Petermen Is Josh and Julie Niland’s North Shore Venue Opening in 2023

When Josh and Julie Niland open a new eatery, it’s an opportunity. Fortunately, Sydney has enjoyed many such moments in recent years. The world-acclaimed chef – with Josh named in the world’s top 100 best chefs in 2022, as well as receiving the Game Changer award from France’s prestigious La Liste – and his partner already own Saint Peter, the OG Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish launched . And they have set up another Fish Butchery takeaway in Waterloo, revealing they would be taking over The Grand National Hotel and moving Saint Peter into the space. The arrival of Petermen, a new restaurant announced at the end of 2022 and set to open in February 2023, adds to the robust list – and it’s now accepting reservations.

From Tuesday, January 31, Sydney’s seafood fans can book a date with Petermen on Chandos Street in St Leonards for sittings from Thursday, February 23. The restaurant will be open for dinner from 17:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; for lunch from 12:00 and dinner from 17:30 on Saturdays; and for brunch from 10am on Sundays – so, you have options.

Rob Palmer

The busy hospitality couple, who have become world-renowned for their focus on sustainable seafood, will give Sydney’s North Shore a 60-seat restaurant and bar. Wonder why it’s called Petermen? The name is a nod to the Saint Peter ecosystem. The original Niland restaurant – one of Concrete Playground’s 15 best restaurants in Sydney – takes its name from patron saint and former fisherman Saint Peter. This saintly seafood enthusiast was then the inspiration behind fellow fishermen called Petermen in the 1400s.

As with all Niland establishments, the menu champions boundary-pushing and sustainability-focused growers and producers, continuing the trend of Saint Peter, Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish – skewing heavily towards seafood alongside fresh Australian vegetables.

Diners can look forward to shared dishes featuring raw fish, such as South West Rocks line-caught bonito, Corner Inlet snapper with deer seaweed, and Mooloolaba yellowfin tuna with capers. And, from the preserved range, highlights include Port Lincoln berrima octopus and Espelette pepper, Flinders Island scallops with Tasmanian horseradish, and Jervis Bay mussels.

For larger bites, options range from Manjimup chestnut with curry butter, Coorong pipis in its juices with garlic and chilli, Flinders Island southern calamari, and sweet and sour Ulladulla blue mackerel – all from the charcoal grill. Among the shared mains, the yellowfin tuna chateaubriand with garlic-warrigal greens and diane sauce serves four, or there is both coral trout and john dory for two.

If brunch is your favorite meal of the day, Josh has added St Helens longback sea urchin crumble, Ballina spanner crab croissants and Manjimup marron scrambled eggs to the menu, along with the likes of smoked Murray cod bacon and maple pancakes, plus whiting caesar salad .

Back to the regular lineup, there are also six types of oysters, and cocktails including the Petermen negroni (made with Four Pillars gin, yuzu, Campari, coconut, amaro and mountain pepper) and the Saint Peter martini (with oyster shell gin, vermouth, sake and kombu).

As you eat, expect to see the culinary magic happen thanks to Petermen’s open kitchen – and to eat from crockery by Bendigo Pottery. The Nilands also team up again with Aussie icon artist Ken Done to liven up the venue’s walls with art, while the overall look and feel is bright and eye-catching with colour, as designed by Julie.

It will be Josh and Julie Niland’s first venture west of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, bringing the duo’s collection of Sydney outposts to five. As for the renovation of the Grand National Hotel – which will be called Saint Peter Hotel – is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2023.

Petermen will open at 66 Chandos Street, St Leonards on Thursday 23 February, with bookings open from Tuesday 31 January – for dinner from 5.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; for lunch from 12:00 and dinner from 17:30 on Saturdays; and for brunch from 10:00 on Sundays.