I discovered Nornie Bero through an online cooking course I attended in lockdown through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Nornie taught us to make damper with indigenous ingredients in the traditional way of the Torres Strait. (Nornie is originally from Mer Island). Pumpkin; saltbush and pepper berry; and wattleseed damper, wrapped in banana leaves and then foil and cooked in the oven. The damper was amazing, and I was able to take it back to my school to share for a belated Naidoc celebration. Nornie was a lot of fun and her enthusiasm and passion led me to venture into the city to try out her recently opened, second restaurant, Big Esso, in Fed Square.
Big Esso is aqua, pink and neon and boldly decorated with a full wall mural by Aretha Brown, a Gumbaynggirr activist and artist, and artworks by Lisa Waup, a Melbourne-based Gunditjmara and Torres Strait Islander artist.
The atmosphere is reflective of Nornie’s own energy. It is bright and lively and exciting. The staff are super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Part of Nornie’s plan is to have mostly female staff, especially in management roles. There is a strong sense of social justice in every aspect of this business.
Mabu Mabu, which is a Torres Strait saying, meaning “help yourself”, began life as a condiment stall at South Melbourne Market. Nornie then went on to open Mabu Mabu Tuck Shop in Yarraville, a breakfast and lunch place. Big Esso means “the biggest thank you” in Torres Strait slang. The culture of sharing food and building community pervades all of Nornie’s ventures. It is welcoming and inclusive and the energy is contagious.
I am a foodie. Ex-hospo, cooking teacher, flavour addict!! My dinner at Big Esso was one of the most amazing meals I have ever enjoyed. The flavours were wonderfully innovative. Many of the ingredients were delightfully surprising. It was an experience of wonder and awe and complete deliciousness.
We started with a cocktail. It was, like everything else we encountered that night, extraordinary. I had a Green Ant-ini made with Seven Seasons Green Ant Gin and garnished with green ants. My partner in crime had a Davidson’s Plum Gimlet. The entire drinks list is Australian, beer, wine, and spirits, with the exception of a few cocktail ingredients.
The dishes are designed to share, which is excellent, as you can taste a larger variety of amazing food. We shared: Bush tomato, cassava and Warrigal greens croquettes; Saltbush and pepperberry fried crocodile with chilli aioli; Rock baked yam with sea succulent, saltbush chimichurri and pickled karkalla; Blackened purple cabbage with pepperberry, native thyme, native currants and muntrie chutney; Saltbush lamb shoulder with lemon myrtle labne and Warrigal greens; and Charred emu flat fillet with molasses, fried sugar cane and saltbush chimichurri. We also had saltbush damper with golden syrup butter; and lemon aspen and pepperberry fries, on the side.
The emu was the favourite on our table. Succulent and tender, not as gamey as I expected and cooked to perfection. The most intriguing flavour was the sea succulents served with the baked yam. I was expecting the vegetable, which looks very much like native pig-face succulent, to have a salty flavour. It was a veritable explosion of taste, which was unlike anything I can compare it to. It was so interesting and thoroughly complimented the yam in flavour and texture.
Nornie states her mission is to make indigenous ingredients and cuisine more accessible. To build a “village” that makes people feel welcome. The website tells the history of Birrarung (Yarra) being an eel breeding ground and a great source of food including shark, dolphin and stingray. She is passionate about increasing the amount of indigenous produce growing where it belongs. Many of Big Esso’s suppliers are indigenous owned businesses and social enterprises.
The website states, “We are working towards a sustainable and socially driven supply chain. Where possible, we source from First Nations, queer-led, women-led, and environmentally conscious producers who align with our ethos”.
If you have the opportunity to eat at Big Esso, enjoy every mouthful. It will be unlike any previous dining experience.
Open Tuesday-Thursday 11am-10pm and Friday to Sunday 11am-Late
Website: https://www.mabumabu.com.au/
