Nu Nu could easily rest on its laurels, using its idyllic beachfront location to draw a crowd. Good thing it doesn’t. Here, owner-chef Nick Holloway interweaves Asian flavours with native Australian ingredients in creative ways. Take his coconut-roasted pork rib – fat perfectly rendered and caramelised – topped with punchy green chilli sauce and finger lime. Or kangaroo and pickled cabbage skewers, enhanced with red curry paste and dabs of concentrated coconut cream. There’s no lack of spice on the menu, but it’s always applied with a deft hand. It’s dialled up in a chilli salsa that comes with battered zucchini, yet gentler in coral trout poached in kimchi butter with soft yellow bean eggplants. Much like the cooking, the wine list could lean on crowd-pleasing favourites, but instead it dabbles in lo-fi producers and alternative varieties with enthusiasm. We may be 20 years in, but Nu Nu is showing it’s still as exciting as ever.
Kara Rosenlund
