Natural World - Cusco

On the one-way paved part of Recoleta Street is an inconceivable small place called Natural World (or "Mundo Natural", although the shield itself is in English). Here the owner Armando serves delicious homemade yogurt in generous portions on a bowl with fresh fruit salad; a welcome break from the traditional and heavy Peruvian breakfasts of soups and meat dishes. He takes great pride on his yogurt – and he has every right, it's probably some of the best yogurt I've ever had, and I'm a yogurt and breakfast to breakfast to breakfast. He cuts the fruits fresh when you order it so if there is a certain fruit you do not like, you can ask him not to include it (I, for example, do not love papaya, so on my second visit I asked if we could skip it, so he offered me apple instead - along with bananas and strawberries). While it is quite common for us in Vancouver to have a healthy breakfast of yogurt and fresh fruit, we found it particularly difficult in Ecuador and Peru. Most yogurt is available to drink yogurt, and it is filled with sugar. Armandos is freshly made, has no preservatives and is sugar-free (he gets a little honey or jam for you if you want) and I'm glad to find it's quite filling - that huge bowl keeps me for hours sitting that if you are on a budget is a good thing. His Tienda is bound to his house, so if you go to the counter to place your order, he appears out of his living room, excited to share his creations with you, often offer you a sample of his homemade jams and jams. All of them are his own special recipes – he shared with me the absolutely delicious of something they call “sachatomate” (tree tomato), and told me that he perfected the recipe with a bit of grapefruit and papaya – it was so good I asked him to put it on my yogurt instead of honey. He does not speak much English, but the language of food is quite universal and the great chalkboard sign at the entrance mentions the fresh organic juices (Jugos) and coffee, as well as what I think is his house speciality, the yogurt with fruit salad (salada de frutas con jogurt natural y miel) - which offers you back a ridiculously reasonable 4.5 soles (approx. In the corner there is a huge stone, wood stove that was painted to look like a polka-doped mushroom! He says he offers various daily specialties for lunch, although we only come to breakfast. Armando itself is a very nice, sweet man with a warm smile that is very welcoming and eager to make sure you enjoy your meal. He has a visible spring in his step when he tears out to bring you a cup of coffee or even a bit of jam. When Jordan asked if it had any chance to put Granola on the yogurt, he offered to run out and buy some! (We said, of course, that this was not necessary, but were amazed that he was so fast to offer to buy it only for us). The coffee is also something unique – it serves you a cup of hot water and a small glass filled with about 2 ounces of espresso – you then pour the coffee and make your own Americano your taste (if you don't like it strong, just less espresso in). Armando's place was a highlight in Cusco for me, as I always yearned a healthy breakfast to start my day, and they were hard to find even more so cheap (in the plaza you could find something similar, but nowhere near how big a part or as tasty for about 12 soles). I just wish I had discovered his little business earlier, as we just stumbled on it two days before leaving Cusco. I imagine that all other travelers who are used to a lighter, healthier breakfast would like to stop here to start their day. You can find Armandos “Natural World” at 612 Calle Recoleta – although if You may blink it missing as it does not have much in the way of signage, except the chalkboard sign hanging on one of the inviting open doors. I loved it so much that I also bloged about it!

We visited this café during the stay near Recoleta, and we were really impressed. Coming from Vancouver we usually want a smaller breakfast (fruits, yogurt, juice, etc. and a good coffee. Armando at Natural World (Mundo Natural delivered this and more. He was incredibly welcoming, making his own yogurt, jam and jam and brewing great coffee. The restaurant is cozy with a real home. We only went for breakfast, but also saw that sandwiches and other major meals were also offered.

Todo parecia muy natural tanto la fruta como los jugo y un buen café..tambien comimos sanwiches para acompañar, la relacion precio calidad es buena, nos encanto!!!!

Un lugar donde pasar un rato agradable y natural es la mejor combinación de todo, con una muy buena atención.

Tucked away on the one-way cobbled portion of the Recoleta street is an unassuming little place called Natural World (or “Mundo Natural”, though the sign itself is in English). Here the proprietor, Armando, serves up delicious home-made yoghurt in generous portions atop a bowl of fresh fruit salad; a welcome break from the more traditional and heavy Peruvian breakfasts of soups and meat dishes.He takes great pride in his yoghurt – and he has every right to, it’s probably some of the best yoghurt I’ve ever had, and I am a yoghurt-and-fruit-for-breakfast kind of girl. He cuts up the fruit fresh when you order it so if there’s a particular fruit you don’t like, you can ask him not to include it (I, for instance, don’t love papaya, so on my second visit I asked if we could skip it, so he offered me apple instead – along with bananas and strawberries). While it’s fairly common for us in Vancouver to have a healthy breakfast of yoghurt and fresh fruit, we’ve found it particularly difficult to obtain in both Ecuador and Peru. Most of the yoghurt available is drinking yoghurt, and it’s filled with sugar. Armando’s is made fresh, has no preservatives and is sugar free (he’ll put some honey or jam in for you if you like) and I’ve been pleased to find it’s quite filling – that huge bowl keeps me sated for hours, which when you’re on a budget is a good thing.His tienda is attached to his home, so when you head to the counter to place your order he appears from his living room, excited to share his creations with you, often offering you a sample of his homemade jams and marmelades. All of them are his own special recipes – he shared with me one that was absolutely delicious made from something they call “sachatomate” (tree tomato) and told me that he’s perfected the recipe with a bit of grapefruit and papaya – it was so good I asked him to put it on my yoghurt instead of honey.He doesn’t speak much English, but the language of food is pretty universal and the big chalkboard sign at the entrance makes mention of the fresh, organic juices (jugos) and coffee, as well as what I think is his house specialty, the yoghourt with fruit salad (ensalada de frutas con yogurt natural y miel) – which will set you back a ridiculously reasonable 4.5 soles (approximately $1.25USD).There’s a lot he offers that isn’t on any particular menu – I looked over my shoulder to see someone eating an avocado sandwich, and someone else eating the more traditional breakfast of soup. In the corner there’s a giant stone, wood-burning oven that’s been painted to look like a polka-dotted mushroom!He says he offers different daily specials for lunch, though we’ve only come by for breakfast. Armando himself is a very kind, sweet man with a warm smile who is very welcoming and eager to ensure you’re enjoying your meal. He has a visible spring in his step when he rushes off to get you a cup of coffee or even a bit of jam. When Jordan asked if there was by any chance granola to put on top of the yoghurt, he offered to run out and buy some! (We of course said that wasn’t necessary, but were amazed that he was so quick to offer to buy that just for us).The coffee is also something unique – he serves you a mug of hot water and a little jar filled with approximately 2 ounces of espresso – you then pour the coffee in and make your own Americano to your taste (if you don’t like it strong, just pour less espresso in).Armando’s place was a highlight in Cusco for me as I always crave a healthy breakfast to start my day, and they’ve been hard to find, even more so for so cheap (in the Plaza you could get something similar but nowhere near as big a portion or as delicious for around 12 soles). I only wish I had discovered his little shop sooner since we only stumbled upon it 2 days before leaving Cusco. I imagine any other travelers who are used to a lighter, healthier breakfast would love to stop here to start their day off. You can find Armando’s “Natural World” at 612 Calle Recoleta – though if you blink you might miss it, since it doesn’t have much in the way of signage except the chalkboard sign that hangs on one of the welcoming open doors. I loved it so much I blogged about it too!