Meatless Monday, all week

Claim to fame: A star chef approaches contemporary Mexican cuisine without the use of animal proteins

Reason to go: Simplicity. Dishes made of three ingredients. That’s it.

To look out for: The dynamic tasting menu, paired with wines or a selection of homemade juices and infusions.

At first, Sud 777 looked like a cool party spot on the southern fringes of the city. And maybe it was, situated in a sleek house with a rambling floor plan and an indoor-outdoor feel, it encouraged merriment. But along came Chef Edgar Núñez who took control of the enterprise and steered it in a completely different direction. Suddenly, the food improved vastly and Sud obtained massive recognition, even as its location stretched the city’s dining boundaries, focusing some attention outside the old, familiar restaurant scene. 

Eyeing his peers, Chefs Daniel Ovadía, Enrique Olvera, and Mikel Alonso, Núñez also started experimenting with vegetable-based cuisine, planting his own orchards and streamlining, simplifying the entire dining experience, taking utmost care of the produce and defying preconceived notions of what eating out should be. It helped that Núñez inherited his mother’s passion for vegetables. 

Swiftly, tomatoes received leading roles, while their sprightly juice replaced heavy broths and reductions. Dishes became lighter and brighter with more solid vegetable flavors and firmer yet more pronounced textures. And though Núñez changes the menu monthly, his creations follow a pattern, incorporating a mere three ingredients of the highest quality: mamey, basil, and tomato consommé; smoked avocado, coconut, and a coffee cracker; cep ganache, mascarpone, and morels. For Chef Núñez, it’s all about what you see and taste, there’s nothing hiding, no smoke and mirrors, just pure, stunningly plated ingredients getting along with, and coaxing the best out of each other. 

Wait until the dessert comes along. It’s mind-blowing. Let’s just leave it at that.