Charred octopus at Big Esso.
1/8Charred octopus at Big Esso.Supplied
Inside Big Esso.
2/8Inside Big Esso.Jesse Hisco
Kangaroo snack pack.
3/8Kangaroo snack pack.Supplied
Chocolate wattleseed pavlova.
4/8Chocolate wattleseed pavlova.Chris Hopkins
Kangaroo tartare with smoked oyster aioli.
5/8Kangaroo tartare with smoked oyster aioli.Chris Hopkins
 Wattleseed crumbed poussin.
6/8 Wattleseed crumbed poussin.Chris Hopkins
Share plates.
7/8Share plates.Jesse Hisco
A light-filled space.
8/8A light-filled space.Chris Hopkins

Critics'Pick

Australian$$

If James Bond came to Melbourne he’d likely take his martini shaken,not stirred – and with a sprinkling of green ants. Dry,herbaceous and with sharp notes of lime,the Green Ant-Tini is a scene-setter for the punchy flavours in store.

Buttery crumpets with wattleseed Vegemite are a tongue-in-cheek nod to Australia’s more recent past,but with a delicious Indigenous twist. Rare emu steaks – tasting more herd than bird – are sprinkled with toasted macadamias and juicy charred samphire to show off millennia of food knowledge.

A lamington switches raspberry jam for sour Davidson plum preserve,but loses none of the original’s sticky-fingered joy. The lively canteen-like space is full of blond wood,neon signs and sounds trickling in from Fed Square.

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Stop by the deli display packed with spice mixes,teas and hot sauces to take a piece of this truly unique restaurant home.

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Melbourne CBD
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