I tried this Peruvian restaurant in a strip mall off Narcoossee (I took Hoffner off 436 from the airport) on Tuesday at dinner. It's a bit pricey. I had the cheapest main of lomo saltado at $26. Some of their apps are near this price point. I think I remember one or two $25 soups. The lomo consisted of chunks of what was suppossed to be beef tenderloin. It wasn't the most tender of loins. Either an offcut or poor breed of cow. But, I wasn't really expecting it to actually be tenderloin. I just wish I didn't trust their assurance and ordered it a bit more cooked. They surrounded the slightly salty beef with potato wedges, halved cherry tomatoes, rawish red onions, micro greens in a brown sauce. Side of mildly flovored white rice with kernels of Peruvian corn. Both served in bowls. Not bad. Healthy portion size. Came out very quickly. I also almost chose a fried seafood platter at the same price point. But, you can never predict the assortment or portion size. Plus I was going for AYCE sushi the next day. The menu is large. The usuals like chaufa and ceviche. A few more ambitious options like a $150 tomahawk steak. They want to be high end. The layout revolves around the central bar. It has a gray stone countertop. Bottles of booze all around. Open kitchen in the rear. A half wall separates tables/booths in between. Same at the front. Booths on the sides. They have garage doors up front. Maybe these get opened in the cooler months? They have a few hanging objects of dried vegetation. Interesting. Muted tones with splashes of color. They pump up the Pit Bull type music. One tv tuned to Big 10 network. It was almost full at 8pm. People (with little kids) were still arriving past 9pm. Mostly Hispanic looking/sounding. Staff were dressed up (vests and ties). Four bartenders. More table staff. I love Peruvian cuisine. So, I was bound to like it. I'm not sure it (the cuisine) benefits much by being upscaled. Seems like being irresponsible with money to expect it to. But, I guess you can say that about most cuisines. They add (they informed me of it) 18% to the bill. I don't drink (at restaurants), so, it doesn't affect me that much. But, I suppose they apply that to the tip too. That breaks the old "you don't tip on alcohol or tax" rule. Probably why they do it. All in all, it was what I expected. A bit more lounge-y. Give it a try. You might even get them to sing Happy Birdday to you (happened three times). I believe they opened this spring.
*Travel Notes - England: I flew NS to Gatwick on Norse for $395 at 9pm on the Saturday night (return on a 2pm) of Labor Day weekend. Not crowded. No road traffic. No food or headphones or drinks or anything. But, a brand new 787 (three rows of three seats). No issues. No stupid digital boarding pass. You couldn't even check in online. Fine by me! Bought a ticket from airport to Eastbourne (they only have machines now - no one to make inquiries to) for 20L. Stayed at the modern View Hotel on the ocean for $76. Bought a 10L (24hr) pass for the Hop On Hop Off bus for 10L. It goes through the town to East Dean and back (mostly along the coast). Through the South Downs National Park to Beachy Head and Birling Gap. Famous for being the place they first sighted the Spanish Armada (learned that the weather was really the hero of the day and the English sent their own Armada the next year and got their asses handed to them as well) and where the WWII pilots last saw England on their missions. You can see the chalk cliffs and take amazing hikes through here. East Dean is the town Rick Steves stops at after his. I didn't bother. I also walked through EB and the path along the ocean to the pier and beyond. I saw an old Triumph car show and listened to some free jazz at the bandshell. I was pretty tired, so, I just bought some wine and snacks and watched the sunset from my balcony. The next day I got back on the bus and re-saw some of the stuff from the day before. Did a little hike from the start of Beachy Head. I then went to the train staion to get a ticket for Hastings (10L). I found a bus station on the way and that (98 or 99) was only 2L. Took longer though. I had time before that bus and I saw a sign (finally) for the tennis facility. They do a pre-Wimbledon tournament. Went there. This is kind of why I went here. Scouting the area for next years tournament. Grabbed a great and huge chicken salad and bacon sandwich at the Poppyseed Bakery near the bus stop. At Hastings (train and bus staion are at same location), I grabbed the (I think) 1066 bus (2L each way) to Battle. To see the field where William the Conqueror fought the famous Batlle of 1066. It cost 14.50L to get in. They let you on the field! Back to Hastings. Stayed at the Landsdowne Hotel on the ocean near the pier for $72. Remember that I use travel sites to book and sometimes they charge in US dollars. Walked the beach route to Hastings Castle and St Mary in the Castle (seated into the mountain the castle rests on). It was getting dark, so, I walked into DT and got food at M&S and called it a day. FYI - they had the best thin sliced smoked pastrami for 3L! I hope it is new and I haven't been missing out on it for years. Hastings was grubbier than Eastbourne. Both had stone beaches. Back to the train staion and onto Portsmouth for 19L. Stayed at the George Hotel at the harbor for $102. You can stay one stop earlier in the city center or here. I think here is better. Either way, it's not that long of walk to the other. I was going to go to the Historic Dockyard to see Nelson's HMS Victory and Henry VIII's Mary Rose. But, they wanted 44L! Maybe some other time. FYI - you can't get a view any other way. Maybe by boat? I tried. I did get a pic of the HMS Warrior though. Started a walk through the shops at the Gunwharf Quay all the way down the esplanade to Henry the XIII's Southsea Castle. It's a long walk (goes beyond here) that passes by the Emirates Tower, Ferry terminal (to Isle of Wight 34L), Spice Island, the Hot Walls (castle walls with a beach on the outside), arcades, Hovercraft ferry, aquarium, D-Day museum, etc. I then backtracked to the arcade area and took a right into the city center. Passed the university and shopping streets to the Guildhall. Dickens was born somewhere in the city. Through Victoria Park to Queen St and back to my hotel. Tried to get some fish and chips, but, they tried a bait and switch so I just got some fresh strawberries, etc at Coop. FYI - I will admit that that I had a bottle of vino every night as well. Next day, 28L train (22L after noon) to Bournemouth (bus was 9L but left already at 10:30am). I stayed at the Burley Court Hotel for $90. This was in between the station and the (sandy) beach. It's a university town with a beach. Not so much history. One art museum. I walked the beach to a few miles weat to Poole and back (the pier/arcade). Then maybe a half mile east. A little stroll through the park. Dinner at Baghdad Arabic and Kurdish Kitchen. My first Iraqi food. Don't fret, I think they were Kurds. Ground lamb kebabs with rice and freshly baked pita (maybe lavosh). Tasty. They also tried a bait and switch/upcharge at bill time. I had to haggle with them. On food! With prices written on a menu! Why do these people love to do this so much? There is nothing I hate more. The hotel had a nice pool, but, I was too tired to try it out. Bournemouth was very diverse. Lots of young people. The beach was packed. Oh, it was around 90 and sunny this whole trip. Plus I think school started the next day. You can take a Coaster bus trip from here to my next stop. I, stupidly, took another train (19L). Destination Weymouth. I almost skipped this. Would have been a mistake. Cute town. Older crowd. Sand beach. I stayed at the Hotel Rex for $91 (sea view room). I extended through them for a lower quality room (but on a Friday) for 67L. I had fried cod at Shooter's Fish and Chips. I took the 2L 55 bus to Durdle Door. It is a WHS site where they film alot of things. Especially Bollywood stuff. So, it is a huge tourist attraction for them. Learned that they love Switzerland for similar reasons. That was why I saw so many there. This is also a beautiful beach spot (two sides) with a natural stone arch. I then walked along the coast from there to Lulworth Cove. Saw that and had a clotted cream fudge ice cream at Jake's Homemade Ice Cream. Another 2L bus back. It passes a hill side chalk horse man. Some din din at M&S. The next day I took a 8L RT train a few stops back east to Moreton. This is why I extended. A two mile walk to St Nicholas Church to see some stained glass by Whistler and where TE Lawrence was memorialized and buried. His grave is a few hudred yards down the road. That's Lawrence of Arabia btw. He's an English guy. He came to fight the Turkish. And if you can name the movie that is from, you have my respect. Back to Weymouth and I took another 2L bus to this spit of land just south called Portland. The bus was a million degrees, so, I just stayed on because I was so tired. Seemed like all they had were beach walks anyway. Dipped my feet into the water at the beach in Weymouth. A bit chilly. Like all the others. Dinner at M&S again. This time because all the food shops were closing/closed. On a Frday night?! Yelled at them for being lazy. The next day I bought a chicken and a ground beef empanada at an Argentinian bakery called Finna's. Train to London Waterloo for 34L. Stayed at the Cheshire Hotel up Charing Cross near the Tottenham tube station for $222 for two nights. I did this because it was nearest to the Waterloo Station and I had never stayed around there before. It's basically Soho. I decided to see shows. I think I f'd up by buying ticket one at a resale location, but, I hadn't looked up what was playing or where the theaters were and it was getting late and I saw this sales office. 53L (with the 5L fee) for second level the next day for Back to the Future. I asked others later if this was a fair price and no one seemed too shocked. Before I left, I saw an interview with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets where they said he was making them see shows and this was the best. They should not be trusted No good new material. Only good moments were after they get to the prom (saved both Huey Lewis songs until after that). I then walked past a theater doing Noel Coward's Private Lives. A fourth row center was 25L. I saw that that night. Ok. Dated. FYI - they let you bring in drinks and food. No dress code. Dinner from Sainsbury. I walked around the area. Soooo many food and drink places. Soooo many hot girls. The next day I went to the Seven Dials Market and had my first Uzbeki food at the Oshpaz Noodles stall. Plov. Chicken on rice. Good. Also had Lag-Man Noodles and samsy (pastry). Many other stalls. Even one that used that conveyor belt sushi places use. But for cheese! Walked through Covent Garden area to Somerset House. First time no scaffolding! Saw the 3Hr BTTF that started at 3pm. Dinner of fried chicken strips at Wing Wing. Ended up here because so many place wouldn't take cash. The next day I walked through this large digital art installation near the tube stop. Back to Somerset House via the British Museum (too long of a line) to go to the art museum. But, they charge 10L (I knew that) and would only take credit (I didn't know that). Told them they were so tech forward and Orwellian and where they could stick it. I went to the FREE National Gallery instead. Then down The Mall (between Buckingham Palace and the Arch near Trafalger Square and above St James Park to Victoria St. Down Vauxhall Bridge Rd to the Carlton Hotel ($111) because I had to leave from Victoria Station to Gatwick the next morning. Lunch of xaio long bao and har gow dumplings and duck spring roll at Choi. Saw that guy who played the old rock star in Love Actually there. Walked down Vauxhall to the Thames. To the Tate. Also FREE! Along the river towards Big Ben and over back to Victoria Station to buy a ticket for Hamilton. I had never seen it and it was 9/11. Seemed patriotic. 39L for second level. Great musical. It really lived up to the hype. Shitty potato and mozz corn dog (with no dog) at Wok and Fire near the theater. Gatwick Express for 22L. You could tap on a normal train (a bit slower) for 9L. But, I want a receipt on everything! Judge Judy tells me so. Didn't trust it not to screw something up that I would later have to waste time unscrewing. A regular train ticket (no tap on) was 19L. Great trip. Great prices. Great time to go. Heard from locals it was the best week of weather all summer. Happy Happy. Joy Joy! No delays. Easy through customs on both sides. Should I start a site called Orlandora the Explorer? Or Carmine Santiago? Where am I off to next? BTW - getting like 4k viewers a day now. WTF! Has to be a computer glitch.
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