Renowned chef and restaurateur Jessi Singh is expanding the family yet again, with another Indian restaurant – this time dedicated to mothers and grandmothers.

His empire of restaurants have long taken inspiration from relatives, with Daughter in Law in Melbourne and Byron Bay, Don’t Tell Aunty in Sydney, Horn Please and Babu Ju in St Kilda.

As Singh explains over the phone from a last minute dash to India, Bibi Ji is the affectionate Punjabi term for “Mum’s house” and that’s the energy he intends to bring to his latest venture. With a successful Bibi Ji location already thriving in California, Singh is excited to recreate the magic in Melbourne.

His California-based Bibi Ji restaurant has garnered acclaim for its commitment to Indian flavours inspired and replicated from Singh’s mother and grandmother.

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Bibi Ji Melbourne will shy away from the more eclectic signatures of Singh’s other restaurants, with plans to serve dishes that you won’t find outside of an Indian grandmother’s house, served in traditional terracotta pots and on banana leaves.

“Everyone knows that when you go to someone’s house, it’s the mothers, grandmothers and aunts who are the best cooks. That’s what Bibi Ji is – it’s giving thanks to a mum and then trying to cook the exact same dishes in a restaurant.”

In taking over Lygon St’s Cafe Notturno, which occupied the Carlton space for half a century, Singh is very conscious of honouring not only his Indian history but that of Lygon St and Notturno itself. Carlton’s history as a large Jewish hub in the late 1800s before becoming a gathering spot for Italian and Greek migrants in the 1960s and now as a predominantly South-East Asian community is important for Singh to recognise with Bibi Ji.

“Cafe Notturno was this amazing old-school diner, so we’ve kept the space as a diner to give respect to Notturno. They were part of Carlton’s history for nearly 50 years and we want to recognise that evolution, and the evolution of Lygon St with Bibi Ji.” So what will diner’s be eating?

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“There’s so many amazing new Indian dishes in Australia and America, where ethnic migrant communities thrive. You won’t see a lot of our dishes at those restaurants, really homely style cooking like puri, a fried bread that is served with simple potato curries in the north, and with sweet Indian halva in the south.

It’s one of the most commonly eaten foods in the country but you rarely find it here.”

The key to Singh’s menu is patience, with slow cooked dishes of everything from black chickpeas to earthy goat, made tender after hours in terracotta over coals. A dozen or so accompaniments of chutneys, pickles, curries and rice dishes will arrive at once for a choose- your-own-adventure meal.

Bibi Ji is coming soon to 179 Lygon Street, Carlton.
Check out what’s on offer States side at the Bibi Ji website here. bibijisb.com
Stay in the loop @bibiji_carlton

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