Street Food / Cheap Food

[RT Gooch]

Here's the chocolate croissant from Vivanda. They run about a sol and a half.

They're really good if you take them home and nuke them for about 10-12 seconds, but they're pretty tasty just walking down the street when you leave the supermarket, too.

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here.

I ran into the Fresh Orange Juice lady near Plaza Bolognesi in Lima Centro. We had a nice talk, she let me take a picture, and I **thought** I asked for a 1-sol glass of fresh-squeezed juice.

Well, I suppose that my Spanish isn't as good as I think it is... I gave the woman a Sol, and she handed me a piece of watermelon.

It was good watermelon, but I really wanted some juice.

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here.

Sometimes, taxi drivers are really frustrating, like when you want to get somewhere. But when you want to find something cheap to eat, they can't be beat.

I was with my driver heading to the airport one morning, and was looking for something to eat before I was stuck with airport food. He knew that I liked empanadas, so we stopped at El Piombino.

The pasteleria had both beef and chicken empanadas, and they were all 3 soles each. They were delicious and full of meat, as the last photo indicates.




I'm not sure that I would dive all the way to San Miguel for an empanada, but if I was around, I would stop there again!

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here. This was breakfast this morning.

An omelet sandwich, papa rellena, and a causa de atun, from the bodega on my corner.
(click on all images for larger versions)



The whole thing set me back 9 soles (about $3.35). The omelet sandwich was a little boring, but the papa rellena was still warm and delicious, and the causa was great. Now, if I could 0nly learn to pronounce the word 'causa' so that ANYONE understands me, that would be chevere!

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here.

Well, I was leaving the coffee festival in Barranco this afternoon, and I realized it was lunchtime. Luckily, I was in Lima, so I did not have to look very hard or long.

In the parking lot behind the big church on San Martin (right across the overpass by the Puente de los Suspiros), there's a mini food festival every weekend and on holidays. Click on all images to enlarge.


So I decide to hit the ground running and start off with a Causa filled with pollo and vegetables.


After that, I browsed a little. There were probably six or eight tables with different types of food. Here's three of them:


The lasagna looked good, as did the bisteck with green tallarines. But I went with the Panchamanca, and as if that wasn't enough to kill me, I bought a papa rellna, too.


The Panchamanca contained Chicken, Pork, a sweet potato, a yellow potato, a choclo (giant corn) and habas (the large beans in their pods). This was certainly enough food for two normal people. I finished it. The papa rellena was fried to order, and was stuffed with some ground beef, and olive, that Spanish cheese that doesn't melt, and a tasty sauce. There's nothing to compare it to, but it was pretty big.

The total for everything was 27 soles (Causa: 7, Panchamaca: 16; and papa: 4. So for just over US$10, I had a meal large enough for two people, and enough to even fill me up... almost.

I passed on dessert there, totally pissing off the dessert lady. When she can't sell Pie de Limon, or Apple Pie or any of the other great stuff that she had to a fat guy, there's a problem.

Walking home, I passed a woman on the street selling popcorn, potato chips, and chifles. I got a bag of fried camote chips for s/. 1, and waddled my way back to bed.

 

[the visitor]

hey RT, next time you're in Barranco, try the Barranco Burrito Bar. its on the first block of Grau. Awesome, home made burritos and tacos, all fresh and hand made, even the tortillas. S/12 for a burrito that weighs a few kilos. its really good and well worth it.

 

[Juan Alimaña]

Walking home, I passed a woman on the street selling popcorn, potato chips, and chifles. I got a bag of fried camote chips for s/. 1, and waddled my way back to bed.

LOL. Man, you do have a hearty appetite. I hope all that food didn't affect your performance with the chicas.

 

[RT Gooch]

At Restaurante Calso Gallina on Av. Universitaria, right off of Av. La Marina in San Miguel, A Caldo (with double chicken) cost 9.50 Soles, three palitos of Anticuchos with fries and salad cost 7.50 Soles, and 1/4 Pollo a la Brasa, also with fries and salad goes for a whopping 8.20 Soles.



The place was packed (we had to wait for a table, and the joint is huge), even on a Sunday night. Even at 11:00 pm.

 

[RT Gooch]

Just so you know... The chocolate croissants at Vivanda are better than the ones at Wong, but the new Wong just at the edge of Kennedy Park in Miraflores is pretty much state-of-the-art and awesome. They even have an on-demand Cebiche Bar for 12.5 soles. Leche de Tigre... 4.5 soles.

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here. I was wandering around Chorillos one day, and wouldn't you know it? I got hungry.

Luckily, I was in front of a mercado, and the outside had a bunch of cebicherias.

At this one, I enjoyed Combo #2, which consisted of a parihuela, cebiche, and fried fish. I passed on the mixed seafood option to concentrate on fish for this meal. This combo was a little on the high end, by mercado standards, but it was well worth the 18 Soles.

 

[RT Gooch]

What could be cheaper than free?

At around 10:30, they give out dinner at the Casino Hacienda. Here's either Beef or Pork (I don't remember) with rice.

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here. Reporting live. I left my camera home, so I had to bring the food back here... the Tamale is still warm!

I bought a double-wide Tamale (filled with chancho) and two rolls from one of the ladies outside Mercado Surquillo #1. It was a total of three Soles. That's $1.08 to you and me. Click to enlarge.

 

[Sergio Armani]

You just gave me the urge for some Tamale Rt,...now where am I going to find a decent tamale here in Jacson Heigths NY?....all I'll find is some midget tamale wrapped in metalic paper full of aji (something I hate) ..and will cost me 4 dollars..I envy you my friend

 

[Juan Alimaña]

Hey Dorian,
I was thinking the same thing. REAL tamales can 0nly be found in good old Lima or Peru.

The tamale sandwich is my favorite weekend breakfast when I'm in Lima. I thought I was the 0nly one that eats his tamales that way, but I see that RT has also discovered that tamale + fresh bread makes a great combo or sandwich.

 

[Sergio Armani]

Hey Dorian,
I was thinking the same thing. REAL tamales can 0nly be found in good old Lima or Peru.

The tamale sandwich is my favorite weekend breakfast when I'm in Lima. I thought I was the 0nly one that eats his tamales that way, but I see that RT has also discovered that tamale + fresh bread makes a great combo or sandwich.

...ahahahaha so Juan you eat the same tamales than me eh.....real forgetable tamales rigth my friend..the first time I ate one of those here in NYC I said...WTF!!! ...whats with the metalic paper?? ....It look so weird but after a while you kind of get used to it. .....Lucky RT eating a nice tamale sandwitch with pan frances on a sunday morning and in that picture the bread still looks calientito.

 

[Sergio Armani]

...btw, I didnt see the first Rt post about La Hacienda...that plate is definitely carne asada...I never got the chance to eat anything in la hacienda..I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at casino Atlantic City but for some reason never in hacienda....in any case as a tip if anyone feel hungry late at nigth (you know after midnigth)...and is around Republica de Panama and Aramburu (very close to the Smik) there is a restaurant call Caldo De gallina, there they have nice carne asada too...thats the 0nly small (as in normal) plate they have btw because much of their food come in big plates, and I mean big plate...just ask for Arroz Chaufa, or Tallarin Saltado, and believe me when you see what they bring to your table you will say damn I can't eat all of that by myself! ...I recomend this place to nigth owls like myself (open 24hours)...if you are, you know that trying to find a restaurant that have comida criolla in lima after midnigth is very very hard...besides this place has diverse customers (politicians, tv people, nigth club kines, gamblers and after party people that feel hungry before going home) . and I stop talking before I start feeling like I'm hijacking RT's thread

 

[RT Gooch]

...in any case as a tip if anyone feel hungry late at nigth (you know after midnigth)...and is around Republica de Panama and Aramburu (very close to the Smik) there is a restaurant call Caldo De gallina, there they have nice carne asada too...thats the 0nly small (as in normal) plate they have btw because much of their food come in big plates, and I mean big plate.

Hah! I was there last night, after leaving Casino Atlantic City!!!!!!

Great minds think alike! I had a Jumbo Caldo de Gallina!!!!

 

[RT Gooch]

The tamale sandwich is my favorite weekend breakfast when I'm in Lima. I thought I was the 0nly one that eats his tamales that way, but I see that RT has also discovered that tamale + fresh bread makes a great combo or sandwich.

I didn't invent this... they do it everywhere!

 

[Juan Alimaña]

..the first time I ate one of those here in NYC I said...WTF!!! ...whats with the metalic paper??

Man, no self-respecting tamale connoisseur would touch that. I think they use Maseca or whatever to do those tamales. And those tamales have no decent color.

 

[Juan Alimaña]

. . . I had a Jumbo Caldo de Gallina!!!!

That is a big ass plate! It could feed half the kids at the Christmas charity. Do I see two hard boiled eggs there??

Hey RT how do you work up that appetite? Do you work in construction when you are in Lima or what?