Nelly Robinson: native ingredients, storytelling and backing yourself at NEL

More than a decade later, NEL has become one of Sydney’s most recognisable dining experiences. The restaurant has evolved through countless menu concepts, international pop-ups and a style of cooking built around storytelling, memory and surprise. But underneath the creativity and theatre, one thing has become increasingly central to how Nelly cooks: giving native Australian ingredients a stronger voice.

Starting young and backing himself

Nelly’s path into kitchens started early. Raised in Lancashire, he knocked on the back door of Northcote Manor at 14 after being told it was time to get a job. While many of his friends were still at school, he was already learning the realities of professional kitchens and running sections at a young age.

Australia eventually became the next move.

By the time he arrived in Sydney, the restaurant scene was booming. But opening NEL in 2015 came with pressure. There was no established following, no long list of Sydney credentials and very little room for error.

"We opened up on the 13th of February, 2015 with $2 left in my account. If nobody comes down the stairs, we can't pay our bills."

That belief and confidence still feels central to how he approaches the restaurant today.

"I definitely had the Liam Gallagher attitude. Let's go, let's do this. Let's show the world what I can do."

Building a restaurant around memory

NEL has never followed a conventional tasting menu formula. Instead, the restaurant changes menus four or five times a year, with ideas often built around memories, emotions and moments from life.

For Nelly, dishes often begin with simple questions.

"What did Nanna cook me? What did my mum and dad feed me?"

That thinking has become part of the restaurant's identity. Childhood references, sweets, nostalgia and playful ideas are transformed into dishes that carry a story beyond the plate.

"It all comes from memory. I'm taking moments of life memories and turning that into food and creating a story around that."

The result is a restaurant that has built its reputation on more than technical cooking. The aim is to create connection. At times, Nelly says dishes have even brought guests back to memories of family and loved ones.

Why native ingredients matter

As NEL has evolved, native Australian ingredients have become a much bigger part of that identity.

For Nelly, they are not there to tick a box or create an Australian label. They are ingredients that deserve to be part of everyday cooking.

"The thing that annoys me the most is why haven't we got pepper berry or lemon myrtle when it's on our doorstep?"

That thinking now runs through the kitchen regardless of menu theme.

"Five years ago, after learning this, we've used native ingredients on every menu."

At NEL, warrigal greens become taco shells. Pepper berry is paired with pea and ricotta. Lemon myrtle cuts through mayonnaise. Spanner crab and native flavours are folded into dishes because they bring something distinct.

"People are scared of them for some reason. I can't get my head around why people are scared of our own ingredients."

Still hungry after 11 years

More than a decade after opening, NEL looks very different to the restaurant that first launched in 2015.

The menus have evolved. The audience has grown. The restaurant has travelled globally through collaborations and events.

But one thing sounds unchanged.

"We wouldn't be here 11 years later if we weren't evolving."

For Nelly, that means continuing to challenge ideas, stay curious and keep pushing Australian cooking forward. Increasingly, that means making native ingredients feel less like a novelty and more like part of the everyday language of professional kitchens.