Just In: Josh and Julie Niland's Soon-to-Launch St Leonards Restaurant Petermen Is Now Taking Bookings

When Josh and Julie Niland open a new eatery, it's an occasion. Thankfully, Sydney has enjoyed plenty of such moments in recent years. The world-acclaimed chef — with Josh named in the world's top 100 best chefs in 2022, and picking up the Game Changer Award from France's prestigious La Liste as well — and his partner have already launched Saint Peter, the OG Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish. And, they set up a another Fish Butchery takeaway eatery in Waterloo, and revealed they would be taking over The Grand National Hotel and moving Saint Peter into the space. Adding to that hefty list is the upcoming arrival of Petermen, a new restaurant that was announced in late 2022 and will open in February 2023 — and it's now accepting bookings.

From Tuesday, January 31, Sydney's seafood fans can reserve a date with Petermen on Chandos Street in St Leonards for sittings from Thursday, February 23. The restaurant will open for dinner from 5.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; for lunch from 12pm and dinner from 5.30pm on Saturdays; and for brunch from 10am on Sundays — so, you have options.

Rob Palmer

The busy hospitality couple, who've become world-renowned for their focus on sustainable seafood, will give Sydney's North Shore a 60-seat restaurant and bar. Wondering 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 Sydney restaurants — gets its moniker from patron saint and former fisherman Saint Peter. This holy seafood enthusiast was then the inspiration behind fellow fishers being called Petermen in the 1400s.

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

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

For bigger bites, options span Manjimup marron 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's both coral trout and john dory for two.

If brunch is your favourite meal of the day, Josh has added St Helens long-spine sea urchin crumpets, Ballina spanner crab croissants and Manjimup marron scrambled eggs to the menu, alongside the likes of smoked Murray cod bacon and maple pancakes, plus whiting caesar salad.

Back to the regular lineup, there's 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).

While you're eating, expect to watch the culinary magic happen thanks to Petermen's open kitchen — and to eat off of crockery by Bendigo Pottery. The Nilands are teaming up with Aussie icon artist Ken Done again, too, to brighten up the venue's walls with art, while the overall look and feel is bright and popping with colour, as designed by Julie.

This will mark Josh and Julie Niland's first venture west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, bringing the duo's collection of Sydney outposts to five. As for that revamp of the Grand National Hotel — set to be called Saint Peter Hotel — it's scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2023.

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