Nus

Tradition and innovation go hand in hand

Nus, a place to discover, to savour and that leaves no one indifferent.

Author: Cristian Rodríguez Domínguez

Today has dawned a radiant sunny spring day. Taking advantage of this wonderful day, we decide to go for a walk in the center of Palma. We stroll around the Jaime III area and surroundings, letting ourselves go, aimlessly, without any haste. It is Friday, almost noon. We arrive at Passeig Mallorca, near the end, and decide to stop for a refreshing vermouth and snack at the always busy Vermutería San Jaime. We take a seat on the terrace and order two red vermouths with olives and chips. We could have ordered something else, because the menu is varied and everything looks wonderful, but we don't want to get too full either, as we have reserved a table in a place that has been recommended to us for some time and our intention is, of course, to enjoy ourselves without any worries.

It's getting close to the time we had made the reservation for, so we set off. To take a short-cut, we cross the park of Sa Feixina. We take Aníbal street, the same one that leads us to the Santa Catalina Market. Although this time, we stop at the beginning, right next to the store of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation. We have arrived: Nus Palma is our final destination. And it is not the first time we heard about this place and its weekly menus, tasting and menu, with a clear influence of Asian cuisine, but as they themselves say, with a touch of ingenuity and restlessness and without leaving aside the usual, the roots and traditions.

We go in. The place is cozy, neither too big nor too small, with a simple decoration that invites you to sit down and enjoy. The kitchen, located at the back on the right, is open. Once seated, they bring us the menu. We see the different fixed dishes and dishes that, written in pen, are changing. Although we have come with a clear purpose, the daily menu, we decide to give a chance to a dish that has caught our attention: snapper marinated in Kombu seaweed.

Service. Soon the first dishes are brought to us. And the one serving us ia Irene, the chef and main architect of this project. In our case, a salad of octopus and crispy artichokes. As it is going to happen from now on, fresh ingredients, flavors and textures, will delight our palates. The octopus is cooked to perfection, grilled and accompanied by tasty green sprouts and cashew nuts. The artichokes, crispy in their tempura batter and soy sauce, with a touch of citrus. We want more.

The main course arrives. Dashi soup with Somen. A succulent broth with only 3 ingredients, but with an intense flavor and accompanied with a generous portion of somen noodles. We continue with the sushi rice, presented in a transparent bowl and on it, a cured egg yolk. A perfect combination. It is time for our off-menu choice, the snapper. Fresh and exquisite fish, served with a blanket of Kombu seaweed and sauce, which elevates the flavors to another level. And finally, the satai rabbit. A juicy leg bathed in satai sauce, where the ingredients are perfectly balanced.

The end. We think the best way to end this excellent meal is to delight ourselves with one of their homemade desserts. We choose a classic of Spanish cuisine, the torrija. With a crunchy layer of caramelized sugar, an interior of delicious dough, all topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Now the time has come for us to leave, but not before thanking Irene for all her attention and good work in the kitchen. We make a promise to come back and let ourselves be surprised by her tasting menu. It has been a great experience.