"Nunuka" - Plans of a New Georgian Restaurant Opened in Madrid
It has been a month since the Georgian restaurant "Nunuka" was opened in Madrid, the capital of Spain. The purpose of the new food facility is to familiarize the Spaniards with Georgia and Georgian gastronomy.
Speaking to BM.GE, the author and head of the idea of opening a restaurant in Madrid, Nino Kiltava, says that the bistro-type restaurant with a small menu offers guests quality-oriented traditional Georgian dishes and Georgian wine prepared with proper techniques.
The founder of the restaurant talks about the emergence of the idea of opening a new facility and her goals, noting that when she arrived in Madrid a few years ago, she discovered that the awareness of Georgia and Georgian gastronomy was very low. According to er, after arriving in Spain, at a dinner held by her family, her friends advised her to open a restaurant, and that's when the idea of opening a restaurant appeared. However, the pandemic postponed the implementation of the plans.
"In 2017, I read about David Narimanishvili, a Georgian chef living in Madrid, in a Spanish gastronomic magazine, searched for him, got to know him and shared my desire to open a restaurant with him. I asked David to help me preserve and modernize the authentic taste of Georgian traditional dishes and my Nunuka grandmother's recipes and present them to Spanish customers. Also, my friend Alejandra Anson, a gastronomic consultant, shared the concept and desire to open a Georgian restaurant with her.
After deciding to open a restaurant, I entered the Faculty of Hotel and Restaurant Management and F&B (EAE Business School). After the start of the pandemic, I did not give up and continued to look for different areas. Despite the difficulties, after a lot of searching, I found a small restaurant on the beautiful Madrid street at Сalle Libertad 13 in the Chueca neighborhood,” says Nino Kiltava.
Spanish friends - famous interior designers Las2Mercedes helped design the interior of the restaurant. As for the name of the restaurant, it was inspired by Grandma Nunuka, who lived in Batumi and was an extraordinary cook. Nino Kiltava also shared her business expansion plans with BM.GE.
''Every guest should feel at home in "Nunuka". In "Nunuka", in addition to Georgian dishes, we also offer Georgian wine to our guests, which has received a lot of attention and approval. Soon I will have a Georgian wine cellar in my basement, where we will be able to organize tastings. I think one of the strongest aspects of our country's positioning is Georgian wine and cuisine. It will also be a space for Georgian artists and photographers. Currently, the works of Georgian artist Lika Shkhvatsabaya living in Spain are exhibited in the bistro," says Nino Kiltava at Bm.ge.
The founder of the restaurant notes that the restaurant "Nunuka" with a capacity of 45 guests employs 7 Georgians who offer high-quality service to the guests. According to her, the interest of the Spaniards towards the restaurant, which has been open for 1 month, is great.