Saint Peter Restaurant Paddington
By Lisa Nguyen | Published 30 August 2022
Does this spot match the hype?
TL; DR | Summary
If you fancy a spot of fish, then Saint Peter is your restaurant. They offer some of the best curations of fresh produce from local shores and utilise every part of the fish. Their menu changes often to ensure only the freshest seafood is served, so you'll always be able to enjoy something new and intriguing.
Saint Peter Restaurant Review
@bestspots.com.au Saint Peter brings you a superb pescatarian fine dining experience 🐠. I can't think of a better place to sample the best sustainably sourced fish and seafood that Australia has to offer 🇦🇺. ➡️ For ALL the info, go to bestspots.com.au #sydneyfoodiediaries #sydneyeatstreet #sydneydelicious #restaurantssydney #placestovisitsydney ♬ Flowers - Miley Cyrus
Located on Oxford Street in Paddington, Saint Peter brings you a superb pescatarian fine dining experience. I can't think of a better place to sample the best sustainably sourced fish and seafood that Australia has to offer.
The restaurant has an elegant and modern interior, fitting about 12, with an open bar and kitchen so you can watch all the preparation in action. The small setting makes this restaurant a wonderful choice for an intimate celebration or a romantic date night. Plus, it's location just outside of the Sydney CBD means that you don't have to worry too much about traffic and noise.
There are two menus available. The lunch menu is a la carte, giving you a more comprehensive range of options to choose from. This menu is very satisfying in terms of taste and appeal.
The dinner menu is a 7 course set menu. This is perfect for those that don't want to have to choose between all beautiful dishes and would rather have a selection of the best and most popular.
Service
Service is usually phenomenal at Saint Peter, with the staff being attentive and more than happy to answer any question. They're always willing to give recommendations.
However, at one particular visit, we waited over 20 minutes for a dish and were rushed through the rest of our meal, which left a bitter aftertaste of the experience.
Furthermore, mandatory tipping is not common in Australia, and I must say I'm generally not a fan of it either. So when the dinner set menu comes with a 10% discretionary charge automatically added, I wasn't pleased.
Regardless of the service, a mandatory charge like that puts a bit of a damper on the overall dining experience.
While I'm happy to reward good service, I would rather have the service cost included as part of the cost of each dish and let the customer decide to include a tip on top.
You might also like to read my blog post, Do You Tip In Australia? Exploring Tipping Culture, to learn more about tipping in Australia.
A La Carte Lunch At Saint Peter
When you visit a restaurant, the most crucial aspect is how your food tastes. At Saint Peter's, the food makes the visit worthwhile.
All fish dishes are cooked to perfection and there's not one thing on their menu that won't make for an amazing meal. You'll notice that each dish is prepared and uses techniques that any fish monger would admire. Plus they are thoughtfulyl plated and executed with precision.
The fish butchery sausage is an absolute must-have dish. It is one of the finest sausages you'll ever taste and is even more fascinating because it's made of fish.
Another noteworthy fish is the King George Whiting with tapioca, finger lime & chives, or any fish with this combination as it works well on various levels. The texture of the tapioca, accompanied by velvety sauce in addition to the tangy finger lime and subtle kick of chives, all brought out the delicate flavour of the fish.
Their freshly baked madeleines are a perfect ending to your meal. Once you've tried them, there's never going to be another that can compare!
Being a high end restaurant you would expect a generally inflated price point for each dish, however, there are some which are significantly higher than expected.
For instance, the portions for the fried green beans with XO sauce and the blue swimmer crab soup are less generous, so although they are delicious, you could do without them if price is of concern.
Saint Peter is definitely the place to get your fresh fish and seafood fix. If you decide to visit for lunch, make sure you book in advance or show up when they open to secure your spot!
Are Saint Peter's Oysters Worth It?
I'm an oyster lover and I'd like to think I can tell a good oyster from a dud. While the oysters at Saint Peter were great, I could barely tell the difference between them all (except for one, which was definitely meatier than the others).
If you don't fancy yourself an oyster connoisseur, you can give the oysters here a pass.
Dinner Set Menu At Saint Peter
@bestspots.com.au If you fancy a spot of fish, then Saint Peter is your restaurant ⬇️ They offer some of the best curations of fresh produce from local shores and utilise every part of the fish 🐠. Their menu changes often to ensure only the freshest seafood is served, so you'll always be able to enjoy something new and intriguing 😙. Located on Oxford Street in Paddington, Saint Peter brings you a superb pescatarian fine dining experience. I can't think of a better place to sample the best sustainably sourced fish and seafood that Australia has to offer 🇦🇺. The restaurant has an elegant and modern interior, fitting about 12, with an open bar and kitchen so you can watch all the preparation in action 🔪. The small setting makes this restaurant a wonderful choice for an intimate celebration or a romantic date night. Plus, it's location just outside of the Sydney CBD means that you don't have to worry too much about traffic and noise 🙂. There are two menus available. The lunch menu is a la carte, giving you a more comprehensive range of options to choose from 📘. This menu is very satisfying in terms of taste and appeal. The dinner menu is a 7 course set menu. This is perfect for those that don't want to have to choose between all beautiful dishes and would rather have a selection of the best and most popular 👌. ➡️ For the FULL course experience go to bestspots.com.au #westermsydneyfoodie #sydneyfoodie #thefoodblog #sydneymustvisit #wheretogoinsydney ♬ Sure Thing (Speed up) - Remix - Dj Micky M
Aside from the 10% service fee, we did enjoy the dinner set menu, which is a 7 course meal, including dessert. It's a great way to try a bit of everything on offer.
However, when compared to the lunch a la carte option, the dinner menu is lacking with some dishes a miss or didn't have a wow factor.
The dishes that stood out were the salt & vinegar King George Whiting, as the cordal olive brine was a great way to enhance the flavour of the fish.
This is quite possibly the best extra virgin olive oil I've come across. The infused flavour is fragrant, smooth, and understated. For those curious, they use Picual extra virgin olive oil and I highly recommend experiencing it at least once in your life!
The other standout dish was the port jelly & pate with bread. Definitely not your typical spread and bread, as the port jelly added an aesthetically pleasing element with its jelly-like crystal appearance. The pate underneath was rich and creamy, making it all the more enjoyable.
Both parts of the dish worked so well together that I wish it would never end. Honestly, I'm surprised it's not a menu staple!
The rest of the dishes ranged from average to enjoyable, but nothing outstanding, leaving the whole experience slightly above average.
RECOMMENDED
- BBQ Fish Butchery Sausage
Sausage curated from finely cut Murray cod, salmon and quinoa, accompanied by duck foot farm tomatoes & harissa tossed in an anchovy vinaigrette - King George Whiting
Perfectly cooked fish paired with a butter sauce with elements of butter with tapioca, finger lime & chives - Madeleines
Freshly baked and served hot straight from the oven. The perfect ending to your meal
FEATURED
Where To Find Saint Peter
Address
Hours
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 5:30 – 11:00 PM
- Wednesday: 5:30 – 11:00 PM
- Thursday: 12:00 – 4:00 PM, 5:30 – 11:00 PM
- Friday: 12:00 – 4:00 PM, 5:30 – 11:00 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 – 4:00 PM, 5:30 – 11:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 – 4:00 PM
Website
Phone
+61 2 9167 3703
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