Posh burgers are everywhere these days, but when your burger bun is bright green, something tells you the game has been upped a level or two. Hardly surprising really, as the burgers at Nimu, a restaurant that opened last night in Madrid’s is-it-really-trendy-or-still-just-grotty Triball neighbourhood, have been dreamt up by chefs Rodrigo de la Calle of and Juanjo Lopez, neither of whom has ever been short of innovative ideas.
Along with Santiago Orts, Rodrigo de la Calle is pioneering the gastrobotanica concept, so I was expecting to see more vegetables here than on a usual burger menu.
The veggie burger was made with red and green peppers, courgettes and onions and was by far the tastiest I’ve ever tried, particularly when dipped in the romesco sauce. That vivid green came from adding thyme to the dough, in case you were wondering, and although it made the bun look a bit like a scourer, it did give a wonderful flavour and smell.
There are of course more conventional burgers too. The Galician beef one comes in a black beer bun and the Wagyu beef in Galician bread. There is also a delicious Iberico pork burger in a green olive bun, and a Martiko duck version in a red currant bun.
And then the cod and prawn burger arrived. In a black bun. Flavoured with squid. Sounds gross, I know, but it was fabulous. My favourite.
They also do a tofu with aubergine version, chicken with curry spices, and an anchovy, red pepper and fresh cheese concoction, that I’ll try on my next visit.
Neither of the chefs is actually going to be cooking at Nimu, as they’re both busy with their own restaurants, so it’ll be interesting to see how the standard holds up when mere mortals are in the kitchen. There’s only one way to find out….
Nimu is at Calle Desengano 18 (91 522 4308).
Mooching around Spain 
I was following this last night on Twitter and also thought the cod & prawn burger would be my favourite, but the presa & secreto one also sounded amazing.
Soooooooooooo envious you were there!
As ever, your gastroradar is well tuned! Those two were the strongest I think. Of course the Wagyu and Galician beef were top quality, but those two were really unusual, both in appearance and taste.
Is hard to tell which one is my favourite, I have been there a couple of times and they keep surprising me, I have to say that the Iberico burger is really something special.
Please also don’t miss the chance of trying probably one of the only places in Madrid were you can find a real high quality T-Bone steak, this type of cut is just perfect because it gives you the best taste of two cuts, lets not forget the tender solomillo with that unique and delicious taste that is only given by the way of cooking it in a real charcoal oven, this you also rarely find in Madrid.
Hi Manuela! I’m planning to be a regular customer and slowly work my way through the menu…
Hi Annie, I came across your page after reading your interview on Will’s Spanish Adventure.
I couldn’t help but smile at your appropriate description of Triball! Earlier this spring the barrio had a concurso de tapas and after checking out the selections I was left with the same impression. Thanks for sharing about Nimu; I’d never heard of it but it certainly sounds like something worth checking out.
Thanks Cassandra.I’m keeping an eye on creeping gentrification in Triball…. it’ll take a bit more than a handful of halfhearted boutiques,but you never know.