etch review: Fine dining with MasterChef winner Steven Edwards

Nestled behind the nineteenth century, arched windowed facade of a Grand Old Bank on the last corner of Church Road, 2013 Masterchef Champion Steven Edwards has chosen a name for his first culinary venture in Hove that speaks of longevity and powerful emotion; it tells people that what they will experience in his restaurant will create a deep and lasting mark. It will forge a meaningful memory hard to erase with the passing of time.

It will be etched in the mind. Possibly the heart. It’s just clever.

It’s also theatre. The staging of a good place to eat foreshadows the culinary drama to come.

I step inside on a hot, June afternoon from a busy Church Road and am immediately transported into a place of deep blue calm which is both literally and metaphorically cool.

etch. is in Church Road, Hove and is run by MasterChef winner Steven Edwards

The waiters, be-masked in our Covid-uncertain times, are dressed casually in jeans with jackets. Don’t let the relaxed attire fool you.

They know their trade. Throughout the whole two hours of our six course tasting experience we are attended to - but never intruded upon - by this knowledgeable team of experts.

At no time do they pop up at random moments to ask if everything is OK. They wait, nonchalantly pick up your plate and say, ‘What did you think?’ That’s very different. They are including me in etch.’s story.

We are teased into the main tasting courses by the idea of ‘snacks’ and ‘bread’. Edwards clearly produced the powerpoint on the Art of Understatement. The small crunchy biscuits delicately topped with herbie cream cheese and oval shaped mushroom bites are delicious.

It’s a good start but swiftly eclipsed by the arrival of The Bread. Brioche. Brioche coated in Marmite. Brioche coated in Marmite with seaweed butter. Brioche coated in Marmite with seaweed butter topped with extra crispy seaweed sitting on a bed of piping hot oats. Oh my!

Brioche coated in marmite

To be honest, if the fire alarm had gone off at this particular point of the day and we needed to evacuate, I would have grabbed all the marmite brioches from all of the other plates of all the other guests and run home quite happily thinking all was well in the world.

I’m settled in now, and I’m comfortable. Edwards believes people have emerged from the Covid lockdown era wanting more than ‘normal’ - that they are more willing to make a greater financial investment eating at his restaurant because they feel they deserve it after such a long time staying at home.

I know not all of us can eat at etch. all of the time, but some of us can eat there some of the time. We want to treat ourselves - make braver choices about our dining experiences, plan and look forward to an occasion which we may have budgeted for some while back.

MasterChef winner Steven Edwards

The restaurant fills up gradually on this beautifully hot June afternoon; the music hangs softly on the cooling air; there is gentle chatter and one of the waiters has engaged a party of two in an animated explanation of the origins of a dish.

Then you notice the kitchen, the diligent chefs etching creations right there in front of you, for you, so you can see them. It is so well worth the wait.

We sail effortlessly through the next six courses of brightly coloured creations straight from the artist’s palette. Bright green, aerated broccoli with thinly scalloped pastry baskets filled with creamy pevensey blue cheese.

Bright white turbot with sculptured pieces of pale green lettuce, followed by a version of dippy eggs - very yellow duck egg yolks cooked for two hours in a water bath with nuggets of bread for dipping. Pink lobster ravioli with green crushed peas adorned by pieces of fragile finery.

Then, the highlight for me, a perfectly tenderized lamb cutlet resting on a dark brown jus, with an artichoke set at right angles and charred at perfectly measured intervals.

The lamb dish served at etch.

The geometrical design is finished by balancing the lamb and the artichoke on compass drawn double circles of basil oil - circles that remind you, in case you have forgotten, or have missed the double rings around the lights and circular adornings surrounding you, of the Masterchef logo.

Winning Masterchef was Edwards’ Big Break. And it should be.

The weeks of stress and outperforming your opponents requires tenacity, belief in what you do and a vision of what to do next. To evolve.

Recently acquiring the premises next door, Edwards lights up like a Catherine Wheel as he starts to spark off ideas of what he will do there -knocking down this, knocking down that.

‘It’ll be different,’ he taunts, ‘very different…’ Of that, I have no doubt.

There is also no doubt that as soon as the booking opens for this ‘very different’ restaurant, nestled behind the nineteenth century, arch windowed facade of an extended Grand Old Bank on the last corner of Church Road, I’m going to do just that.

Not difficult to see why.

I’ve been etched. With a dot.