Restaurant Guide

Nu Nu: Restaurant review

In a world of paint-by-numbers restaurants, Nu Nu is a welcome one-off.

Address

1 Veivers Rd
Palm Cove, Qld

Hours

Breakfast daily 7am-11.30am
Lunch daily 11.30am-4pm
Dinner daily 5pm-9.30pm

Prices

E $24-$32
M $43-$48
D $7-$18
Dégustation $89-$129

It's no mystery why almost everyone elects to sit outside at Nu Nu, even on a lukewarm, windy afternoon. A table on the timber deck is a premium spot in the stalls of the vibrant theatre that is tropical north Queensland, fluttering palms high above, the roiling Coral Sea on full display. Switched-on staff sporting shorts and sunnies scurry about, doling out candid advice. Begin with a cocktail, they'll suggest, and you'd be unwise not to listen; a vanilla and ginger Mojito roars with throat-tingling spice. Everything here, from a two-bite-sized snack of smoked reef fish in a tangle of papaya relish on a wild pepper leaf, to a salad of watermelon offset by dollops of quark, dehydrated olives and malty molasses crumbs, expresses the region's colourful palate (and palette) in high-definition. A blitz of seeds, mustard fruits, pickled radishes, chilli butter and fluorescent pumpkin purée takes the more-is-more mantra one step too far in a main course starring sourdough-crumbed Tablelands pork loin, but then a chocolate brownie emerges: a chewy, toffee-rich reminder that life's most gratifying pleasures are often the least complicated.
Phone:
(07) 4059 1880
Website:
nunu.com.au
Bookings:
Bookings recommended
Features:
  • Licensed
  • Bar
  • Vegetarian-friendly
  • Outdoor dining
  • Private room
Accepted card types:
  • American Express
  • Eftpos
  • MasterCard
  • Visa
Chef:
Nick Holloway
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide's reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.