also, the fried potato balls were dense and heavy. 

Dessert was a chocolate mousse from the Quillabambas jungle and scoop of Pisco ice cream.  The mousse was heavy and thick with a mild chocolate flavor.  The Pisco ice cream was probably the only high point of the dinner - very creative and tasted exactly like a pisco sour.  

Overall, I was extremely disappointed with this restaurant (Thanks to Tripadvisor!).  The sauces were too salty or bland.  I wish I had just wandered the street of Cuzco eating at the nighttime street vendors.

Address:                   Cicciolina
                                  Calle Triunfo 393 2nd floor
                                  Cusco, Peru

Type:                        Peruvian

Mercado Central de San Pedro - Cuzco, Peru

Pin It Now!

The market in Cuzco is huge.  I would say almost a block long.  There are a couple difference entrances on the sides of the building.

The market is sectioned out by types of food:  fruits & vegetables, meats, dried foods, etc.

 On one of the outer corners of the market, there are several tables set up for juices.  I was excited thinking that it would be simlar to the freshly made juices I had in Spain.  Check that out here (La Boqueria - Barcelona). 

The fruit selection was a little limited.  The vendors give you a menu to pick from then proceed to make your drink.  The mango - orange juice was really thick, almost like a smoothie.  Not as refreshing as I had hoped, but you can taste the ripe fruits.

 For being a market, I noticed there weren't many food vendors inside ( you can find the lined up OUTSIDE the market).  Also, the market was pretty empty, not sure if it was due to the parade celebration outside.  It wasn't as exciting as I had hoped for, but it was still worth a trip to look around.

Address:                    Mercado Central de San Pedro
                                          Cuzco, Peru

Type:                            market

La Chomba - Cuzco, Peru

Pin It Now!

I was determined not to leave the Andes area without eating cuy (guinea pig).  La Chomba was a local spot hidden in a small courtyard.  This is what it looks like from the street.  If you walk through this walkway then you will see the actual entrance to the restaurant on the right.

The front door of the restaurant.  Once you walk in you'll notice how crowded it is, but someone will help you find a seat and you order off the menus on the walls.

By the time I reached this restaurant it was about 2p in the afternoon.  Every restaurant I passed walking to La Chomba was empty, but La Chomba was packed! (A good sign).  A singer and some some guitarist provided some live, authentic music to enjoy with the meal.  Make sure you have a couple coins to tip afterwards.   You'll end up being in the minority if you don't.

I had ordered the lechon (roast pig) as well as the cuy (guinea pig), but they were out of the lechon (insert sad face here).  The head and curled up paws let you know you were eating a guinea pig.  Jokes aside, the cuy was actually quite delicious.  The skin was crisp and the lean meat was flavorful.  The preparation was similar to that of Chinese roast pig.  The sides included a chow mein and some potatoes.  Both were very filling.

Yup, ate everything!

Address:                     La Chomba (La Chomba Ajha Wasi)

                                           Avenida Tullumayo

                                           Numero 339, Primer Piso

        

Type:                             Peruvian, casual

Popular chomps:           cuy
                                       lechon (roast pig)

Chomp worthy:    cuy (guinea pig)

snacking around Pisac market

Pin It Now!

On the way from Ollantaytambo to Cuzco, I visited teh Pisac ruins and then decided to stop by the Pisac market to wander around and grab some lunch.  It reminded me of Stanley Market in Hong Kong with the endless maze of homemade crafts and vendors.  If you end up here, I'd probably set aside 1-2 hours to explore and snack.  Also, if you come across little girls dressed in traditional dresses and carrying baby lambs, be warned they expect some money if you want to snap a picture.

The colorful display of fruit in the Pisac market.

Some of the varieties of potatoes (tubers) found in the Andes.

In one of the alleys in the market, I stumbled across a man selling empanadas fresh from a huge clay oven.

This carne y queso (beef and cheese) empanada was different than what the normal empanada I was used to.  It was similar to a bun with a soft exterior versus the flakey, slightly crispy ones back in California.

At one of the market there was a lady selling choclo con queso ( Corn on the cob with Cheese). Notice how the corn kernels are giant sized!

The corn kernels are giant sized so its more starchy and filling than the sweeter corn in the States. 

Address:                          Market at Pisac

Type:                                  Peruvian, street foods

Chomp worthy:          Try everything!

Random facts:         The market is open everyday, but the busiest days are Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday with

                                                 Sunday being the busiest and most popular of the three.

El Albergue - dinner

Pin It Now!

My last night in the Sacred Valley I just felt like staying in.  A slight power outage at El Albergue left the whole facility in darkness as I was ordering my dinner in my room.  Not to worry, the staff pleasantly surprised me by knocking on my door and completing my order with a pen and paper.  Fifteen minutes later, the MOST amazing lamb I have ever tasted in my life as well as a plateful of fresh fruit, and some candles arrived straight to my room.  Did I mention how much I love this place?  Food and serivce at El Albergue is just beyond any 5 star place I have been to. 

PeruRail snacks

Pin It Now!

Took the PeruRail from Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes on my trek to Machu Picchu.

If possible try to score the tickets for seats A1 and A2.  Its the best seat on the train.  Its has the most unobstructed views of the Andes Mountains.  Another hint - the left side of the train going to Machu Picchu provides better views.

A small pasta salad, a sweet cake, and a drink is given as a snack to each passenger for the 2 hour ride to Machu Picchu.

I ordered a box lunch from El Albergue for $12 USD for Machu Picchu.  It came with two sandwiches (one freshly cooked chicken breast sandwich, and one eggplant), a cookie, a brownie, mango juice, a nut/seed snack, and lots of candies.  One box is definitely big enough to share for two people.

One of the candies in the box was a Chicha Morada flavored hard candy.  It tasted exactly like the black fermented corn drink I had at Norky's - check out the drink here

El Albergue - breakfast

Pin It Now!

My train for Machu Picchu left at 6:00A.  Thank goodness breakfast at El Albergue started at 5:30!  Breakfast was included with the room so I was expecting something simple like a continental breakfast with some fruit and some pastries.  I was not expecting a choice of scrambled eggs, fried eggs, or pancakes to be made upon order!

Although I didn't experience any altitude sickness, I still ordered a cup of coca tea just to try.  Coca tea, also called mate de coca, is brewed with leaves from the coca plant.  Drinking it as a tea or chewing the leaves are supposed to alleviate some altitude sickness.  It is commonly found in the Andes region of Peru, such as the Sacred Valley and Cuzco, where the elevation is much higher.  The smell is very fresh and woodsy and the taste is very mild.  It's not the best tasting tea, but its tolerable.

Freshly scrambled eggs!  The eggs were fluffy and light.  I always notice a different taste and texture to eggs found outside America.  I find that the eggs are more creamy and almost buttery tasting. 

 Freshly made pancakes topped with fresh banana slices.  I'm not a huge pancake fan, but I did manage a couple bites.  They were light and fluffy.

Fried eggs

Address:                  El Albergue

                                          Ollantaytambo train station

                                          Ollantaytambo, Peru

         

Type:                            breakfast, American

Chomp worthy:   eggs

Tawachaki (Ollantaytambo, Peru)

Pin It Now!

After spending 4 hours climbing a mountain, I figured I would conquer the next goal on my trip - to eat cuy (guinea pig).  Supposedly, cuy is a dish that is popular in the mountain regions of Peru, ie Sacred Valley.  Knowing this, I didn't look for a specific restaurant in Ollantaytambo that served the dish.

A special anniversary Cusquena beer to commemorate Machu Picchu's anniversary.

Avocados are plentiful in Peru.  Palta Rellena de Pollo (chicken filled avocado) was another commonly seen item on many Peruvian restaurants.  I love avocados so I had to order this.  One thing I did notice about avocados in Peru versus those in the States are the size.  Avocados are huge in Peru!  This dish was delicious and probably something easy for me to replicate when I got home.

After ordering cuy, 10 minutes later the waitress comes back to tell me that they were not serving cuy tonight because they did not have any.  I should have taken that as a hint to leave since there was no one in the restaurant and they were out of the one dish I had my heart set on that night.  Instead, I ordered the tacu tacu.  Tacu Tacu is a Afro-Peruvian dish.  The spices are derived from African spices supposedly from African slaves who used them to make this working man's meal.  Its usually served with a side of plantains and topped with a fried egg, which you can see this version does not come with - disappointing.  

Aji de Gallina is another traditional Peruvian dish.  Its made with a yellow Peruvian chile called aji amarillo (means yellow in Spanish) which gives the dish its yellow color and supposedly some heat, but this one was rather mild.  It consists of strips of chicken mixed in a creamy sauce, almost like a light curry with a side of rice and a boiled egg.  Since I eat a lot of Indian and Japanese curries, this dish wasn't very flavorful for me.

Address:           Tawachaki
                                 Square by the Ollantaytambo ruins
                                 Ollantaytambo, Peru

Type:                   Peruvian, casual