Livi was only open for a few weeks before the Northern Rivers was devastated by floods in February. The new fit-out, with its lovely green leather banquette and spiffy kitchen within the classic art deco building in Murwillumbah’s art precinct, was inundated with flood water.
“When the floods came, there was a bit of disbelief. We were naively thinking, ‘She’ll be right’, and doing a bit of sandbagging. But nothing did anything to stop the water,” says owner-chef Ewen Crawford. “We didn’t have any other choice than to push on. There are so many who are so much worse off. Our only thought was [to] get open as soon as possible so we can get back to normal.”
It took Livi five weeks to get back up and running, and Crawford – who spent more than a decade at Melbourne’s Movida, where he was head chef – and the other co-owners, twin sisters Nikky and Danni Wilson, have smoothly switched gears from damage control to running an outstanding bistro that’s already popular with locals. Murwillumbah has about 8000 residents and is in far north NSW, inland from Kingscliff and not too far from the Queensland border.
Crawford spent more than a decade at Melbourne’s Movida, where he became head chef. He’s in the kitchen with Danni, who used to be a chef at another top Melbourne establishment, Carlton Wine Room. In Melbourne Nikky managed Movida; here she looks after front-of-house for the 36-seater, as well as the wine and drinks list.
Crawford rattles off the names of local markets and farms where they regularly source produce: New Brighton, Mullumbimby, Mooloolaba, Boon Luck Farm. “We’re using a beautiful fisherman out at Coffs Harbour, and the rest of our seafood we get from Ballina, which is really nice,” he says.
Crawford and Danni have a less-is-more approach to cooking. “We like to do an ingredient on a plate with a simple sauce – fish with Meyer lemon dressing, or a pork chop with some local shiitake mushrooms. It’s uncomplicated food. We’re trying to get the best ingredient we can and do as little as possible to it.”
The result of that simplicity is exquisite. Fraser Island spanner crab is gently poached in house-made curry butter and served with spelt bread. Buttery, tender bonito is seared so the skin is crisp, and finished with chardonnay vinegar and olive oil. For a snack, or as an accompaniment to a glass of wine from the concise list of small producers from Europe and Australia, Crawford suggests jamon with anchovies. “It’s a ritual we carried on from Movida and it’s a great way to start a meal.”
They’ve also restored the restaurant back to its former glory: intimate white marble and dark timber tables in a modern, minimal room with textural plastered walls, and herringbone tile floors. “We’re in a double-brick art deco building that can survive anything. We took the sheeting off the walls, replaced the gyprock, got dryers and dehumidifiers running for a month. Now it looks much the same as before.”
Although there’s an obvious change of pace between Melbourne and Murwillumbah, Crawford doesn’t feel much like they’ve slowed down. Most nights it’s just him and Wilson in the kitchen churning out food, alongside Nikky and a kitchenhand. It’s a lot, but he says they have fun. “Sometimes it gets a bit rock and roll, but most nights it works out.”
Bistro Livi
1A 1–3 Brisbane Street, Murwillumbah, NSW
Hours:
Wed to Fri 5:30pm–11:30pm
Sat 12pm–1:30pm
bistrolivi.com
17 Jul 2023
13 Jul 2023
11 Jul 2023
30 Jun 2023