Simon Wilkinson reviews Hey Jupiter

A LITTLE cafe known best for its sandwiches has grown into an all-day brasserie cooking the French classics with aplomb.

Chef Carlos Astudillo at Hey Jupiter

THE French may no longer be self-appointed world champions of all things food but they do have a few runs on the board when it comes to classic dishes that need no alteration or embellishment. A properly prepared steak tartare, for instance, is a thing of rare beauty. Same goes for a creme brulee.

This pair, particularly, comes to mind because I have just eaten memorable renditions of each, not in a high falutin’ joint with a name like Le Bon Vivant but in an entirely loveable laneway hangout that, until recently, was best known for its sandwiches.

If you thought you knew Hey Jupiter in Ebenezer Place, it’s time to take another look. Having bided their time while turning out a few tonnes of the signature pork belly and slaw sangas, owners Christophe Zauner and Jacqui Lodge have leapt at the chance to expand into the next-door premises.

This has allowed them to build a proper kitchen to replace the cramped bench with a sandwich press and electric frying pan where the cooking was originally done.

Just as importantly, they have found a chef in Carlos Astudillo (last seen in this column at Hills winery Bird in Hand) with the skill and shared passion to make this brasserie dream come true.

Creme brulee at Hey Jupiter

We watch him flit in and out of view at the white-tiled servery window with a collection of elaborate, gilt-framed mirrors hanging above. They’ve been here from the start and, while the amenities might have improved, the raffish bon homie of the original Hey Jupiter has been maintained.

Christophe’s natural charm and fruity accent has always been intrinsic to this appeal but tonight he is away. No matter, when waiter Arthur Ferrandez is in the house.

“You must eat the quail,” he whispers as he passes the table. “Don’t let them know I told you.” We watch as he patiently explains the art of flushing snail meat from the shell at another table.

“Les escargots”, steak frites, salade niçoise and the rest of the classic bistro band are all included on a single, large card that jumps around like a startled frog (no, it doesn’t include those legs).

More interest, particularly for those with an interest in offal, can be found among the specials that are scrawled on another mirror.

They include an andouillette (tripe) sausage and the roasted bone marrow with parsley salad (made famous by Fergus Henderson in London) that the well-versed small bar identity sitting alongside us is digging into with glee.

Quail with parsnip pure at Hey Jupiter

My interest in Hey Jupiter has been sparked on an earlier visit for a quick drink. That’s when I encountered the tartare with its hand-cut beef, raw yolk and traditional condiments, all in perfect balance. A house-made terrine was equally good.

This time we look to the specials for a piece of toasted brioche (“It’s fried in butter really,” our man confides), supporting asparagus spears, a poached egg, a wedge of foie gras and chopped hazelnut. A little bit of virtue only makes the vice more desirable.

Crumbed lamb brains are delicately flavoured, creamy and meticulously peeled, but the casing is a little dull and damp. A blob of excellent sauce gribiche helps bring it to life.

The kitchen does the hard work with the trout, frying it whole, before removing butterflied fillets from the bone. Otherwise it is classic almandine: butter, flaked almonds, green beans.

The quail, as promised, is superb, one-and-a-half of the plump little birds deboned, expertly roasted and laid on a substantial splat of parsnip puree. Slices of poached vanilla peach and a jus just thick enough to be licked from the fork (again and again) finish the job.

Steak tartare at Hey Jupiter

Creme brulee is as good as I’ve eaten, a shallow dish ensuring the correct proportions of a silky-textured custard that’s just the right consistency, and a fragile toffee lid with a hint of dark caramel bitterness.

Hey Jupiter is open all day, every day, starting with a breakfast that, once again, includes all the classics. Cassoulet or croque monsieur? Je ne sais pas.

 

 

HEY JUPITER

11 Ebenezer Pl, city; 0416 050 721 heyjupiter.com.au

OWNER Christophe Zauner, Jacqui Lodge
CHEF Carlos Astudillo FOOD French
ENTREES $14.50-$23 MAINS $27.50-$42 DESSERT $15.50 DRINKS Start with pastis,
finish with cognac or calvados. In between is one  of this city’s best list of imported French labels, interspersed with local heroes.

Open for

BREAKFAST Daily

LUNCH Daily DINNER Daily

 7.5 / 10