It always sounded like a hole-in-the-wall, one of the ubiquitous Peruvian eateries that fill the…read moreneighborhood near to the Abasto. And so, given that there were places around that we really liked, and that looked like you might actually have a good meal in them, we hadn't bothered. So, we make mistakes. The name, both the Quechua and Aymara word for either a hawk or falcon, is also a fairly common altiplano surname. The place looks just like the sort of place that you'd hover at the door, trying to decide if you really wanted to enter and subject yourself to the service and food that is to come.
As I said, we make mistakes. The place is no real hole-in-the-wall, it easily seats a hundred and some folk, and apparently in the evening, does so with others waiting for tables. They're famous amongst those "in the know" for their spit roasted chicken, which we didn't try, not knowing that the day we wandered in - and several local amateur critics commented that nothing else was worth bothering with. So we're not the only ones who make mistakes.
These days it's gotten a bit touristy and pricey. One thing we hadn't done is tried their lunch menú, so a week or so ago we stopped in and gave it a shot. Good soup, lots of vegetables, a little meat. Choices of a picante de carne, a quite good stew of beef, potatoes, peas and carrots; and, an ají de gallina - this one a little weak in the flavor department. It wasn't bad, it just needed more umph. And, Mamaní's 100 peso price for their menú puts it up in the higher priced ones.
Overall, great marks for truly traditional homestyle Peruvian cooking, friendly and reasonably efficient service. Ambiance, más o menos as they say here, but when digging in to this kind of food, who cares?
