Nelly Robinson

For Nelly Robinson, cooking starts with memory. Not just recent ones, but anything that stays with him “it could be yesterday, or it could have been when I was 3 years of age.” Those moments become the starting point, then slowly turn into dishes.

At NEL in Sydney, the experience is intentionally a bit unexpected. Guests often don’t know what to expect at first, there’s a short moment of confusion, even discomfort. But once the dish is served and revealed, that reaction shifts. He sees it in how people respond pause, taste, then look at each other and realise what they’re experiencing. For him, that’s the point: bringing a memory to life through food.

He does it with a team that shares the same energy young, driven, and clear about what they want to build together.

Beyond the Title

For Nelly Robinson, life outside the titles is fairly simple.  “A dad, a husband, and a lad who loves Blackburn Rovers.”

His days follow a steady rhythm, waking up, getting on with it, and returning to the kitchen with the same intention. 

“I still wake up every day with the drive to push forward and make guests as happy as I possibly can.”

Where It All Started

He didn’t begin with a clear plan. His early days were spent in the UK at Northcote Manor, doing the kind of work that often goes unnoticed. “I started young in the UK, washing dishes and peeling veg.” 

Being surrounded by experienced chefs shaped how he saw the craft early on. “I was lucky to be trained by some of the best chefs at the time, it shaped everything for me.”

What foundational lessons do you still rely on today?

The fundamentals have never really changed they’ve just been reinforced over time.

His approach is built on discipline: a clean kitchen, consistency on every plate, and food served the way it’s meant to be hot, precise, and repeatable. Beyond the technical, there’s a deeper layer of respect towards the produce, the team, and the process itself. Cutting corners isn’t an option, because standards are what hold everything together.

At its core, it comes down to showing up the same way, every day driven, consistent, and grounded in the basics.

“Consistency beats ego every time.”

Building with Standards

Michelin set the foundation shaping a mindset where excellence is expected in every detail. It wasn’t just about discipline or structure, but also about understanding the impact of what happens beyond the kitchen.

“That moment when food creates emotion, that’s what hooked me.”

At 28, after returning from Hong Kong, he realised there was nowhere he truly wanted to work. So he built his own restaurant from scratch, starting small and evolving it over time.

From the beginning, the goal was simple: create an experience people couldn’t replicate at home driven by consistency, detail, and a standard he continues to carry today.

Advice to the Younger Self

Advice is grounded in experience practical, direct, and shaped over time.

Early on, he learned to stay open: read more, listen more, and accept that tough moments in the kitchen are part of the process, not something to take personally. Growth, for him, also meant understanding the importance of being part of a team rather than focusing only on individual progress.

He’s also clear about a shift he sees in younger generations prioritising money too early. In his view, it doesn’t work that way. Skills and experience need to come first; financial rewards follow later.

Looking back, there’s a more personal note he would tell his younger self:

“Back yourself earlier. Take more risks. Don’t worry so much about what others think stay in your lane.”

It’s a balance between patience and self-belief commit to the process, but trust yourself enough to move forward.

In the Weeds

The journey of Nelly Robinson has been shaped by repeated moments of being “in the weeds,” from early confusion in the kitchen to the realities of running his own restaurant.

Starting out, he struggled to understand ingredients, pressure, and responsibility. At 29, opening his restaurant, he admits he was still immature thinking things would simply work. They didn’t.

“Pushing every day just to keep the doors open that grit and drive is something I still carry with me now.”

Now at 40, his perspective is simple: you never stop learning only the challenges evolve.

Dish Introduction - Native Australia

The Native Australia menu is built around ingredients from across the country finger lime, wattleseed, saltbush, kangaroo, Davidson plum, and native herbs.

The approach is straightforward: use what comes from the land, and present it through the NEL style. The dishes are refined, but still grounded in the ingredients themselves.

The Idea & Process

The idea developed over time through travelling and meeting local growers, where it became clear that many native ingredients are still underused. The intention is simple to bring these ingredients into the menu in a way that feels familiar and easy to understand, while still showing what makes them distinct. Their connection to Australia also makes them worth sharing, especially when cooking overseas.

There’s no fixed process when developing the dishes. Some come together quickly, while others take a few versions to get right. Native ingredients can be quite strong, so the focus stays on balance using enough to bring out their character, without letting them take over the dish.

The Ingredients & Sourcing

There isn’t a single ingredient that defines the menu each one plays its part. The focus is on using them properly, with respect to where they come from, and not overworking them.

The ingredients are sourced from small Indigenous growers and local suppliers. Some elements, like leaves and garnishes, are foraged and placed with intention. It’s a subtle detail, but it helps connect each dish back to the landscape it represents.

Lifestyle & Industry - Supporting the Industry

For Nelly Robinson, it’s not about chasing “the best new restaurant” right now, but about supporting the industry as a whole.

“This is one of the toughest periods hospitality has faced, and anyone brave enough to open a restaurant deserves real respect.”

He believes the focus should be on those who continue to show up
“We should be celebrating the ones who are still here and backing each other as much as possible.”