Nue Seattle

When in northern Spain, the cider house rules.

We wrapped up the final day of our annual food tour abroad with an eight-course meal at a traditional Basque cider house, and honestly, it couldn't have been a more spectacular ending.

The cider is poured straight from the casks through a tiny hike, while everyone lines up, glass in hand, trying to catch it just right. This is not cider you sip. This is cider you catch, chug, and refill. The pour aerates it, wakes it up, and then it’s gone before the magic disappears.

And the food! A ridiculous parade of northern Spain at its best: aged beef, salt cod omelet, sweet green peppers, fresh walnuts, local cheese, crusty bread, and the kind of energy you only get when a room is full of locals doing what they’ve always done.

Not a tourist show. Not polished for Instagram. Just loud, delicious, ancient-feeling, and perfect.

Don’t be surprised if a few of these dishes sneak their way onto the menu at Nue.

Day 5 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain
This culinary tour was fully planned as a parade of seafood, small plates, anchovies, octopus, percebes, those barnacles that look like dinosaur toes but taste like pure ocean, and long lunches fueled by dangerously inexpensive wine.

One of the things I love most here is how unpretentious wine culture is. Good wine is just part of everyday life.

About two months ago we started doing $7 glasses of wine every single day at Nue, and honestly this is exactly the kind of culture we wanted to foster back home

León, Spain, Day 3 of our culinary tour

Last night’s going to be hard to top.

We went to Bodega El Capricho, a low-key spot just outside the old town that’s all about beef, specifically chuleta de vaca vieja. These are older cows, around 8 to 10 years old versus the 18 to 24 months most of us are used to, which gives the meat a much deeper, more intense flavor.

Cooked hot and fast over charcoal, served properly rare.

Alongside that, veal sweetbreads, local white asparagus, and Cecina de León, León’s cured, air-dried beef that you see everywhere here (but this was the best) 

We went through about 4 kilos of meat. No regrets, but I’ll be feeling it today.

This is the kind of stuff we build these trips around. If you want to hear about or get the next one, get on our mailing list (sign up on our website)

Seattle Restaurant Week at Nue
Three courses, nine countries, one table

April 19 – May 2

Our dishes include our Turkish wet burger soaked in tomato and brown butter, Cambodian lemongrass chicken skewers, a rich (and vegan) Malaysian Dhal and of course, our famous South African bunny chow.

Dessert’s in there too and as always, $7 house wine!

$35 for dinner + drinks for two on Capitol Hill.

Every Sunday + Monday night at Nue

a pile of our Chengdu wings

4 beers or a full bottle of wine

Not on the menu.
Just say “Cock-a-Brewdle Two.”
(we’ll take it from there)

Seattle keeps saying everything’s too expensive.
We fixed it.

In Seattle’s restaurant scene you have to keep your eyes open. Trends move fast, and if you ignore them you fall behind.

But jumping on every TikTok or Instagram craze the minute it shows up just means you’re following everyone else.

What we’ve learned over the years is that the better move is to watch what’s happening… and then make it our own.

For the past few years we’ve been noticing the massive boba boom. Some places are charging $18–$20 a drink and there are lines down the block.

Respect to the boba shops, that’s their craft and they do it well. But we started wondering… how do we get in on this trend the Nue way?

One of our most popular dishes since the day we opened has been our South African Bunny Chow so since the beginning of the year we’ve been quietly experimenting with one question:

Can bunny chow become boba?

After months of testing, we think we finally nailed it.

Starting today, April 1st, we’re introducing Bunny Boba.

A coconut and curry milk base made with the same masala spices from our famous bunny chow. Instead of tapioca pearls, we’re using small globules of lamb fat that still pop in your mouth. Some of the “boba” are also spheres of white bread that soak up the curry.

Finished with cilantro and crispy onions.

We’re still working on the vegan version, so stay tuned.

Innovation never stops.

One night only

Nue × OOLA Gin Dinner

On April 21 we’re teaming up with our friends at OOLA Distillery for a one-night dinner built around their lineup of gins.

The menu takes inspiration from Dutch bar snacks and the global flavors that flowed through the Netherlands during its trading era, especially across Southeast Asia. Think small dishes that move between Dutch comfort food and the kind of street food flavors that pair beautifully with gin.

Throughout the evening we’ll be pouring five OOLA gin drinks, from bright highballs to a barrel-finished gin served neat, each paired with dishes designed to highlight the botanicals and spice in the spirits.

Expect things like:
• shrimp crackers with sambal matah
• Taiwanese turkey rice
• crisp pickled vegetables
• Dutch-inspired bar snacks
• other small dishes built to work alongside the cocktails

Two seatings available:
5–7 PM
7–9 PM

Limited seats.

Reservations available through the link in our bio.

Featuring our second spot in a new series where we’re sharing some of our favorite places to eat around Seattle.

If you like dining with us, these are the kinds of places you’ll probably want to check out too.

This one goes to Theary Cambodian Khmer Food in Federal Way.

I’ve been there twice in the last week, ordered way too much, and somehow by the next morning I’m thinking I didn’t order enough and already want to go back.

As someone who builds a menu around global street food, I’m always paying attention to places that feel real. Not polished, not trying to be anything else, just doing their thing, and this is one of those spots.

From the outside it’s super unassuming, just tucked into a strip mall. Inside, it feels like a place you’d walk into in Southeast Asia. Simple, nothing overthought, it just makes sense.

And then comes the food. Not Thai, not Vietnamese, not Lao. Cambodian, Khmer. Different flavor profile, deeper, more fermented, coconut, herbs, savory, all layered in a way that just works.

One of the biggest standouts for me was the grilled chicken with her imported Cambodian rice. Turmeric, galangal, ginger, garlic, herbs, spices, and this crunchy bottom layer that eats like the crisp rice from dolsot bibimbap. The rice alone is worth going for.

Theary herself is almost always there running everything. Super warm, loves to talk, really fun to be around. Both times I went, we ended up in long conversations. I can be a talker too, so when she’s doing a hundred things at once and the two of us get going, I start to feel a little guilty holding things up, but that’s part of what makes it feel so real :)

I travel a lot to find food like this, and it’s always a good reminder you don’t have to go that far. This one’s a 5 minute walk from the Federal Way Light Rail station.

If you’ve got spots like this, places that aren’t on every Foodie list getting all the attention, let me know. I’m always looking and will feature my favorites in upcoming posts.

Spicy Chengdu wings and ice cold Rupee Beer
$2 off Rupee beers with any wing order.

We’re running this all day, every day…...for now :)