Petermen- St Leonards, NSW
A love letter to one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney, and a recount of the second birthday spent in the company of excellent food, service and cocktails.
For my birthday in 2023, I had my sights set on a particular restaurant to celebrate at- Petermen in St Leonards. Having been a long-time fan of the Niland’s, I have attended a number of their venues before- St Peter, Charcoal Fish, with Petermen making it onto my list of recommendations for special occasions due to how easy it is to secure a booking at the venue and the guarantee of excellent service.
The Niland’s take the traditional nose-to-tail philosophy, extending them to fish, ensuring that every portion, organ and often overlooked organ is treated with the same respect that is afforded to their four-legged landed counterparts.
The first time I visited the restaurant, we had ordered mostly from the starter menu as we had made the mistake of going to an AYCE dimsum buffet at Crown Sydney earlier that day and had ended up obnoxiously full, even by the time that the dinner hour had rolled around. Despite this, we had spent the night trying their starters, drinking a few Greenhorns and partaking in a few choices on their dessert menu, including a dairy free dessert made especially for my birthday.
This year, for 2024, when I returned, I had a birthday card waiting for me along with the notes of a dietary requirement I had indicated in my reservation from the year before living up to and surpassing the standards of the service that I had experienced just the year before.
All these dishes in the following article were shared amongst a party of 3.
Merimbula Rock Oysters and Tuross Lake Oysters
On their oyster menu for spring 2024, 3 year old Merimbula and Tuross Lake oysters were features, a combination of briny and creamy tastes.
They include a note on their oyster menu that the oysters are opened to order without the use of running water which preserves the taste of the oyster and the estuary, served at 12°C which allows for patrons to taste the unique qualities of each oyster. This method of serving highlighted the individual tasting natures and notes associated with the oysters, allowing us to truly appreciate the taste profiles of the oysters, both on their own and with the accompanying mignonette sauce.
Fiore Sourdough Bread and Cultured Butter
A classic combination of well made and warmed sourdough bread with a fluffy centre, a perfect companion to the cultured butter and the leftover taramosalata served with the panisse.
Cape Moreton Royal Red Prawn Tart
A tart filled with some corn and slices of rare breed black pig guanciale
The sweet crunchiness of the fresh corn paired with the creaminess of the sauce contrasted well enough with the sweet firmness of the red prawn within the crunchy tart shell.
Mooloolaba Swordfish Empanada with Corner Inlet Rock Flathead Mortadella
A crispy flaky empanada casing with filling in it, it was reminiscent to the times spent having piping hot curry puffs back home during my childhood.
The Flathead Mortadella was very much reminiscent of any traditional mortadella’s from the deli.
Silver Lake Smoked Eel Panisse with Busselton Bar Cod Taramosalata
The texture of the panisse had a light crunch, with a fluffy centre within which was a textural heaven, especially when had with the delicious umami of the taramosalata.
I had plenty of taramosalata leftover which led to me using it as a dip for the sourdough bread as well.
★★★★★
Selection of Raw Line Caught Fish
A trio of line caught fish with verjuice, white soy and Geraldton wax.
As someone who can never have enough of fresh fish and sashimi, I do feel as though I was biased towards this dish as simply as it presented, the elements elevated the simplicity behind it, highlighting only the best of what freshly caught fish can be.
★★★★★
Hand Picked Ballina Spanner Crab and Bundarra Pork
In another twist of flavours, well cooked pork is served alongside some crab in a salad with finger lime.
A refreshing light salad that ties together the dishes as a palate cleanser with the citrus lime pearls after they are squeezed atop the salad.
★★★★★
Dry Aged Tuna Rib Eye Steak and Hereford Grass Fed Sirloin on the Bone
Accompanied by a classic bearnaise sauce and fresh chimichurri, with a side of hand cut chips and a green leaf salad with a light dressing and fresh dill.
As someone with a soft spot for an excellent surf and turf, it was a great joy to taste both fish and meat excellently cooked.
★★★★★
Dessert Showcase
Dairy-free Birthday Dessert
The tang of raspberries in this dessert was quite well appreciated as I do not usually like to end a meal on notes that are too sweet or overpowering.
Strawberry and Sichuan Madeleines
The first time I had these madeleines, it was the yuzu version for spring 2023. This year for 2024, they were listed as “Strawberry and Sichuan” which had us wondering if they meant Sichuan peppers, which is typically known for imparting a flowery aroma and mouth numbing properties which were not overpowering.
★★★★☆
Yuzushu Parfait
Dairy free, made with a white balsamic meringue and passionfruit sorbet.
A refreshing end to every meal, for anyone who has a fancy for anything light and tangy- this was honestly perfection in a little bowl.
★★★★★
Tiramisu
Fish bone sponge and cod fat caramel
As someone who is a massive fan of tiramisu, this honestly surpassed all of my expectations.
★★★★★
In addition to the excellent food- the accompanying drinks have always been a delight, my favourite non alcoholic drink on the menu is called the Greenhorn- a refreshing mix of dry ginger ale, lemon and rosemary. Some of the alcoholic cocktails ordered included the following-
Bull Kelp Martini
Espresso Martini- made with Ketel One, Broken Bean Coffee Liqueur and Coffee
Urban Sombrero- made with Ketel One, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur and Crème the Cacao
Of the cocktails that I had, the Urban Sombrero on the dessert menu had to be my favourite. With the aroma of chocolate, the mix was smooth and easy to drink and definitely had me wanting another!
A staple, a longtime favourite for special occasions- I look forward to every return.