hey jupiter.

Hey Jupiter is a quirky Melbourne-esque cafe hidden away in Ebenezer Place, but by no means a hidden secret.  A friend and I arrived here around 1:30 in the afternoon and it was packed to the outsides.  Walking in you can't help but oooh and aah at the vintage design and be fascinated by the wall of mirrors.  If you enjoy watching yourself as you eat then this is the place to be.

It took us a while to figure out how to read the menu since everything is all mixed up together, but once you look at it properly there is some kind of order.  Some.  I had read so many good reviews of the pork belly sandwich and therefore, as an avid lover of pork belly, could not give this one a miss.  My friend decided on the chicken sandwich.

Roast Pork Sandwich: roast pork belly, celeriac, apples & parsley ($14)

My first bite consisted of a huge piece of pork crackling and bread and that, my friends, is the way you should start any meal.   There were quite a few pieces of pork belly and crackling in the sandwich which made it worthwhile, but they were overshadowed by the masses of greens - for a few bites I had nothing but parsley and celeriac. The apples added a very strange but interesting dynamic.  It was dressed in remoulade - a tartare/mayonnaise combination - and were a little bit soggy.  I didn't even realise they were apples until I looked at the menu again.

Chicken Sandwich: red wine poached chicken, pancetta, mushtrooms, carrots & mayonnaise ($13)

The chicken sandwich looked delicious but my friend commented that it felt like it was missing something, perhaps cheese? She also couldn't taste any red wine flavour and found a piece of chicken which was slightly  raw.  

Pink Grapefruit Soda: $4.50, Mango & Passionfruit Smoothie: $5

 Apparently the coffee here is amazing and I would love to have tried it except coffee gives me headaches, so pass for me.  I ordered the pink grapefruit soda which was refreshing while my friend ordered the mango and passionfruit smoothie.  Beware the ingredients: it's actually 40% apples with banana and oranges mixed in together as well.  

I really wanted to like Hey Jupiter after reading so many good reviews, but I found it pretty ordinary.  The sandwiches were also pretty small for such a steep price - $14 for turkish bread and fillings? Mmm, I don't think so.  It is a very aesthetically pleasing cafe to sit down and have a coffee (tea for me), which I look forward to returning to, but I don't think I'll be coming back for their food anytime soon.