LOCATIONAt the intersection of Grote and Morphett Streets, adjacent to Chinatown.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAAvant-garde women with exotic eyes and wild medusa styled hair adorn the walls of J Restaurant. Their long-limbed bodies are draped in soft fabrics and their elegant fingers decorated with dramatic jewellery. They love to be admired. They beckon you in without even raising a hand. Amazing artwork can have such a power. Taking such attention is quite a feat considering these paintings compete against lighting that dazzles with its own artistic beauty. Imported from China and all the rage around such flavoured restaurants, these mammoth chandeliers rotate, change colour, and animate the restaurant. Once diners are lured in at the sight of the interesting décor they encounter the fragrances of the food that entices them to take a take a seat. The delightful young lady who attends the tables is as energetic as the lighting; like an enthusiastic butterfly flitting from table to table.
It is hard not be happy with the complimentary treat of salted, sugared and sea-weeded peanuts. Diners move the moreish morsels mechanically into their mouths while scanning the menu. Wasabi duck feet, beef shin with offal mix, and jelly fish with radish are all entrées with personality. The sausage and spring onion pancake and the salty egg and pork moon cake have texture combinations that delight the palate. Those looking to indulge should choose from the live seafood tanks. Luscious lobsters, crab, abalone and flapping fresh fish await the fate of a nearby scale. Lion’s head in dried tofu intrigues, while birthday noodles sound a dish worth celebrating. J’s is a restaurant with flavours as creative as the décor.
Roz Taylor