Just months after the announcement of the relocation of Josh Niland’s acclaimed restaurant Saint Peter to a Paddington pub, Josh and wife Julie Niland revealed grand plans to open Petermen: a new venue on Sydney’s North Shore. It’ll be the husband-and-wife team’s fifth venture – and it’s set to open on Thursday 23 February.
Niland has fast become a household name in Australia’s culinary scene, with the Sydney-based chef pioneering a “scale-to-tail” approach of cooking with almost every part of the fish. The soon-to-move Saint Peter is one of Australia’s finest restaurants, and it’s become an important participant in the global seafood and fishery sustainability conversation. That’s not to mention the rapid expansion of Niland’s casual sibling businesses Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish.
For Petermen, the Nilands have taken over the lease of a 60-seat restaurant and bar in the North Shore suburb of St Leonards. The restaurant’s name comes from the 1400s vernacular, where fishers were known as Petermen in the tradition of their patron, Saint Peter.
Wild kingfish at Petermen;
(Photo: Josh Niland)The ethos behind the new North Shore restaurant is to champion local growers and producers, with a menu that highlights the best of Australian seafood and vegetables.
The menu is broken into sections by preperation, such as ‘The Essentials’ which includes the likes of Duckfoot Farm pickled vegetables, Nick Haddow’s raw milk cheese and black figs and Fiore bread; ‘Raw’ featuring South West Rocks bonito and Corner Inlet snapper; ‘Preserved’ with smoked Tathra rock oysters and Port Lincoln octopus; and ‘Charcoal Grill’ with dishes like Manjimup marron with curry butter, Coorong pipis with garlic and chilli and Yamba king prawns. There are also dishes designed to be shared, such as the Bowen coral trout and Eden John Dory. Plus a handful of sides and desserts such as black forest tiramisù, fried native apple pie and a bull kelp pavlova and plum fool.
Petermen will be open for dinner Mondays and Wednesday through Saturday, as well as for lunch on Saturdays. It will also be open for Sunday brunch, with a more concise menu.
Coral trout for two at Petermen;
(Photo: Josh Niland)The news comes alongside the anticipated reopening Paddington’s Grand National Hotel, in which the new iteration of Saint Peter will be housed. Originally, the mammoth project was expected to open this summer but now it won’t open till winter.
While it might be delayed, the Paddington establishment will be worth the wait. The former pub has been renovated into a 14-room boutique hotel, plus Saint Peter is upping the capacity to 45 seats and will have a separate bar with its own distinct – and more casual – menu. Private dining for up to 15 will be available, too.
Petermen is located at 66 Chandos Street, St Leonards. It is set to open on Thursday 23 February, with bookings now open via the website, while limited space for walk-ins will be available at the bar.
The Niland’s revamp of the Grand National Hotel in Paddington is now set to open in the second quarter of 2023.
