Chef Laif plans a big chicken treat

Ben and Simon Tilley's New Windsor Hotel redevelopment (at the corner of Park and Castlereagh streets) has nabbed Laif Etournaud as its head chef.

Etournaud is in charge of the new 100-plus-seat restaurant at the renamed The Windsor on Park. A chef with excellent pedigree, the Berowra Waters Inn alumnus has drifted between consultancy gigs and a stint as a butcher since selling Onde restaurant a couple of years ago.

''The food is my style, and I also want to offer shared dishes [including] a big chicken with a serving of potato gratin,'' he says.

''We also started doing bar food like mussels and chips, and make our own pies.''