Nu’s

By Franz Scheurer

Chef Virat "Nu" Suandokmai did very well in Adelaide and converted the locals to some of his pan-Asian ideas. He has now relocated to Sydney and opened in a venerable, sensitively restored, two storey building on Sydney’s North Shore.

Before I start, I should mention that I think there’s a very thin line between fusion and confusion and I don’t like terms such as ‘Asian Tapas’. It’s a bit like Greek Yum Cha… it does not push the right buttons.

Nu’s food is adventurous and he paints it using a very broad palette, including Mediterranean, French and Asian flavours, but fails to reproduce any of them particularly well. He shies away from the bold, convincing depth that so inspires true Asian food. When using Thai flavours, I think the dishes must work as an accompaniment to rice: the flavours should be strong, a balance of hot, sweet, sour and salty is paramount, and this is just not happening here. If representing Chinese cuisine, one of the most important criteria is to bring textures to the fore, again this is sadly missing, as is the understated simplicity of Mediterranean flavours and the dense, rich textures of French fare. This is not to say the food is bad, it just does not exceed the sum of its parts.

The menu is short and concise and the whiteboard specials outrank the menu in quantity. There is also a small ‘Asian tapas’ menu with a limited number of tiny dishes to share or nibble on. The wine list is good; it represents a broad number of styles and price ranges and there are some very well priced gems. Service is attentive, inquisitive and quick, although the maitre d’ is far too familiar for my taste (and please and don’t ask 3 times if we’re food reviewers just because we happen to understand the menu…this is Sydney, after all!)

Value for money is good and looking at the number of bums on seats the Sydney dining public likes what they see and eat.

Try it and make up your own mind.

Score: 5.5/10

For more information or bookings:

Nu’s

178 Blues Point Road

McMahon’s Point NSW 2060

Tel.: 02 9954 1780