eating with emak

The Lomo Saltado at El Marino was so good, I was craving it again the next day. Lomo saltado is a classic Peruvian dish that has Chinese influence. It is marinated beef stir-fry with onions, tomatoes, and french fries. Yes, french fries are in this dish! The fries soak up the sauce and gets soggy. The sauce is just so tasty; I wanted to mop up every last drop. 

Upon doing some research, I found that there is a big community of Chinese in Peru. Most of the Chinese immigrants came from Southern China: Macau and Guangzhou during the 19th century as contract laborers. Today, Asian Peruvians make up about 5% of the total population in Peru.

This dish represents the fusion of the two cultures. I also tried the Sopa de Criolla which is a beef noodle soup with milk and poached egg. It’s delicious as well. Can’t wait to go back to El Marino. 

I had lunch today at a local Peruvian restaurant called El Marino. I pass by this place about a million times, but never thought to go try it until about a month ago. Out of the blue one day, I deliberately drove slower so that I can get a better look at the place, and saw that it was a Peruvian restaurant. Instantly, I knew that I had to come try it out. 

El Marino is a tiny local spot with about 8-9 tables, 1 waitress, and a huge flat screen TV broadcasting futbol.  I don’t think they ever had Asian clientele before, as we got stares from some of the patrons…haha! The little girl at the next table was so excited to see us, she had her mother ask if she can recite to us numbers 1-11 in Chinese. Her pronunciation was pretty spot on. Her mother also introduced to us some of the foods they were eating: fried plantains and this milky beef noodle soup. The soup looked really good, so we ordered one as well.  We also ordered Causas Relleno- mashed yellow potato stuffed with tuna, served cold with hard boiled eggs, an olive, mixed veggies, and drizzled with mayo. It was really good. We also tried the Ceviche Mixto-raw pieces of white fish, squid, and shrimp marinated in lime juice with red onion, cilantro, red chili topped with this seaweed and served with their huge pieces of Peruvian white corn.  We also ordered two other entrees: Roast Chicken and Seafood Paella.  The portions were huge! By the time the beautiful plate of paella came out I was already full. 

The place was packed for Saturday lunch.  People just kept coming in and the phone was ringing off the hook. The waitress was running around so much I didn’t really get a chance to ask her some questions that I had. I’m definitely coming back.  The prices are reasonable for the potions they serve.  The food is good and service is friendly. 

El Marino, 130 Mount Hope Ave. Dover, NJ 07801