Dining Review
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Inka Mama’s
Two sisters prepare tasty Peruvian cuisine in Foothill Ranch.
BY PATRICK MOTTPublished: November 24, 2005
One of the gratifying things about visiting a good restaurant a second time, some many months after your first meal there, is that you get to measure the progress of the place. If you had a good experience the first time out, it's doubly enjoyable when you realize that, apparently, a lot of other folks have discovered they like the place as much as you did.
That's what made my second trip to Inka Mama's in Foothill Ranch more of a kick than usual. I arrived at lunchtime on this occasion, when I could still take advantage of the full menu, and the little restaurant was packed to the walls inside and had patio patrons outside nearly spilling into the parking lot. Inka Mama's is located in one of those ubiquitous, sprawling, outdoor South County malls and, even within those uninspiring surroundings, people were following their noses and palates in search of some singular and inexpensive food.
Inka Mama's is a thoroughly cheerful, little Peruvian restaurant that looks like it couldn't seat more than 50, and if you're one of the lucky 50, you're going to remember it. Sisters Angela Kishijara and Martha White, both Peruvian natives, learned to cook the characteristic and traditional dishes of Peru from their mother, and Mom's influence has helped them produce an extensive and widely varied menu that almost demands that you come back several times just to get a sense of it all.
There’s hardly anything on the menu that costs more than $15, which will allow a group of, say, eight to go pretty crazy and order from nearly all corners of the menu.
The menu now also features something that other restaurants that serve unfamiliar dishes would do well to adopt: photos of the dishes themselves. Not every entrée gets the photo treatment, but enough of them appear on the page to whet even a flagging appetite. Also, as with my first visit, I felt like ordering every dish I saw emerge from the kitchen the presentation and the variety are that good.
I began with an appetizer that was both substantial and subtle: the yuca a la Huancaina. It's delicately fried yuca served with a spicy ricotta cheese sauce and a side of crisp lettuce without dressing. The yuca is a South American root vegetable that, when served this way, puts one in mind of more substantial, and slightly spicier, French fries. The sauce glowed with understated spiciness and was a seductively creamy, light yellow. The lettuce provided just enough accompanying crunch.
The menu entry called my main dish “a classic dish of Peru,” and classic it was. The lomo saltado is lightly seasoned, lean beef cut in thin strips and sautéed with purple onions, tomato wedges and French-cut fried potatoes, served with a side of very light, white rice. It turned out to be one of those dishes that appear to be a good-sized meal when on the plate, but that manage to retain a lightness that allows you to leave the table satisfied, but not weighed down. I was particularly impressed with the leanness and tenderness of the beef strips and the way the ingredients harmonized so well within the delicate seasoning. This is a dish to go into the lunch Hall of Fame: The sort of meal that will leave you firing on all cylinders throughout the afternoon.
After a couple of visits of your own, Inka Mama's may become one of those restaurants in your Rolodex that will have you driving long distances to satisfy cravings. You know the type. So when the cravings inevitably come, I say submit. OCM
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That's what made my second trip to Inka Mama's in Foothill Ranch more of a kick than usual. I arrived at lunchtime on this occasion, when I could still take advantage of the full menu, and the little restaurant was packed to the walls inside and had patio patrons outside nearly spilling into the parking lot. Inka Mama's is located in one of those ubiquitous, sprawling, outdoor South County malls and, even within those uninspiring surroundings, people were following their noses and palates in search of some singular and inexpensive food. Inka Mama's is a thoroughly cheerful, little Peruvian restaurant that looks like it couldn't seat more than 50, and if you're one of the lucky 50, you're going to remember it. Sisters Angela Kishijara and Martha White, both Peruvian natives, learned to cook the characteristic and traditional dishes of Peru from their mother, and Mom's influence has helped them produce an extensive and widely varied menu that almost demands that you come back several times just to get a sense of it all. There’s hardly anything on the menu that costs more than $15, which will allow a group of, say, eight to go pretty crazy and order from nearly all corners of the menu. The menu now also features something that other restaurants that serve unfamiliar dishes would do well to adopt: photos of the dishes themselves. Not every entrée gets the photo treatment, but enough of them appear on the page to whet even a flagging appetite. Also, as with my first visit, I felt like ordering every dish I saw emerge from the kitchen the presentation and the variety are that good. I began with an appetizer that was both substantial and subtle: the yuca a la Huancaina. It's delicately fried yuca served with a spicy ricotta cheese sauce and a side of crisp lettuce without dressing. The yuca is a South American root vegetable that, when served this way, puts one in mind of more substantial, and slightly spicier, French fries. The sauce glowed with understated spiciness and was a seductively creamy, light yellow. The lettuce provided just enough accompanying crunch. The menu entry called my main dish “a classic dish of Peru,” and classic it was. The lomo saltado is lightly seasoned, lean beef cut in thin strips and sautéed with purple onions, tomato wedges and French-cut fried potatoes, served with a side of very light, white rice. It turned out to be one of those dishes that appear to be a good-sized meal when on the plate, but that manage to retain a lightness that allows you to leave the table satisfied, but not weighed down. I was particularly impressed with the leanness and tenderness of the beef strips and the way the ingredients harmonized so well within the delicate seasoning. This is a dish to go into the lunch Hall of Fame: The sort of meal that will leave you firing on all cylinders throughout the afternoon. After a couple of visits of your own, Inka Mama's may become one of those restaurants in your Rolodex that will have you driving long distances to satisfy cravings. You know the type. So when the cravings inevitably come, I say submit. OCM |
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