ette — a small corner of Melbourne serving Peranakan-inspired food
ette — suffix.
/ɛt/ small or diminutive.
Peranakan, straits-born.
The intermarriage of Chinese traders with local Southeast Asian communities, creating a distinct hybrid culture. Expressed most vividly through cuisine, where Chinese ingredients and technique meet Malay and Indonesian rempah, herbs, and spices, yielding dishes rich enough for a celebration.
The Table
ette is an intimate corner of Melbourne serving Peranakan-inspired food. A menu drawn from the heritage I grew up eating, shaped by what it means to cook and live here now.
Growing up in Singapore, the dining table was where the family gathered — where culture was handed down without anyone ever calling it that.
ette is my way of keeping a piece of that table here. To continue the soul of the Peranakan home even when the setting looks nothing like the one I grew up in.
Each dish is built from scratch, the rempahs, sambals, and oils . Keeping the base recipes as true to the culture as I can, while shifting some elements. Inspired by Mama and Dad, by the countless family dinners growing up, and by everything I’ve learnt along the way.
Book the table for your own group of six, or reserve a single seat alongside others.
All seated around the same dishes, served mixed single and communal-style.
David Tan
I grew up eating my grandmother’s food and she'd say “nothing fancy... just simple food. But it was the kind of cooking that carried a whole culture inside it. I’m not a chef by trade; I came to food through chemistry, science experiments, French technique, and a stubbornly curious mind.
A MasterChef alum, I’ve staged and cooked across a few kitchens and bakeries in Australia while hosting a handful of pop-ups along the way.
Chemistry → French technique → Peranakan heritage → Melbourne
The Flavour of the Straits
Acar
A crunchy mixed vegetable pickle that features a complex blend of sweet, sour, spicy and nutty flavours. Adapted from Indian achar pickling traditions, it cuts through rich and heavy curries and braises.
Babi Pongteh
A slow braise of pork and shiitake in fermented soybean paste, shallots and palm sugar. It's savoury, sweet, and deeply comforting dish that was shaped by intermarriage, traditionally cooked a day ahead for weddings and family gatherings so the flavour has time to settle.
Buah Keluak
A black Southeast Asian nut, earthy and almost truffle-like, cooked into a dark tamarind gravy with chicken or pork ribs. Its traditional process requires a full day soak and ash fermentation for 40 days
Kuah Lada
A tart, peppery fish and eggplant gravy built on turmeric, white pepper and tamarind rather than coconut milk. A Melaka Nyonya specialty traditionally made with stingray or mackerel.
Rempah
Simply meaning "spice", a pounded mix of chilli, shallots, garlic and aromatics that forms the base of Peranakan cooking. Frying till "pecah minyak" or till the oil splits, is a crucial step to ensure the spices and aromatics have developed their flavour to their full potential.
Sambal Belacan
A pungent, fiery condiment of pounded chilli, fermented shrimp paste and lime, sharp and savoury rather than sweet. It's an everyday table staple, spooned alongside rice or grilled dishes in nearly every Peranakan and Malay household to add heat and cut through richness.
Upcoming Services
Reservations open one month in advance.