Rosheen Kaul with Etta owner Hannah Green.Simon SchluterGreenopened Etta in 2017 and the restaurantearned a hat in 2019,but it soared tonew heights with Kaul helming the kitchen. She put her Chinese,Singaporean,Filipino and Kashmiri heritage on the plate to createa quintessential Melbourne dining experience.
“We kicked goals that restaurants and chefs would only dream of,” Kaul says. “We have our[chefs’] hats. We made the[World’s] 50 Best Discovery list. Some of my culinary idols have come in to dine.”
Her meteoric rise in the industry brought with it acookbook,recipe columns and regular appearances,on top of her head chef responsibilities. Something had to give.
Kaul has left her gig as head chef at Etta Dining.Eddie Jim“At the end of the day,I’m a human and I only have so much capacity. I poured my heart and soul into Etta and left very little for myself. In my hands,I don’t think it could go any further.”
While Kaul takes a break from the stresses of service to finish her second cookbook – “all about delicious sauces”,she says – and figure out what’s next,the Etta team will continue to serve her menu until new head chef Lorcan Kan takes the reins in July.
Etta restaurant’s new head chef Lorcan Kan with owner Hannah Green.Kristoffer PaulsenKan and Green are old friends who met working at Attica in the early 2010s as senior chef de partie and assistant manager,respectively. Kan,born in Ireland and raised in Australia with Chinese-Malaysian heritage,has staged and worked in kitchens across Asia,the United States and the UK – most notably at Manchester’s Where the Light Gets In,which has a Michelin “green star” for sustainable gastronomy. Since returning to Melbourne,he’s hosted regular pop-ups under theThings Palace moniker.
His plans for Etta include sustainability-first practices like whole-animal butchery,dishes that explore the crossing of cultures,and a tongue-numbing chilli-oil parfait.
“It’s a huge thing but I’m really excited,” Kan says of the role. “Rosheen’s left an amazing mark on Etta. I have the utmost respect for her contribution ... I want to build on that.”
Abalone and lardo skewers,one of Kaul’s signatures.Chloe DannFor Kaul and Green,it’s a bittersweet end a few months in the making,but they insist there’s no bad blood.
“The last three-and-a-half years with Rosheen have been mind-blowing,” says Green. “She really helped me find my voice in doing what I do.”
“Etta has such a strong identity without me,” Kaul adds. “Its heart is Hannah Green.”
Kan will serve his first menu on July 2.
60 Lygon Street,Brunswick East,ettadining.com.au