Some international cuisines may be a primary or at least a secondary attraction to a destination – France, Italy, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia – don’t you think of the wonderful food you will have if you were to travel to these places? While it is estimated only 26% of people who have never visited associate Australia with good food and wine, for those who have visited, Australia is ranked as number two out of the top 15 gastronomic nations. Australia has a fantastic food scene that is mostly derived from migrant cultures and yet there seems to be few Indigenous restaurants in Australia. Mabu Mabu – The Big Esso- is one restaurant celebrating Indigenous foods with creativity.

I have been looking around for an Indigenous restaurant for a few months now and finding there are not many around. I was in Melbourne for just one day as I had been on a cruise which disembarked there and my flight was not until later in the evening. I found Mabu Mabu – The Big Esso – was opened and thought this would be the perfect day to visit as I could take my time enjoying the food – There was one problem I didn’t think about, as mentioned I had just come off a cruise – do you know how much one eats on a cruise!

We start with a glass of Jim Barry Riesling, a drop that hails from the Clare Valley in South Australia. It is really crisp and smooth. I know we are all mostly Sauvignon Blanc drinkers these days, but I have been returning to Rieslings and Chardonnays recently and enjoying the change.

I really don’t want to answer the question what does crocodile taste like? With the typical answer a cross between chicken and fish but seriously, it does! The texture is firm yet tender and flakes like fish with a milder sweeter flavour than chicken. The pepperberry crumb coating is not overly spicy nor is there a strong oyster flavour in the aioli. Combined they are a hit with me!

I couldn’t stop marvelling over the colour of the emu pâté. I am familiar with pâté having a pink to brown to grey colouring, but this was a greenish-blue, just like the colour of an emu’s neck and head or an emu’s egg. The accompaniments, hibiscus pickle and spiced ero, were interesting flavours. The hibiscus pickle had a light tomato-ish flavour, while the spiced ero a hint of onion.

The wild boar was so tasty and not dry like some shredded roast meats can be. The labneh, with it’s mild sour and salty flavour, made me want to just wrap this up kebab style.

This is where I felt bad. We could seriously not finish the food – and since we were on a flight in a few hours, we couldn’t ask for a takeaway container – I would have loved having the leftovers for dinner!

Do yo think Indigenous food should be more celebrated? Are there any Australian Indigenous restaurants in your region you suggest I should try? Have you tried crocodile, emu or wild boar?