Now open in Chatswood – a French brasserie from the team behind an ambitious two-hatter

Chatswood might be rich in delicious food pickings, but it isn’t exactly a hotbed for hatted chefs flexing their repertoire with new cuisines and spin-off restaurant concepts. However, the opening this week of Joie, a French brasserie led by Jung-Su Chang from Korean fine diner Allta in Surry Hills – awarded two hats in the Good Food Guide – is a promising momentum shift for the northern Sydney suburb.

Why hasn’t the top-rated Korean chef in town stuck to his well-trodden culinary lane? “Ninety per cent of food outlets and restaurants in Chatswood are Asian; we think they want something different,” general manager John Kuak said. And French food is Jung-Su Chang’s first professional love.

“I started in a French restaurant in Korea, then worked in San Francisco. I learnt how to make all the French sauces,” Chang said.

That’s not to say he doesn’t bring his own touches to the cuisine; the chef admits he puts a splash of soy in the gastrique sauce, served at Joie with a pork chop.

Shopping centres have proved tricky terrain for hatted chefs, with few venturing there after high-profile casualties such as Justin North’s Becasse, at Westfield in the Sydney CBD. Kuak said Joie wouldn’t fall into the trap of trying to tackle fine dining. It’s an “approachable” brasserie, located on a new luxury level at Chatswood Chase populated by upmarket stores Louis Vuitton and Dior. And Vuza Group, whose stable includes Allta and Joie, has had success with more casual venues such as Butter, the Chippendale bakery and cafe.

The team was also attracted to diners’ progressive attitude to hospitality in Chatswood. Community consultation is currently under way to create a special entertainment precinct around Victoria Avenue and the Chatswood station precinct to develop an “evening economy”.

Chang is enjoying the more relaxed cooking at Joie, compared with the precision craft required at Allta. He’s having fun with an oversized vol-au-vent with a prawn bisque sauce. “I’d never seen a vol-au-vent before I went to San Francisco, I wasn’t sure how I’d eat it.”

Chang said the octopus with a smoked butter sauce had been popular with Joie’s first customers in recent days, and the menu isn’t shy of a little border hopping: there’s a “rolled” lasagne, and potato gnocchi with duck ragu. Chang doesn’t want to feel restricted at Joie, and will trawl far and wide for inspiration. When the temperature drops, he plans to put a classic French onion soup on the menu.

There’s also a nod to his adopted country, with a pavlova at the tail-end of the menu. Chang’s first taste of the Antipodean specialty was at a cafe in Seoul with an Australian chef, and it left a lasting impression. His version is deliberately “burnt” to amplify a caramelised flavour, and served with passionfruit curd and sorbet.

“Joie is about finding joy in the everyday,” Chang said. “Food that is refined, but never intimidating.”

Open 9am-6pm daily

Tenancy 1, 001 Chatswood Chase, 345 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, joiesydney.com.au