VA2007 - Nu

Sweeping Views in a Stylish Waterfront Setting

Food Photo: Bruce Law
Seen Right: Nu, waterfront dining on False Creek.

Nu completes an impressive hat trick for restaurateur Harry Kambolis, whose landmark rooms C Restaurant and Raincity Grill helped re-define the local British Columbia dining scene. Nu evokes a lighter, more whimsical side of Vancouver's dining personality, but still showcases Kambolis' unyielding adherence to fresh regional ingredients and sustainability. Voted Best New Restaurant in Canada by enRoute, ranked Top Ten in Canada by Where and a Gold Medal winner at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, this Nu kid on the block is a hit.

The custom designed sleek and sexy room is a modern interpretation of the classic French bistro. Literally hanging over the water, Nu boasts pristine glass walls that allow you to drink in every inch of the 300° False Creek view from every handmade European seat. The unique floating bar is home to one of Vancouver's most inventive cocktail menus, where freshly muddled hand crafted creations reign supreme. Nu offers one of Vancouver's most scenic vantage points, but compared to what's to be seen inside, the spectacular waterfront view ranks a distant second.

Executive Chef Robert Clark's menu slides seamlessly from formal to casual, catering to those wishing either to languish with a libation and a few shared plates or a first class multi-course dinner. Innovative teasers like pomme frites with truffled mayo, goat cheese stuffed chicken wings and fried local oysters chased with a syringe of Granville Island lager perfectly compliment good friends and a few boozy concoctions. But to merely visit this False Creek phenom for some hors d'oeuvres and a cocktail is to woefully underutilize it, on par with hiring Michelangelo to re-paint your picket fence. Plan to stay a little longer and savour some of the mouthwatering culinary masterpieces being performed in the kitchen. Butter poached lobster risotto with wild mushroom, roasted venison tenderloin with quince jelly and crisp braised pork belly with yam dumplings represent the cutting edge of the Vancouver dining scene.

Boasting free waterfront parking at one of Vancouver's most coveted pieces of real estate, Nu is the perfect spot to enjoy a leisurely lunch, sumptuous weekend brunch or an epic palate-fondling dinner. Be it a tantalizing mid-afternoon vignette, or a late night flirtation, Nu is where you want to be.

Menu Highlights

Smaller Plates & Appetizers

Crispy Fried Oyster
With Granville Island lager

Fried Olives
Chili, mint, orange zest

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Wings
Espelette chili gastrique

Wine Poached Pear Salad
Beets, walnuts, endive, frisee, crumbled feta

Charcuterie
Selections of cured meats, homemade pickles, breads

Lunch

Seared Kagan Bay Scallops
Glazed pork belly, apple 3 ways

Mini Beef + Short Rib Burgers
Lightly roasted bell peppers, mushrooms, frites

Forest Mushroom "Lasagna"
Vegetable ratatouille, spinach, buffalo mozzarella

Chilled Seafood Salad
Seared ultra rare albacore tuna, select shellfish, nicoise style

Brunch

Dungeness Crab Benedict
Sautéed potatoes, fig compote

Brie + Black Truffle Omelette
Warm brioche, preserved figs, port reduction

Lobster and Prawn Scramble
Tarragon, snap peas, lobster bisque, toasted brioche

Brioche French Toast
Walnuts, caramelized pears, whipped cream, maple butter

Flat Iron Steak and Eggs
Cultivated mushrooms, sautéed potatoes, béarnaise, baguette

Dinner

Steamed Salt Spring Island Mussels
Crisp pork belly, shallots, white wine, tomato, thyme, frites

Crisp All Night Braised Pork Belly
Yam dumplings, walnuts, pears, cider vinegar glaze

Roasted Free Run Chicken Ballontine
Potato puree, cabbage, cranberry relish, rich chicken jus, sage

Wild Queen Charlotte Spring Salmon
Snap peas, orange fennel, potato croquette, lobster bisque

Caramelized Lamb Cheeks
Mediterranean vegetables, artichokes, saffron cous cous toasted pine nuts, tomato fondue, lamb jus

Seared Beef Tenderloin
Baby carrots, foie gras gravy, frites, béarnaise

Chilled Seafood Salad
Seared ultra rare albacore tuna, select shellfish, nicoise style

Best of the Cellar

Red Wine

Joie Rosé Pinot Noir 2005, B.C.
B.R. Cohn "Silver Label" Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, California
La Crema Pinot Noir 2004, California
Poplar Grove "Benchmark" Cabernet Franc 2003, B.C.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, California

White Wine

Hawthorne Mountain Gold Label Chardonnay 2001, B.C.
Gray Monk "Odyssey" Pinot Gris 2004, B.C.
Herder Pinot Gris 2005, B.C.
Jackson-Triggs White Meritage Sauvignon/Semillon 2004, B.C.
Andrew Harris Chardonnay 2003, Australia
Schloss Gobelsburg "Lossterrassen" Gruner Veltliner 2003, Austria

Above: Chilled seafood salad, Mini beef and short rib burgers.

NU
1661 Granville Street, Vancouver, B.C., 604-646-4668
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