Restaurant Review: Hey Jupiter

On the streets of Saint-Germain, Parisians sip coffee in the early hours before they line up for food truck lunches in nearby parks or drop into the latest gourmet burger shop for a culinary detour from baguettes.

Fresh bread is baked every morning in boulangeries, and patisseries serve ontrend petit choux from shop windows. Later in the day, the small bars, bistros and brasseries open to punters who pour onto the pavement to sit on woven furniture lined up along shopfronts to catch the last of the evening sun while devouring hors d’oeuvres.

On the streets of Adelaide, these trends trickle in, and the city has adopted a series of delicious French bars and eateries. With patisseries, food trucks and gourmet burgers already under our belt, Adelaide no longer hides in the shadow of eastern states, instead finding a unique foodie footprint with a nod to European influences.

Hey Jupiter was always inspired by France, but was never totally French. A regeneration late last year saw the last of the daily sandwich specials replaced with a menu that is as distinctly Parisian as Hey Jupiter’s stunning fit-out and revamped street frontage.

With this in mind, The Adelaide Review decided to check out the new and improved Hey Jupiter.

From a tempting list of French wines (alongside a few South Aussie favourites) we open a bottle of Domaine Pattes Loup Chablis to start. The Chardonnay is almost as impressive as the fit-out of the new and improved Ebenezer Place brasserie.

First off the menu is the tartare de boeuf au couteau, a stunning modern take on a classic beef tartare. A melange of herbs and capers give this meaty dish a zingy edge while a creamy egg yolk cuts through inherent acidity.

Next, a wheel of baked Camembert holds its form until sliced to reveal a rich, gooey centre. Topped with the traditional apple and walnuts, and a dash of calvados apple brandy, this dreamy dish is as French as the crunchy, freshly sliced baguette served instead of utensils.

Moving on from the petits plats section of the menu, we choose les escargots (snails) with Roquefort butter. Six shining shells swim in a pool of melted goodness that also coats the interior of these slightly chewy but utterly delightful morsels. More bread is used to mop up the remaining sauce (and with a world shortage of French butter it would be rude not to).

In France, over-ordering is considered good manners, which is fortunate for us as an entrecote steak that could feed a small French army arrives and is served with a grand pile of pommes frites and lashings of a technically perfect, creamy béarnaise. The dry-aged sirloin is nicely cooked just above rare and has a crisp edge and smoky flavour.

The choice between desserts evokes a little FOMO, and we barely resist the urge to order all four. Passing up on the tarte tatin, profiteroles and sorbet framboise, we’re pleased with our choice of crème brulée. Just like the art of haute cuisine, this is a true classic that never goes out of style.

It doesn’t look like Hey Jupiter will go out of style anytime soon either. It’s a new classic.

Hey Jupiter
11 Ebenezer Place
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 7am to 11pm Friday to Saturday, 7am to 12pm
heyjupiter.com.au

Photography: Sia Duff