Mary Akindele couldn’t find anywhere in Melbourne that does Nigerian food quite like the way she does it, so she decided to open her own day to night diner on the Collingwood corner formerly operated by Old Raffles site, resetting the spot with warm tones, green tiling and plenty of timber finishings.
By day, the menu brings big, bold and lesser-known Nigerian flavours to breakfast and brunch classics: folded eggs come loaded with a spicy and stewy ayamase sauce, the chicken sandwich introduces the peppery flavours of ata dindin to the city, while the sides section ditches the likes of mushrooms, hashies, and salmon, and instead brings chunky fried plantain chips and naija beans into the fold. Akindele’s smoky, spicy take on jollof rice – inspired by the way it’s made in Ekiti, Nigeria – makes an appearance for those wanting to dive into something more traditional.
“There’s nothing that I felt represented a place that I would like to go,” says Akindele. “So I came up with a concept of Mary’s – Nigerian inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner. And so it’s taking a lot of elements of the food I ate in Nigeria and introducing an Australian twist in terms of brunch.”
And by night? Jollof joins the party once again alongside Nigerian street food classics. Beef suya comes charred, nutty and smoky thanks to the peanut spice rub, and the seafood egusi brings plenty of prawns and barramundi together in one hearty bowl of melon seed stew and rice.
And there’s several spins on the snack plate, too. Like many of your favourite Collingwood haunts, Mary’s serves up one heck of an anchovy toast… except this one is deployed from the kitchen with suya-spiced ricotta. And the hummus? It’s kind of like the hummus you know except it’s complemented with black beans and spiced up with Mary’s homemade ayamase.
While the food plays a big part, for Akindele, the concept behind Mary’s runs deeper than the delicious Nigerian delights you see on the plate in front of you. Here, it’s just as much about community and inclusion. “Nigerians, we have a really really warm hospitality no matter who you are. No matter where you’re from,” says Akindele. “We’re so warm in terms of welcoming people and it’s just inspired me.”
Mary’s, 68/70 Johnston St, Collingwood, open 7.30am–2.30pm Thurs, 7.30am–2.30pm and and 5.30pm–9.30pm Fri–Sat, 7.30am–2.30pm Sun, marys.au, @maryscollingwood