HOW NÚC CRAFTED OUR MENU: A JOURNEY INSPIRED BY VIETNAM AND NATURE

From the beginning, we knew we wanted NÚC Concept Kitchen & Bar’s menu to tell a story of reverence for nature and a deep-rooted love for gastronomy. Our culinary journey began with a shared love for the environment and a passion for food, and this needed to be understood with each bite of every dish. Therefore, when it was time to create our starters, pastas, main courses and desserts, we gave ourselves the broad criteria that every item must tantalize the taste buds while celebrating the vibrant flavors and aesthetics of the world around us with an emphasis on the Vietnamese flavors we grew up with.

First, our visionary head chef, a team of culinary experts, friends, family, and guest chefs all discussed the Vietnamese ingredients and dishes we are particularly fond of. We strived to capture the essence of Vietnamese cooking, celebrating the country's vibrant markets, diverse regional cuisines, and centuries-old culinary traditions while making room for the new technologies, ingredients, and presentations that have become popular here in recent years. From crowded city alleyways filled with humble street food to rustic gardens and rural homes in the countryside to extravagant upscale eateries, there were many nationally famous specialties as well as personally important tastes we wanted to honor. When experimenting with ways to make them true to our own style, we also made sure to incorporate our love for fresh ingredients and propensity for ingenuity. Whether it's the nostalgic aromas of sautéed frog legs with brown butter and fresh mango, reminiscent of Saigon street vendors' bắp xào, or the exquisite flavors of Nha Trang sea urchin pate with wampee compote, the dishes invite you to think fondly of Vietnam, whether it’s your home or a new country you’re exploring.

In addition to Vietnam, we wanted to make sure that every dish at NÚC is an ode to the harmony we find in forests, fields, flowers, and oceans. To recreate this ancient balance on your plate we looked to local markets, farms, and producers. We let nature lead the way via what was abundantly available, seasonable, and sustainable. This helped us understand the palette we could create our masterpieces with. Filtering these ingredients through our previous talks about how to share beloved recipes led us to five-spice charcoal-grilled duck breast with pennywort and ambarella dressing, and homemade egg noodles & Ca Mau crab with lacto chili-pepper sauce and morning glory sprouts, amongst other items. Some of our menu items may sound strange at first, but when you try them you will understand how effortlessly the complimentary flavors fit thanks to their origins on the same Earth.

Once we decided that we had done a satisfactory job meeting our objectives for promoting Vietnamese cuisine and praising nature’s bounty responsibly, we looked for ways to innovate. Our team has experience with some of the most cutting-edge and unique culinary innovations and we wanted to see which would be a good match for our menu. This compelled us to accent many dishes with fermented, pickled, and emulsified sauces and accouterments. Pickled papaya for Hamachi fish,  fresh lacto apple and jackfruit sauce for goat curry, and pickled kombu are a few of the ways we were able to explore the fun of emerging culinary ideas while still making accessible and delicious meals.  

We believe that no work of art is ever truly done, it just becomes ready to share. After months of meticulous planning and creative exploration, we're thrilled to be inviting guests to try the culmination of our efforts at NÚC Concept Kitchen & Bar. If, by the end of your meal, you can appreciate Vietnam's culinary traditions, feel indebted to the generosities of nature, and become excited by the potential of modern food creativity, we will consider ourselves successful.