Both restaurants feature similar menus with authentic Peruvian food and Pisco drinks made from a Peruvian Brandy.
The backstory
Before her restaurant plans took shape, some of Vivanco’s earliest clientele included her son and his friends following his graduation from The University of Texas at Austin in 2008. When he approached her with a dinner request for his graduation party, Vivanco said she expected hamburgers or steak before he gave her a long list of Peruvian dishes to prepare for his nearly 40 guests.
While she hadn’t tried her hand at cooking food on such a large scale before, Vivanco said she wanted everyone to walk away tasting something new. After the party, Vivanco said no food remained.
“It was the first time [some people] tried Peruvian cuisine,” Vivanco said. “I was so glad, as a mom and as a Peruvian, that they really enjoyed the food. They took all the leftovers.”
Two years later, Vivanco got her start in the food industry at what was previously the Highland Mall food court, now Austin Community College, selling a mix of Mexican and Peruvian food. She said her time there consisted of experimenting with visitors and developing her menu.
“I tested [my menu] for five years,” Vivanco said. “If a customer came to my [restaurant], and said, ‘Give me a fajita,’ I would say, ‘If you like steak, you're going to love this [Peruvian] plate. If you don't like it after the first bite, I'll make your fajita.'”
On the menu
Inspired by her grandmother’s cooking, Vivanco said her style as a chef is doing everything from scratch.
“Our restaurant is traditional like a home in Peru,” Vivanco said. “If you go to a home in Peru, you are going to find the similarity, because it's all fresh food, not pre-packaged.”
While Peru has a broader variety of potatoes than the United States, Vivanco said her goal is to provide an authentic dining experience through her ingredients. Some menu items include fish and mixed-seafood ceviches, homestyle rotisserie chicken marinated in Peruvian spices, anticuchos and lomo saltado– a popular and traditional steak dish in Peru.
What else?
Living in Austin, Vivanco said she noticed that not many people had ever tried Peruvian cuisine and being able to offer up bits of her culture through her restaurant goes beyond the menu.
“I am very proud,” Vivanco said. “We have good roots, and we have a lot to share... [It’s] not only our cuisine that is really good.”
- 206 North Mays Street, Round Rock
- www.brasasperuanas.us/
