Just Pure Bistro, JPB

Upfront: we were there from a certain coupon site.
Coupon menus, like lunch sets, are there to allow diners to sample the cuisine without blowing the full amount required, in theory. Based on what we ate, we won’t be back, even if it was cheap; the restaurant overpromises and often falls short.
I was quite excited for two reasons: first, the location: not only was it a potentially perfect candidate for lower CBD lunch meetings, it was at Swissotel, a brand with which I have an excellent history in Singapore and elsewhere; second, the right signs were there, from the hipster crystal block holding the 4 salts to the «honey from the hotel’s own bees» and of course the «Locally sourced» everywhere from the logo to all the menus.
The first negative sign was that the bread was considered a course, hence, «5» courses where the first one is a bread roll. The roll itself was pretty bad; floury, slightly undercooked, and without much crust or chewiness. This was acceptable in the 2000s in hotel buffets, but today, Sydney is experiencing a bread craze, and even Google’s canteen has 4 different types of sourdough. There’s enough decent bakers (e.g. Grumpy) in a 2 km radius for this restaurant to be able to pick up what they can’t make. It’s especially disappointing when the bread has been made into a full course (and no other bread ever turns up).
The second course was seafood chowder. Here again, we had high hopes thanks to the «seafood» (which implies something other than just clams and potatoes), the fact we’re in Sydney where seafood is fantastic, and the «locally sourced» on the menu. As far as I’m concerned, I could not tell the difference between this chowder and the tinned, Campbell’s kind; perhaps less preservative, but this could be placebo. Small prawns the like of which come in 2kg packets for very small amounts, little chunks of overcooked white fish of sorts, and «cream of X» base. It was served in a cup which is usually seen in 2−3* hotel buffets, for the cereals, which compounded the idea of cheap. I don’t mind Campbell’s but I don’t go seek it in a Swissotel restaurant.
The third course was halloumi, although for a small upgrade we could get the «last minute smoked» salmon, so we got both. The halloumi was basically pub food — a bunch of rocket in vinaigrette, some halloumi pieces grilled and sliced, and some cucumber and carrot slices. The salmon was a bit better, although I had trouble detecting the smoke.
Mains were an improvement. The 12 hour cooked ribs were your standard slow cooked beef dish, melting under the fork and tasting of protein, fat and beef. It was too heavy for the ladies in the group. The onion on the side was undercooked. Again pub food — the British will know the chain Wetherspoons, this is what this reminded me of.
The Byron Bay scallops were, by virtue of being Byron Bay and «locally sourced» and +5 dollars, very enticing. They were sweet and cooked with appropriate flavour, but also quite small! Even with 8 scallops on the plate, this was not a main… the pile of leaves on top did not change that.
Desserts were a considerable improvement, with the triple chocolate cake a mass of truffle-​like richness and the banana cheesecake good enough that I finished another guest’s as well after she declared defeat (due to the beef).
The 2013 McWilliam cabernet was exactly what I expected from a $ 10 Australian red: fruity, very sweet, relatively easy to drink but without much interest. Not complaining, as getting a half bottle each for free is a good deal.
It wasn’t a bad meal per se, but it was a pub meal sold as premium, locally sourced, high standards fine dining, and it fell short of that. The location is great, the service is good, the wine was acceptable, but this felt more like squeezing profit out of the [insert cute prefix]pon demographic than a taster designed to bring repeat visits, which in this case, it won’t.

The restaurant is surprisingly good for one in a boutique hotel. Décor was luxurious, dim and quiet. Seating was comfortable and tables were spread apart.
Service was polite and attentive.
Had dinner with friends here. Food tasted good and presentation was nice but the negative is that the meal was not that memorable — the menu had standard modern Australian dishes and although the food was good, there wasn’t a memorable or outstanding dish.

My review pertains only to the breakfast buffet spread for this restaurant, and I should add that I got the discount that is given to hotel guests ($ 25 instead of the regular $ 32, I believe). This is especially welcome on a Sunday morning when many of the good breakfast places in Sydney appear to be closed.
This buffet was comparable to the spreads that I’ve had in luxury resorts in Kauai. Not only was the food varied and plentiful but I loves the small touches like piece of honeycomb from the bees that are kept on the roof (the honey is delicious) and the special area for kids on a low shelf (see photos). They had lovely yogurt fruit «shooters», terrific pastries, pancakes made to order,
It is also rare to have cappuccino’s included for free with a breakfast buffet, but this they did (although I’ve had better caps, I admit).
The room is sunny, warm, modern, and altogether inviting during the daytime. It was a great way to spend a cold morning.

The Swissotel is a hidden gem in Sydney. In fact, it’s possible to walk right by this luxury boutique hotel, without noticing what lies above. You see the street entrance to the Swissotel is rather small and it’s not until you take the lift to the 8^th floor that its true beauty is revealed.
Hot off the press: the Swissotel’s signature restaurant, Just Pure Bistro, or JPB, has a brand new chef. Stephan Tseng has taken over as Executive Chef and brought with him a new concept, with a focus on local, seasonal produce and a ‘straight from the farm to the hotel’ approach.
We were invited in to check out the new JPB for ourselves.
Ms S and I arrive on a Friday evening and are escorted to our cosy corner table. We begin to relax as we listen to the live tunes coming from neighbouring Crossroads Bar.
Whilst the restaurant fit out is modern, it retains a warmth, with dark rich woods and neutral tones creating an understated elegance.
The menu is well priced and with entrees at $ 15 and mains at just $ 25, it won’t break the bank. There is strong focus on organic, locally grown ingredients.
After perusing the menu, we decide to order:
* Dutton park duck leg confit — curried red delicious apples, target beetroots, celeriac purée and hazelnut
* Grilled scampi — pernod sauce, fennel and orange salad, salsa verde
* Regale Provencale — tomatoes, zuccini and basil
* White Pyrenees lamb rack — minted peas, ratouille and confit of tomatos
* Grainge scotch fillet — asparagus, beetroots, potato chips and bernaise sauce
* Selection of NSW organic cheeses — house baked lavosh, Swissotel Sydney’s own organic honeycomb and quince paste
The food is lovely, the setting inviting and the service attentive. We enjoy our evening at JPB. I can’t help thinking JPB is a great pre-​theatre or after work dinner option. One to keep in mind!

Came here when the restaurant had a Swiss Fondue Chinoise promotion. Basically, the fondue chinoise is a swiss buffet. There is quite a good spread on the buffet table with salad bar, selection of cheese, meat, desserts, chocolates, etc. The fun part was when we cooked everything on our table by poaching our food in the sauces that are in the pot. Staff was friendly and attentive. Good wine selection.