French bistro Baptiste launches this November at The Eve Hotel in Redfern
The Apollo Group has confirmed more details on its second new opening at The Eve Hotel in Redfern.
“The food is simple on purpose, a chicken off the rôtisserie, a baguette, a plate of chips, a glass of wine at four in the afternoon. It’s the kind of place we wanted in the neighbourhood, so we built it.”
Baptiste is taking over the former location of Bar Julius on the ground floor, with the 80-seater set to operate seven days a week from 7am until late once it opens in November.
“We didn’t want to open a restaurant that read as brand new, but a bistro that felt like it had been on the corner for years,” says owner-operator Jonathan Barthelmess. “The food is simple on purpose, a chicken off the rôtisserie, a baguette, a plate of chips, a glass of wine at four in the afternoon. It’s the kind of place we wanted in the neighbourhood, so we built it.”
Baptiste will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as drinks and snacks throughout the day. It will host not one, but two happy hours from 4-5pm and another later on at 10-11pm to cater to late-night drop-ins and hotel guests.
Barthelmess has collaborated with Head Chef Luke Papalia on the menu, who will move across from sibling venue Olympus. The restaurant will have a dedicated oyster station at the bar, with launch dishes including fresh goat’s cheese with chive oil and herbs, onion and olive tart, and a rotating offal dish.
The rotisserie chicken is set to become a signature dish, which will be served with butcher’s cut steak frites, but the poached marron with pommes allumettes is sure to be equally as popular. There will be classic salad options like Nicoise and Caesar as well as iconic desserts like profiteroles, creme caramel and a rum baba.
On the beverage front, diners can expect a combination of classic wines as well as drops from newer producers from France and Australia. There will be a daily by-the-glass list curated by Sam Christie plus a cocktail offering put together by Matt Whiley.
Baptise will launch in November, as will rooftop restaurant Tenjo. Official opening dates for both restaurants will be announced shortly.
