The quest for awesome Peruvian food in Miami continues.  This time, I ventured out to MPP Brickell.  Their parent restaurant, Mi Propiedad Privada, has been in business in Lima, Peru for 12 years.  They have a pretty solid reputation, so we’ll see how they  measure up.

The decor is pretty chic.  I will say, though, that the booth seats were just a tad too cushy.  I was sinking into my seat and away from the table.

When you’re seated, they bring out a bowl of plantain chips and small tastings of ceviche.

It was a nice touch, and the ceviche was fresh and flavorful.  Better yet, after eating enough of the plantain chips, I found that there was cancha (toasted corn) underneath!

We skipped the appetizer this time around and went straight to the entree.  I ordered the lomo saltado, Peruvian beef stir fry.

MPP’s version of this traditional Peruvian dish is made with filet mignon.  While my food came out a little bit on the cold side (it was a busy night), I still found it enjoyable.  Other renditions of this dish that I have tried have all had regular french fry style potatoes mixed in, so I didn’t really know what to make of the little Jenga tower of fried potato that was served with it.  I ended up leaving that alone, and ate the meat with the rice.  I wish that they had served it with a little bit more sauce, since I like when the rice soaks it up before eating.

My guest ordered the jalea mixta, a dish of breaded and fried seafood. It is topped with a marinade of red onion, tomato, cilantro, lime and garlic.  This jalea had fish, calamari, shrimp, octopus, as well as fried yucca.

First off, this plate was MASSIVE.  At first glance, we weren’t sure how we were going to be able to finish it.  But, finish we did.  In fact, this jalea was the star of the evening.  The breading on the seafood, while pale, was surprisingly crisp.  I think I might have even had a few pieces of octopus without noticing, and I don’t even LIKE octopus.  Aside from an additional side of cancha, they also served some hominy alongside it.

If I could change one thing, it would have been the service.  There appeared to have been an event happening that evening (they were setting up a DJ booth), and the place was incredibly crowded with people loitering around the bar.  It took a long time for each phase of our meal to take place (placing an order, getting our food, clearing our plates, etc.), during which I could see our server weaving back and forth through the throng.  He was definitely friendly and was doing his best, but I think I would reconsider going back on a weekend evening.  I would still go back, though.  The food was pretty darn good.

For more information on MPP Brickell, visit their web site at http://mppbrickell.com/

**UPDATE 3/28/2017: this restaurant has permanently closed