Peru has one of the world's great cuisines, but in South Florida it's often lost among so many other Latin destinations. Some of the best dishes from the land of the Incas are still found in neighborhood nooks like homey Saxsay Café, hidden in a Sunrise strip shopping center.

The name comes from Quechua, the Native American language spoken in the Andes Mountains, and means ``to eat and be satisfied,'' says owner Renzo Salini.

You will be more than satisfied by the wonderful food at the 45-seat restaurant, which my Peruvian friends rave is ``delicioso.'' Flavors are vibrant, portions generous, service attentive -- and everything is less than $16.

Open 18 months, the café is simple but attractive, with loden green and crimson walls, cushioned stools at square wood tables and a view of the open kitchen.

Dishes like seafood soup, papa a la huancaina (potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce) and choros (marinated mussels) are primarily from Salini's home region of northern coastal Peru, prepared by another native, chief cook Vilma Rivera.

Classics like anticucho (skewered, grilled veal heart) and cau cau (tripe stew) may evince a wince from some, but there's nothing intimidating about Peru's aromatic cuisine with its Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and African influences.

One staple is corn, so you'll munch on crunchy cancha -- like Peruvian popcorn -- instead of bread while perusing the extensive menu.

Giant kernels of white corn also appear in a refreshing ceviche mixto with swirls of sliced red onion, sliced sweet potato and a bracing medley of fish and octopus, calamari and shrimp in a perky lime juice marinade, with two steamed mussels on the side. The indispensable ingredient is the hot ají chile pepper, which will jump-start any dish.

There are seven ceviche options plus tiraditos, slimmer, carpaccio-style cuts of raw fish and seafood served with red rocoto and yellow pepper sauces. Peruvian food is rich and deeply flavored but not mouth-numbingly hot.

The slightly piquant causa is a silky stack of cold mashed potatoes layered with avocado and chopped shrimp (tuna, chicken and octopus also available) in a mayo-based sauce. It's garnished with a shrimp, perfectly cooked to a pale pink.

The long list of seafood entrees includes the delightful pescado a lo macho -- a hungry man's plate loaded with lightly breaded fillets of swai (a mild white fish similar to catfish) plus shrimp, octopus, mussels and calamari in a mild ají panca chile pepper sauce, served with white rice and fried yuca.

Ají de gallina is Peruvian comfort food -- shredded chicken bathed in a luxurious yellow pepper sauce, served with boiled potatoes and white rice.

A classic lomo saltado brings slivers of slightly chewy skirt steak sautéed with onions, tomatoes and cilantro. French fries absorb the wonderfully seasoned beef juices, and there's white rice, too.

The crisp Peruvian brew Cusquena is a good choice from the limited beer and wine list, or go for a tropical smoothie.

Desserts are pure pleasure, with choices like Suspiro a la limeña (a confection ``as soft and sweet as a Lima woman's sigh''); picarones, scrumptious pumpkin doughnuts drenched in brown sugar syrup; lucuma ice cream made from the Andean fruit and irresistible bavarois de guindones -- dried plums nestled in a heavenly meringue.

Sweeter yet is Saxsay -- like a trip to Peru.