Can this fancy new French spot compete in one of the city’s most flavourful suburbs?

Walking down Victoria Avenue in Chatswood is nothing short of torturous when you’re hungry. In the space of five minutes, you’re hit with the sweet smell of frying garlic and sauteed onions; the warmth of toasted cumin; the white-hot tang of Sichuan pepper; the intensity of fresh chilli; the sweet musk of roast duck, and that tantalising cold batter-hits-hot-oil smell of fried chicken. It’s like a sort of culinary synesthesia.

I’m bypassing the intensity of Chatswood Mall today and heading into Chatswood Chase instead to check out Joie from chef Jung-Su Chang (also of Surry Hills modern Korean fine-diner Allta, which currently has two hats in the Good Food Guide). The restaurant is described on the door as “elevated everyday luxury”. It’s a slightly loose term, and I’m not exactly sure how that translates to the restaurant experience as a whole, but maybe it’s got more to do with where it is than what it is.

Given the lack of information boards or signposts anywhere, finding the restaurant is a bit of a voyage of discovery, past a lot of class-A designer goods and expensive watch stores. Anyway, somewhere between Celine and Loewe you’ll find Joie.

It doesn’t look like anyone else has an issue with finding the place – at lunchtime on a Tuesday, there’s only one empty table in the light-filled room of caramels, creams and blushing pinks. There’s an ease, softness and hush to the dining room, giving a bit of a high-end hotel lobby vibe. That vibe ends with the walk to the loos, which are shared with the rest of Chatswood Chase.

We start with a “Joie Nicoise”. Here, that well-loved French salad of boiled potato, tuna, green beans, tomato and olives has been reimagined as slices of bluefin draped over roast cauliflower florets, grilled green beans, leaves and a beautifully soft-boiled egg dressed with bonito-infused aioli. Take the word “Nicoise” out of the mix and it’s a delicious, flavoursome, protein-packed salad full of crunch and brightness.

A finely cut steak tartare features raw wagyu mixed with a sweet, vinegary dressing and a creamy parmesan foam. The combination of the dressing and the foam masks the flavour of the beef more than I’d like, making the result a little flat and gooey, but a generous thicket of fried potato straws on the side provides excellent crunch.

The drinks list, a mix of lunch-friendly wines, some local beers and fun cocktails, is extremely approachable if you know your wine, but could be tricky to navigate if you don’t. There are a few drops on the list I don’t recognise, and the floor team can’t really tell me much about them. It’s pretty much a case of taking a guess and hoping for the best.

Is the gnocchi made in-house? Our waitress isn’t positive, but she thinks so (I asked the chef later, it is). Here, the slightly chewy potato nubs are coated in a surprisingly tough duck ragu. Better luck with the wagyu oyster blade. Deeply rosy slices of beef come garnished with lightly pickled onions and green leaves. Keep in mind the steak arrives completely nude of sides – make sure to order the crisp fries and nicely dressed leaves to make it a meal.

A pavlova, described as “burnt” on the menu, sports more of a gentle singe around the edges than anything. Still, it’s a nice example of the dessert, with passionfruit curd and sorbet to offset the sugary meringue. I’d love to see some dairy on there to balance the sweetness and acidity. The chocolate mousse is the winner for me, served in a ginger-flecked puddle of creme anglaise and a chocolate-sesame crisp.

Joie certainly has a place in the conversation – especially if you’re here on a luxury fashion kick, and don’t want to leave the mall to eat. But personally, that seems like a missed opportunity when there’s a world of exciting food to discover in Chatswood that packs a little more punch.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.