MAMI NORAS - RALEIGH, NC

PERUVIAN FOOD! We both love trying food from different cultures. Okay, we just love food! A friend suggested we give Peruvian food a try since I'm a big fan of Latin and island flavors. He recommended MAMI NORAS. They have four locations in the Triangle area and wanting something we'd never eaten before Big Daddy and I were game.

I really liked MAMI NORAS. Per their website they are recognized for their unforgettable rotisserie chicken, cooked in a special marinade, then roasted in their imported oven from Perú. This oven uses wood charcoal, no gas or electric heat is needed. And they pair their chicken with traditional South American sides like plantains to yucca fries and black beans.

We both ordered the chicken. He got white meat, I ordered dark meat. I opted for the black beans and white rice and Big Daddy wanted fries and slaw. And the food was really good! I commend them on the chicken. It was tender, moist and flavorful. The black beans were some of the best I've ever had but the rice was lacking. It's hard to screw up rice but theirs was dry with bits of hard pieces like it had been sitting for some time. The fries and slaw weren't overly special but they were good.

Now where I give them big points is the service. The service was exceptional. The young woman who took our order cheerfully explained the menu and the cooking process and I was impressed by how hard everyone seemed to be working. The tables and floor were clean and after every sitting there wasn't a moment of hesitation before someone was picking up the dirty dishes and wiping down table and seats for the next person. Business was brisk and no one was slacking. 

My only disappointment was the Caramel Flan. I really wanted some. But according to the cashier, they didn't have any available. "There wasn't any cut." However she did suggest we try the Caramel Cookie, insisting that we would not be disappointed. I wasn't convinced so I passed. I will however make another trip to eat here again and hopefully get a taste of that flan!