Nu

Wrong side of False Creek, to’ve «been a success» … AND, it’s looooooooooooooong gone. (used to be under the False Creek Yacht club building designed by Bing Thom Architects). Replaced, a few times over, like almost EVERYTHING here in Vancouver. Last I remember, with Über elite/​CHIC eatery called «NU» («nude cuisine» as in unadorned yet overpriced) … one was really paying for the interior design: a sorta mélange of Barbarella meets Jules Verne on acid, in a trippy Aquaman inspired theme. (hopefully that’ll paint an adequate picture for you.).
The truth is, IT wAs nuthin’ «NEW» …NU … no, IT GOT a bunch of us sucked in ONcE … AND THAT was enuf to’ve snuffed out one of Vancouver’s most pretentious gastronomic fetishisms.

what a view, esp, on the top floor.
too bad it’s gone, just to let the tourists know haha.

Went to the tiny one on Robson. Got the lunch combo (chicken, Greek salad, pita, fries) for $ 9.5. Chicken was delicious.
Fries would’ve been much better if I had eaten them right away (instead walking 10 mins to eat at home).

Beautiful location and great brunch atmosphere, howeverrr… dishes all came diff times and the food was not too $$, but it was still overpriced. No thanks.

A classy and intimate spot nestled under the Granville St Bridge with a waterfront view and a Greek westcoast-​inspired menu — ideal for dinner dates and sophisticated evenings out. It’s the only upscale Greek restaurant in town that I’m aware of!
I’ve been recently for a 4-​course tasting menu (Groupon) and once before for Valentine’s Day, a few years back. For me, my experiences have been amazing, however, my dinner dates have loved the spaced, but thought the food was just ‘decently good’ (not amazing). I remember having the best spinach risotto of my life, savouring every bite, and my date was so jealous because his dish just didn’t compare.
What’s more:
— free parking!
— owned by the Kambolis Group (C and Raincity restaurant, C Blue Foundation)

I attended Nu with their summer Groupon offer for the 4-​course lunch which was lifeless and unexciting. I’ve come up with some alternate names for the menu items:
1. Floating Chunks.
2. Dried Greek Spice (Probably Club House) garnished with Tuna and Cucumber.
3. Leftovers.
4. McCain Deep & Delicious Chocolate Cake Rectangle.
I always thought the purpose of offering deals (e.g. Groupon) is to entice people to come back again by providing an enjoyable experience that matches what you would get normally, without the deal. So, in this case, either they did that, or they watered down the 4-​course offering for Groupon holders. Either way, I won’t be going back again.

The location is wonderful, the food quite good, yet the service leaves a little something to be desired (a little slow and inattentive though still friendly).
Having lived in Greece for a bit I did appreciate the efforts made to incorporate some traditional dishes on the menu, however it is definitely important to keep this in mind, that it is an Aegean «inspired» restaurant, you will not find the warmth or experience of a Greek feast here.
That being said, the dishes I had were good and I would consider returning;
The Saganaki was quite close to traditional Greek style, served warm still in the cast iron pan alongside homemade pita, the latter with the perfect ratio of burnt/​crisp and doughy.
The Charred Octopus was the real highlight of the night — it is not done in the traditional Greek fashion, with larger round slices, but rather consists of long thinner pieces, yet these were done in a fashion that maintained great consistency (not too rubbery or burnt) and had fabulous taste; I would definitely have this again, especially since it’s quite hard to find in North America and one of my favs when in Greece.
The Smoked Salmon Tarama was quite good, a nice taste of smokiness to it, again served with the delicious pita bread — it’s a decent portion as well, and would be perfect for sharing.
As for desserts, the Lemon and Goat Cheese Cake was probably my favourite — very light, almost like a mousse, with a slight goat cheese taste, my only complaints would be that the lemon aspect is pretty indistinguishable and I would like an even goatier taste as I love strong goat cheese. Also, while the crust was quite tasty, it was really too hard to accompany the soft cheese topping and made eating it quite difficult. The Baklava was ok. The Pomegranate Walnut Sorbet, however, left much to be desired, a very basic and bland taste.
Drinks — the Nu Martini was fun, though I would prefer a little more ouza to it.
All in all the restaurant has greatly improved since I went a few years back, and is worth checking out on a nice Vancouver evening.

* Transitions *
It has been a while since I’ve been to Nu. Those old cruise ship style chairs which cramped my back put me off the place. But since its transition to focus on Greek influenced food and the re-​do of the interior (including new chairs thankfully!) it was time to go back.
We had the table d’hote which was priced at a reasonable $ 14 or $ 24 with wine pairings. We took the paired version.
We started off with the «Greek salad shooter» which was actually cucumber water with a hint of olive oil with little bits of tomato, cucumber, and feta cheese to give the overall flavour of a Greek salad. It was a refreshing start to the meal to whet the appetite. Photo:
The next course was the albacore tartare which was combined with Greek spices, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a lemon flavoured sauce. The tuna was nice and fresh. But the oregano slightly overpowered the taste of the fish. Not a bad dish, but a bit out of balance. Photo:
It was paired with a glass of See Ya Later Ranch Chardonnay, which made for a good pairing as it held up well against the overpowering oregano.
The main course was herb roasted chicken served bone-​in on top of an orzo stuffed bell pepper with a tomato sauce. This dish was nicely balanced, with a nice crust on the chicken while being moist and tender on the inside. The orzo was cooked perfectly and the bell pepper had a nice char. Overall a very nice dish. Photo:
It was paired with a glass of merlot (I’m sorry, I forgot which vineyard) that paired well with the tomato flavours.
Dessert was a thin slice of cake topped with a chocolate mousse, plated with a fresh caramel and a small Greek style meringue cookie. The dish made a nice end to a good meal. Photo:
The dessert wine pairing was an ice wine (and again, sorry, I forgot which vineyard). It was a good pairing that worked particularly well with the mousse richness.
Service was extremely friendly, and very on top of things. Portion sizes were on the smaller side, but that is to be expected for such a reasonable price, and I left full.
This was a 3.5 star meal, but considering the value of it being only $ 24 for the 4 courses including 3 wine pairings, and that they got rid of those awful chairs, I’m bumping it up to a 4 star.

Tough review to write because it was extreme on both ends of good and bad,
Good: Free parking downtown!
Good: Awesome south patio On the water! (great to show off Vancouver waterfront for out of towners!)
Good: Food
Good: Drinks
Bad: Sun going down BLINDS you… no shades!
Bad: Service two waitresses for a restaurant of maybe 50 !
Bad: Managers watching and cracking the whips… so bad our server quit!
Overall if you are down that way and the sun is shining, you might want to try the bar appy special, If they don’t solve their management /​service issues they won’t be around long. And don’t think about going to watch the Canucks… only one tiny TV behind the bar

Wasn’t sure how to rate my evening at Nu last night. Here’s the thing: the food was pretty good, our server was lovely, and I was going to rate the evening a three. However, everything took an age to get to the table because there weren’t enough staff. That’s a BIG management issue and that’s why they get the rating they do… a two.
I booked a table for 10 of us last weekend and by Wednesday, the booking was up to 14. The way I see it, a group of 10 is a big group; four more is not going to make an enormous difference. So, if you know you have 10 people coming in, WAY ahead of time, doesn’t that mean getting prepared to staff properly? Apparently not. And apparently, the three other large groups were also not enough of an impetus to bring in more servers. There were TWO. Yes, that’s right: TWO people serving. And a lot of other people trying to help out. From other restaurants, I was told.
But, enough bitching. They screwed up the staffing but maybe it was just a bad night.
Food-​wise, like I said, it was pretty good. Wasn’t a big fan of the hummus but loved the olives. Had the lamb shank. It was good. Heard mixed reviews about the Souvlaki (a few grumbles that there was no rice). And a couple of people had the Pastitso and loved it. I had a taste and was glad I didn’t order it as would have eaten the whole thing and exploded.
We dropped off a cake earlier in the day and they were really accommodating about that. They also plated it for us, which was nice.
A couple of things were comped because of screw ups which I think was good service too. [Especially after Diva at the Met fed my shellfish-​allergic mother clams and charged me $ 60 for the privilege of having done so.]
We’ll probably go back to Nu one more time to try out the cheap happy hour menu (NOTE: you can’t order from it if you’re not sat at the bar), but other than that, won’t be rushing back to eat in the restaurant.

Once you’ve had Greek at Nu, you’ll forget about all the other casual Greek taverns that offer the same calamari, moussaka, soulavaki and so forth. Nu innovative and fresh and puts a new spin on Greek food. It doesn’t hurt that the location is ideal, with a view towards Granville Island, I’ve watched spectacular sunsets from this restaurant while dining.
Recently before the ballet, a girlfriend and i decided to order appetizers. I had been here for the opening and the food was spectacular and so was dying to come back. Smoked salmon tamara was a dip with roe on it and smoked salmon infused. It was outrageously good and served with Nu’s pita bread which has a slight lime taste to it and has the right amount of crisp, I could have just kept on eating this all night long.
Next we had the lobster (yes, yes, yes) souvlakia which of course we had to order two skewers because I am a pig about lobster and won’t ever ever ever share. Yeah, and I don’t care if you tell yo momma on me because the lobster was very tender. I only wished my girlfriend had turned her head away so I could have stole her’s too!
I have never seen calamari made the way Nu did it, stuffed with herbs and other stuff (couldn’t tell as we gobbled it down fast). Not chewy but coooked perfectly as calmari is an easy dish to overcook and I have had it the consistency of chewing gum — yeck!
The dolmades did not have ground beef or lamb but tuna instead which made it rather tasty.
We did concede and ordered a plain tomato salad but the tomatoes were amazing fresh and the dish complemented our heavier appetizers.
And what meal is complete without dessert even if it meant being late for the ballet (we did make it with a minute to spare). When I had seen the the pomegrante walnet sorbet on the menu, I didn’t have to look any further. It was bursting with flavour although I couldn’t really taste any walnut except for the walnut they sprinkled on top. It came with a light crisp meringue cookie. My girlfriend ordered the goat cheese cheesecake which she said was divine and to my jealous heart, they also gave her a scoop of pomegrante walnut sorbet and meringue cookie.
The nice touch to dessert was that I was able to order a decaf Americano, something that has never been offfered to me before. But it didn’t stop there. That night Harry Kambolis’ uncle was at the restaurant greeting customers and actually came over and took our dessert order as we were in a hurry. He also took the liberty of bringing over to us a complementary order of Loukoumades which were light balls of dough drizzled with honey and cinnamon. Yum. More sorbet please?
The only disappointment of this meal was the fact that the cook decided that he wasn’t happy with the lamb ribs so that was subsituted for the calmari which was comped to us. My girlfriend had also ordered the ouzo martini which she didn’t like so they took it away and gave her another drink. Some places would just tell you to buck up since you ordered it. Not Nu. With such great service and spectacular food and views, i will definitely be back.
They also have happy hour special from 5 – 7 in which three appetizers are $ 7. What a steal.
Oh and should I add that on some nights they have belly dancers? Hmmm, I thought you’d like that!

I went to Nu for DOV with my family of four. Arrived right after they opened for dinner so we were the first guest. We were curteously led to our table by the window, nobody offered to take our coats, but oh well, no big deal.
Once we sat down we browsed through the dine out menu which had a good variety except the desserts (more to come on this).
The ambiance is relaxed, low– lighted, and you kinda feel like seated inside a submarine. (in a good way).
The food is definitely Greek-​inspired, but has it always been? I remember I came here for Sunday Brunch with Jazz a few times and it was more of a Westcoast style food. Interesting. The food is overall heavy on the salt side, and to top it off with super sweet Baklava was… maybe not a good idea…. . I had to drink a lot of water to water it down.
We ordered pretty much everything off the menu.
1) white bean soup — hearty, very generous portion, had a homey feeling, something I would like to make at home on a rainy day.
2) Chickpea and Zhuchini (?) fritters — the salad that accompanied the dish was very good, the fritter was good, but a bit too sour for my tastebuds.
3) Lamb Mealballs — excellent choice, three large meatballs! Very yummy!
For the main course, we ordered:
1) Albacore Tuna: generous portion again, 5 – 6 pieces of tuna on the bed of seasoned potatoes? (definitely had some flavors.) the tuna was o-​k
2) Beef Tenderloin (+$ 8.50): Generous size, medim rare goodness. Not the best tenderloin I had before but still good. Comes with chickpeas and mashed potatoes etc.
3) Lamb stew — Wow, super generous portion! I couldn’t finish it after sharing most of it with my family. Had a lot of potatoes though, could have used a bit more lamb meats and less potatoes. The chickpeas are in every dish, which I don’t object to as I love chickpeas, but someone else might.
Desserts:
** The DOV menu only had two desserts (Baklava/​Crème Brulee) and with four people, I wanted to order more variety. The server said «No substitute» but I asked anyways to see if I can substitute Chocolate Mouse for one. She intially said I might have to pay the difference, but came back and said they can do it without any extra charge! Hoooray!
1) Baklava: I m not a huge fan of this because it is tooooo sweet for me.
2) Crème Brulee: Very creamy, the sugar layer wasn’t too burnt, and comes with a little cookie.
3)Chocolate Mouse: Thick textured goodness topped with housemade Vanilla icecream. The presentation was very nice, and the ice cream was my favorite thing off the plate.
Overall, I always have good experience when visiting Nu, the view of the water in the night time or daytime is equally amazing. Price is not out of the world (DOV $ 28), and Sunday Brunch is recommended for its value. Also very nice of the manager to kindly change up the dessert for us. I will definitely come again!

Just used a Groupon to check out this spot on the waterfront. What a treat.
I’ve heard about Nu for years but never made the trek under the Granville bridge to check it out. An excellent view of the harbour, even in winter.
Nu’s Greek owner has decided that while seafood is a no-​brainer for a seaside restaurant, combining your heritage with said seafood makes for a more personal approach. Nu has recently added flavours and ingredients from the Greek isles to the menu with excellent results.
In perusing the cocktail list I spied many bevvies with ouzo but wanted to try their French 75. It’s a new favorite and surprisingly hard to come by. The bar man didn’t disappoint. The Nu ’75 is tart with a bit of sweetness and bubbles to jump start easy conversation.
For food my table sampled the Olives and Feta with Roasted Peppers. Straight forward.
Next we dined on a gorgeous and tender Braised Lamb perched atop a bed of fat cous cous pearls, kale and crispy zucchini. Perfect. We also tried the Seared Tuna with Short Rib Moussaka. This is a very contemporary take on Moussaka. No heavy bechemel but tender meat, and potato with mint and parsley. This waits patiently under a healthy serving of ahi tuna lightly seared and seasoned with S + P. I think the fish could use something to take it to the next level but I’m not sure what. Or perhaps the Moussaka should feature alone…
For dessert we shared the Goat Cheese Lemon Cake. Smart, tart and on point. It’s a small serving so we tried out a Chocolate Mousse which was just a-​ok.
All in all I’d be back for dinner. Maybe in summer to check out the daytime action on the waterfront.
Last but not least (phew) the staff are remarkably affable and attentive. They seem happy to serve and offer up suggestions on their new menu.

My classmate organized a Chirstmas party dinner at Nu and the food was pretty damn good. We «partied» in the art gallery room which was across from the restaurant and allowed to bring our wine for the meal. I guess because we dined on a week night, the food was spot on. For $ 65(excluding tax and tips), we got appies and a three course meal. The servers were really nice, attentive and helpful.
Highlights from the meal:
1)the hummous dip was warm and the pita bread had a nice charred flavour to it.
2)I believe the squid were bbq thus a smokey flavour and hints of citrus with olive oil taste served
3)I ordered the smoked trout with slices of apples served on a bed of salad. Thank goodness the trout wasn’t salty but was moist and flavourful. I liked the fact that the salad wasn’t oily at all.
4)I loved my main course-​pan seared flat iron steak. It wasn’t tough, medium rare and juicy. It came with mashed potatoes and veggies. Amazingly good !!
5)The apple tart tatin came with cinnamon icecram. I liked the fact that it came out warm and the crust flakey and the apples were soft but not mushey.
I guess I liked every course of my meal. My classmates also commented that the food was really good and the portions were just right.
Definitely a next time for me!

Great place for brunch. Went with my daughter for a girls brunch on a Sunday. They have a live Jazz singer and the view is great. We were treated to mini hot chocolates and skewers of fruit that included a breaded fried apple — tasted like fresh apple pie — delicious.
The Croque Madame was amazing, perfectly done. Can’t wait for my next visit.

It has taken me a little while to get to this Dine Out Review of Nu. and after much evaluation, I cannot give it any more than 2 stars.
Making my reservation for 6:15 the night before my dinner, the person making my reservation told me they could squeeze me in because it was super busy that night.
… well I walked in on time to a restuarant… that had 2 tables occupied… the host seemed unprepared when we arrived and looked around for a minute to where we could be seated… in a restaurant that was clearly empty. I saw a very attractive table for 2, which seemed to be an obvious choice, but instead. we were seated in this corner that seemed to be out of the way. I didn’t mind too much — maybe the other table was for other «non dine outers»
The waitress throughout the night was courteous, but i didn’t feel she was personable at all. Checked out food only because she had to do it and didn’t pay much attention.
I ordered the «beer injected oyster» as an additional started as it is one of
VANCOUVER’s 101 BEST EATS… a few things to note:
1. Falsely advertised… the beer is NOT injected. It is infact a deep fried oyster (that is mostly fried dough) sitting on top of a shot glass of lager that you drink with.
2. I tried it, and for $ 4.00, I found it to be nothing special
3. The oyster itself was okay.
4. I did confirm with the waitress prior to ordering, so I was not why it was made onto the list if I just drink some beer with an oyster.
… back to Dine Out.
I ordered the chickpea salad for a starter which seemed to have nice flavours, but seemed to have an overload of chickpeas… there were some crunchy bits which gave it some nice texture, but really nothing fabulous. My bf’s croquette was very good, I must admit with a chowder underneath that was creamy and hearty.
… here is a big NONO for me… I was not done my appetizer, and the main course gets brought out. I understand that dine out has a time limit of 1.5 hours, but if was’t like I was eating my appetizer for 45 minutes. I have never in my life had this happen to me, and I was quite shocked. They didn not even consider taking it back and I uncomfortably told them I was done with my appetizer as they swapped my plate for the next course.
The Main Course —
1. Chicken Adobo with Rice Pilaf
2. Keta Salmon with lentils and onion tart
Bf’s Chicken was very tender, not overly spiced, and was very good. I didn’t think it fit the overall theme of Nu, but I do think that it was cooked well. My salmon, although it looked burnt, and an odd orange, was cooked nicely as well, it was a little soft, which is exaclty how I wanted it. The lentils, however, was really unncesary as it looked like a pile of brown mush that was extremely unappetizing. The onion tart that was underneath it looked soggy and seemed like it had been sitting there for at least an hour waiting to be eaten. The only reason it was semi — warm was because the heat of the lentils raised its temperature.
For dessert, I got the cheesecake, which was good, but it tasted exactly the same as cheesecake I’ve had elsewhere. The chocolate mousse ordered by my bf was nice… again, nothing out of the ordinary.
We ordered a few cocktails that were pretty refreshing, and I would think the rest of their drinks menu would be quite impressive as well.
Closer to the end of the meal, the host was making me very uncomfortable as he kept starring in my direction to see what was available, who was finishing their meals etc etc…
I never want to feel pressured to leave and I don’t think I exceeded the limit anyway so why should I feel uncomfortable while I’m paying money to have a decent meal? On the other hand… I cannot get past the fact that for a restaurant like this one, I would be handed my main course before finishing my appy. That is just extremely inappropriate restaurant etiquette.
I was so excited to try their other two restaurants — C and Raincity grill… I even heard Nu has an awesome brunch… but won’t be anytime soon… maybe if someone tells me it’s their fav. restaurant.

Nu opened in 2005 as the third tentacle of the culinary cephalopod that is Vancouver’s Harry Kambolis Restaurnt Group. With C and Raincity Grill doing well in a town that adores seafood and oceanviews, Kambolis took a risk by a) opening a dining establishment forty feet away from C and b) renting a space that is known for its high turnover rather than its apple turnover (or albacore turnover in this instance?). I read about Nu when it opened, and recently heard about Executive Chef Robert Clark’s attempt at providing a 100-​Mile Menu, so I supported this restaurant’s bid in hosting our annual Christmas work dinner.
I have noted in previous reviews that one should always be cautious of restaurants offering amazing views and/​or convenient locations, as these draws often result in subpar meals. I should have heeded my own warnings when considering Nu, where it felt like our meals took a backseat to the loungey ambiance, the wonderful waterfront views of False Creek and the borderline gaudy décor. Speaking of seats, Nu has the most uncomfortable seats I have ever parked my rear in. Kambolis went for Saarinenesque cool over lumbar-​supporting comfort.
There are some tasteful components to the décor, such as the brass-​tiled ceiling and the marble counter tops. There are strong elements to be found in the menu, with its focus on local products and a classic meat n’ potatoes format. There are also engaging features found on their website, with its virtual Flash buttons and updated menu specials. BUT… the décor is overdone, the food does not live up to the menu, and the website is choppy and distracting. Nu is like the Ford Pinto of Vancouver restaurants: good parts put together badly.
I did not blow-​up whilst dining at Nu, but at least this would have saved me from the crunchy «roasted» seasonal vegetables that were served with my decently prepared bison steak. Other dishes ordered at our table included the duck crêpe (tender with a clever presentation), the gnocchi (which disintegrated at the table and were reported to have resembled mashed potatoes rather than Italian dumplings), the beef tenderloin (well cooked and presented but arrived luke warm), the featured frutti de mar (a pleasant but forgettable linguini adorned with mussels, clams and scallops), and the featured poutine appy (which really couldn’t hold a fry to any streetside, vendor poutine in Montréal). Everyone seemed content — but not enthralled — with their meals.

My friends and I went to Nu while visiting Vancouver because we saw that it was on the water. The food was tasty and the décor was almost classy, in an eccentric way. It was more strange actually, but I think I liked it. This might be a nice place for a date because dinner is served with a candle at each table, though I’m not a huge fan of dimly lit restaurants.
The downsides were: the portions were much smaller than one would expect, and that we were seated in clumsy padded swiveling chairs that kept bumping into our tables. Our waiter was friendly but the service was painfully slow. If you’re in a group of 8 and don’t have all night to sit around you should probably go elsewhere. But I think this place is A-​OK otherwise.

I love brunch! Let alone brunch with a view which this place has in spades. I would call ahead and make sure you get a great seat with a view of granville island and english bay.
A couple side notes. First, when I received the bill I noticed that we were seated in the ‘naked’ section. I wonder how they came up with that name? Made me laugh so much that posted it on facebook.
Second, they have free wi-​fi! This came in handy while i was waiting for my friend to arrive. There I was surfing the net on my ipod.
Now, down to the food. I will say the presentation was wonderful and the carafe of coffee a pleasant extra. They also brought over a complimentary hot chocolate and scone. Nice touch,
The brunch selection I chose: scrambled eggs, bacon and hashbrowns was not out of this world. It was rather mediocre. The homemade ketchup was terribly lackluster but if you don’t use ketchup then not an issue.
It wasn’t greasy at all even with bacon I had ordered. However, everything did look lovely.
I guess, I expected much more considering the location and the accolades it has received for its dinner contributions. I would not say, I wouldn’t go here again. You really can’t beat the view. It is a bit pricier than a greasy spoon or east van brunch but it’s a great experience.
If anything… go for the view!!! This would be a great place to take a date for drinks.

I came here with a group of 8 since a friend wanted to try this place. I was also excited to come here. However, I was quite disappointed, especially since it’s owned by «C», which is one of my favorite restaurants in town.
It definitely doesn’t live up to an association. The décor and location would be a 4 since it has free parking (always a bonus here!) and amazing views of the water and the False Creek area. The décor is clean and modern with nice spacing. Service was average.
The food was a disappointment. I like the «farm to table» philosophy and use of local ingredients. There was a variety of dishes in the group from seafood to fries and pasta. My seared tuna was extremely bland but my soup, a butternut squash was good. Sad to say that I was actually most excited about the fries and the spicy ketchup.
Considering there are many competitors for this place at this price range, I don’t plan to return. The group of us went of a weeknight and the restaurant was mostly empty.