Here in South Florida, we have a restaurant on every corner (or at least that's how it seems). We have many good ones to choose from, and quite a few "excellent" ones. When it comes to Peruvian food, one of my favorite choices is Tumi. Located on the end of a very quiet, mostly empty strip shopping center in Margate, Tumi is a relatively unknown treasure. Never overly crowded, you don't even need a reservation to get in on a Saturday night, a true rarity down here. Yet, the food is wonderful, the service excellent, and the prices reasonable. I can never fathom why it isn't more popular than it is. I suspect it's all about the location. Sadly, most of the surrounding stores have closed, leaving Tumi behind.

What is Peruvian food?

Feel free to skip this next paragraph, but many people are not familiar with Peruvian food, or they think that all Spanish cuisine is the same, so I'd like to take a minute to describe Peruvian food, in general.

Peruvian dishes typically contain a meat, some rice, potatoes, onions, and at least one type of Aji (a yellow or red Peruvian pepper). It's the Aji that gives the Peruvian meals their distinctive flavor. The foods tend to be slightly spicy (but not too hot). The meat can be beef, chicken, pork, or seafood. Unfortunately for me, there's a seasoning called Cilantro (also known as coriander or bitter parsley) which figures prominently in most dishes, and I don't care for it. I always ask for my meals to be prepared without it. Probably the most popular meal ordered in Peruvian restaurants is the Ceviche. This is a cold dish. Usually it's a huge portion of salad greens, topped with raw fish, which are "cooked" by marinating them for an hour in lime or lemon juice. It is typically served on a giant platter with cold corn, nuts, onions, and white or sweet potatoes. Most Peruvian restaurants offer it either as an appetizer, or as a whole meal.

OK - So tell me about Tumi

The restaurant is very pretty on the inside, always with a calm, quiet ambience. Usually when I'm there on a Saturday night, there are 5 or 6 other parties at the same time. During the week, we might be the only ones. The staff is always very courteous and professional. Sometimes there's a bit of a language problem as they speak mostly Spanish, and I don't. But it's never been a big issue - there's just a lot of pointing at things on the menu. The menu lists the names of the dishes in Spanish, but the descriptions are all in English.

Are there any appetizers?

There are many hot and cold appetizers ($5 - $10) from which to choose including Ceviche, shrimp cocktail, fried calamari, and seafood skewers. But the only one I've ordered, and the only one I'll ever order (because it's so good, I can't imagine enjoying anything more) is the Papa a la Huancaina. This is a plate of boiled potatoes, served over lettuce, and covered in the most amazing bright yellow sauce. The bright color comes from the yellow Aji, and the taste is unbelievable. It's slightly spicy, and slightly sweet, and I grab every last bit of that sauce, by dipping bread into it after the potatoes are gone. I can't really describe the flavor; it's not something I've ever tasted before. All I can tell you is that it's delicious.

OK - get to the main course already!

Well, I hope you saved room even after eating that huge plate of potatoes, because there are many delicious main courses to choose. Steak is a favorite Peruvian item, and you can have it prepared several different ways. Plain, with a mushroom sauce, sliced over fried potatoes, mixed with onions or served over tallarines (noodles). But the most common steak dish is a grilled skirt steak, with chimichurri sauce (a green sauce made from olive oil with parsley, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and paprika). My husband will always get the steak, or the pork chops (also served with the chimichurri sauce) and he always enjoys it.

As for me, I'm more of a seafood person. Parrillada de Mariscos ($22) is a mixture of seafood grilled in a lemon garlic sauce. Served over rice, it contains shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels and is always big enough for two meals. Pasta con Mariscos is a smaller dish of seafood over linguine ($13). If you really want to toss the diet aside, I recommend Jalea de Pescado y Mariscos which is a giant platter of fried fish, seafood, and yucca served with tartar sauce. There's also a Mar y Tierra or what we would call Surf & Turf. This is grilled shrimp and fillet mignon ($18). If you have 20 to 45 minutes to wait for your dish, consider ordering one of their Paella dishes. They have several varieties but all are platters of rice with some combination of chicken, pork, sausage, vegetables and seafood. Some come with lobster. They vary in price from $18-$25 and the menu states that they need extra time to prepare these dishes.

There are many other dishes from which to choose. Besides other fish dishes served in a variety of ways, there are many kinds of chicken and pork.

Nearly all of the main dishes are served with either rice or noodles.

All entrees come with your choice of the daily soup, or the house salad. The soups are usually vegetable based broths: mushroom, onion, or broccoli. The house salad is small, and comes with your choice of dressing. Baskets of hot rolls and butter are also served.

And what about dessert?

Well I've never had them, but they offer several desserts including flan (egg custard flavored with caramel) and tres leches (sweet, moist multi layer cake made with three - sometimes four - types of milk).

Overall

If you're ever in Margate, Florida, do stop by for a delicious Peruvian meal. With great service, excellent food, reasonable prices, and huge portions, you won't be sorry.

Location:

7926 W Sample Rd
Margate, FL 33065
(954) 510-8000

Reservations accepted, but I've never needed them.


Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No