REVIEW
GT 2022 NSW Restaurant of the Year
Every seasoned diner knows the best seat in the house is at the counter. So, it was perhaps logical for Josh Niland to reconfigure his petite Paddington restaurant to feature a single, marble counter stretching the length of the room. The fact it meant halving the number of diners in a sitting made it a little more radical. But fortune favours the bold and, a year on, Saint Peter is setting the bar for how diners want to eat in 2021 and beyond. As an experience, it’s intimate and informative; engaging and entertaining. Most importantly, it’s delicious. You don’t need to particularly like seafood to enjoy Niland’s cooking, such is his ability to transform all manner of fish bits into delicate, flavoursome bites. From ‘nduja and mapo tofu to meaty slabs of dry-aged rib eye, there is almost nothing Niland and his team can’t wizard out of a fish. His unwavering commitment to sustainability and minimising waste drives endless innovation, while his mission to educate and engage diners sees the chef take time to speak to every guest. Questions are encouraged and enthusiastically answered. With dinner now a set tasting menu, those less confident can always test the waters with lunch, which offers plenty of approachable options. It won’t take long before you return, ready to dive deeper.
ABOUT
Saint Peter
362 Oxford St, Paddington, NSW
(02) 8937 2539
Chef Josh Niland
Price guide $$$
Bookings Essential
Wheelchair access No
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide 2022
Our guide gives a yearly snapshot of the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national Top 80.
