Nuni: culinary wonder in Puebla

Nuni's philosophy and aesthetics

Nuni means corn in Mixtec. The name is no coincidence; it's one of our most fundamental and defining ingredients. The mother seed of the Americas. The foundation of Mexican cuisine. A symbol of our worldview and legacy. But also one of the ingredients that offers the greatest possibilities and diversity to gastronomy in general. Using corn as a starting point, Xchel González seeks to demonstrate in this restaurant that evolution and culinary techniques are not at odds with our roots and past.

His vision and philosophy are clear, as he tells us exclusively for Food & Wine in Spanish: “No dish can be better than its ingredients, and the best ingredients are local. Just as good cooking starts with good ingredients, the best ingredients start with great farmers.”

Therefore, Xchel does a very supportive and honest job of going to local producers in Puebla, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Veracruz, to buy directly from them and enhance their products.

But what truly sets this restaurant apart is the combination of pre-Hispanic and contemporary techniques that Xchel uses to work with these local ingredients. It's no coincidence, then, that it won the San Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility and the title of Latin America's Most Sustainable Dish in 2022-2023.

His techniques are astonishing, using everything from lacto-fermentation, dry cooking, traditional fermentations, dehydration, and braising for more than 12 hours; to clay griddle techniques and nixtamalization.

But their plating is equally astonishing: aesthetically pleasing, clean, and artistic. Each dish is a delight to both the eyes and the palates. Their dishes perfectly reflect the seasons and the unique ecosystems found in Mexico, as well as their pursuit of a unique and highly personal aesthetic.

What to eat in Nuni?

With a small but perfectly curated menu, we highly recommend their seasonal tasting menu. The beauty and depth of flavors, along with the innovative touches, will leave you speechless.

Begin with the “Autumn Salad”: featuring smoked carrots, creamy goat cheese, an orange vinaigrette with árbol chili, toasted almonds, quinoa, black sesame crisp, and garden leaves. Follow with their “Sea and Tropics Ceviche” made with fish cured with refreshing herbs and a spectacular green mango tiger's milk with habanero and mint oil.

Then came his "Chinampa Ecosystem," which is precisely the dish that won him the "Most Sustainable Dish in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022-2023" award. It's a tamale made with strained ayocote bean masa, green seaweed chile-atole, lacto-fermented huitlacoche purée with salt and tequexquite, toasted pumpkin seeds with oregano and lime, quelite stem oil, smoked oil, dehydrated squash blossoms, and a quelite salad. A must-try and amazing!

For the heartier dishes, he continues with his "Oaxacan Delicacy," a smoked picanha with Oaxacan yellow mole, colorful carrot purée (whose perfectly smooth texture is surprising), and crispy onions. He then finishes with his "NUNI Rib-eye" with creamy esquites prepared like risotto and cilantro mayonnaise.

The desserts are a delight too, in particular their "Lacandon Jungle" which is a tribute to the ecosystems of Chiapas: a creamy cocoa with coffee, cardamom ice cream, kiwi gel, powder of southern Mexican herbs (pennyroyal, chaya and hoja santa) and, finally with some crispy mango, banana and cocoa, which Xchel himself paints by hand to simulate the skin of a jaguar, which, on a plate, is pure beauty.

“This is Nuni, an honest space that is my dream materialized. Here we will not only feed you, we will tell you stories through our dishes,” concludes Xchel Gonzalez, as we share an espresso with which we end our journey through this restaurant that, without a doubt, has one of the most innovative proposals in Mexico.

INDICATION

Av 5 Pte 704-B, Historic Town Center, 72000 Heroic Town of Zaragoza, Pue.