True Local

A new chef is turning East Brunswick bistro Etta into a package deal, writes MICHAEL HARDEN.

- Michael Harden

If the snacks are anything to go by, Etta has a firm grip on the concepts behind a neighbourhood local. Little cubes of pommes Anna made with Dutch cream potatoes are fried to crisp at the edges and served with a fermented black-garlic caramel and a flurry of finely grated parmesan. An oblong of Etta’s house-made sourdough that’s been soaked in fermented tomato juice is fried, then crowned with gorgeous flakes of cured hapuku smoked with applewood.

“Fried and salty” is in play, as is “good with drinks”, and they leave you wanting more. Good qualities for a snack in any location. But it’s the fermenting, curing and smoking that underline chef Charley Snadden-Wilson’s understanding of the specific neighbourhood demographic. East Brunswick is a village that attracts a food-savvy clientele au fait with trends, and Etta knows how to give the people what they want.