Sydney’s Saint Peter’s Young Chef And Owner Josh Niland Delightfully Reimagines Every Part Of The Fish For Guests
by Heather Cassell
I love fish. But I haven’t been this excited about fish since I don’t know when. Why am I excited? Recently, I was introduced to one of Sydney’s most innovative restaurants: Saint Peter.
Forget America’s rediscovery of using the whole vegetable with the “whole root movement,” Saint Peter’s hot young chef and co-owner Josh Niland puts American’s new “ah ha” food trend moment to embarrassing shame. Josh’s incredible creations are delicious and beautiful as he spectacularly wastes nothing from the fish and he redefines leftovers (in a professional way of course) for his daily creations that make up the daily menu at St. Peter.
The day I dined at his intimate restaurant in the trendy Paddington suburb of Sydney, Saint Peter’s menu featured delights such as Raw Diced Tin Can Bay Ruby Snapper, Sour Onion and Cucumber Cone; Raw Swansea Bonito, Burnt Tomato, Rosemary and Egg Yolk; Eden John Dory Curry, Warrigal Greens, Peas and Native Mint; Batter Fried Bermagui Pink Ling, Chips and Condiments; and more on the small and interesting menu.
My dining companion Kristine Greaves and I started our meal with the Wonboyn Rock and the Four-Year-Old Tathra Rock oysters.
Kristine was from Destination New South Wales, which sponsored my trip to Sydney along with Qantas, for the 40th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebration earlier this year.
I started my meal sipping Cumbrian Wolf by Jilly ‘Nebbiolo’ 2017. The light red wine was full of life with its fruit hitting my pallet just right in a sophisticated silky-smooth delight to my taste buds. It paired well with many of the fish dishes we ate.
The Wonboyn won a south gold medal and the Tathra was the 2018 champion winning a gold medal, we were informed. Award-winning, we believed it. We couldn’t have asked for more perfectly shucked oysters that were creamy and fresh bursting with flavor.
The oysters were just the beginning.
The next dish was the beautiful diced raw Tin Can Bay Ruby Snapper served in a crunchy bread cone created from the leftover bread the day before. It was topped off with the snapper eggs and flavored with sour onion. The crunch of the bread provided a nice backdrop to the fresh fish and the popping of the eggs in our mouths creating a refreshing, clean, delicious world in my mouth.
The most interesting dish that we enjoyed was the Flinders Island line caught calamari with Enoki mushrooms and ink sauce. The dish was topped off with a thin crisp made from shaved fishbones. I mixed the dish covering the calamari in the ink sauce breaking up the crisp into the sauce and squid. The crisp disappeared melting into the sauce and tentacles that were firm and meaty, but not too chewy.
Time and time again my taste buds and eyes were filled with excitement as the food became more interesting with standout flavors with each bite each with every dish that came to our table.
I could go on and on about each dish, but honestly, there wasn’t anything that we ordered that I wouldn’t order again. From the look of guests dining at other tables, I was in harmony with my fellow diners.
Diners love his creations so much, Josh opened a first-of-its-kind Fish Butchery with Julie Niland, his life and business partner, April 21.
I only hope Josh brings his exciting perspective of seafood and his kitchen skills to America soon. If not, the next time I’m in Sydney, Saint Peter is one of the first reservation’s I’ll make.
Speaking of reservations, they are necessary for this popular restaurant as tables are limited.
THE DIRTY DISH
Saint Peter, 362 Oxford Street, Paddington, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. 02-8937-2530. . saintpeter.com.au.
Fish Butchery, 388 Oxford Street, Paddington, New South Wales, 2021, Sydney, Australia. +61 2 8068 0312. . fishbutchery.com.au.
TYPE OF RESTAURANT: Locally-owned, Seafood Restaurant
RATING: [0 – 5 – color code: 5 = midnight blue
(0 inedible – 5 simply scrumptious)
AMBIANCE: Intimate atmosphere perfect for business lunch or dinner or meeting up with friends or a date. Offers brunch options. Food is prepared in an open kitchen where diners can watch the Chef Josh and his fellow fishmongers craft his spectacular creations.
SCENE: Lively with every walk of life enjoying the fresh fish paired with good wine and cocktails.
SERVICE: From the moment you walk through the door they have a pulse on what your needs are before you notice you need anything. The service is high touch with its attentiveness only enhancing the atmosphere of the restaurant.
NOISE LEVEL: It can get noisy with the number of conversations going on at each table, but not to the point that you are distracted from your own conversation with your dining partner.
RECOMMENDED DISHES: Do I have to choose? All of them. The oysters … no, no, wait … the diced raw Tin Can Bay Ruby Snapper served in a crunchy bread cone … wait … everything on the menu. You can’t go wrong.
SIP: The wine selection was top notch. My Cumbrian Wolf by Jilly ‘Nebbiolo’ 2017 went with each dish I enjoyed.
CHECK, PLEASE: $$$$ = Over $60 (price of dinner/lunch/breakfast/brunch for an individual meal not including tip)
THE EAT: The deliciously creative ways he prepared fish that was just amazing. Beautiful and tasteful from beginning to the last bite.
WORTH THE NIGHT OUT?: My taste buds are salivating to dine here again
To book your Sydney adventure, contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel in association with Travel Advisors of Los Gatos at 415-517-7239 at .
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