Step up to the plate: Saint Peter Sydney

Saint Peter might sound like a church, but it’s a fine-dining seafood restaurant in Sydney. The restaurant’s name – and branding – plays on the legend associated with John Dory, the delicate-flavoured coastal fish, having its black spot on its side caused by St Peter’s thumbprint. Quite naturally, every dish in this restaurant – even the dessert – has fish.

There’s an added attraction for guests: the provenance of each catch is clearly listed on the menu. Its most talked-about dish? A salt-and-vinegar King George whiting, cut into a jigsaw puzzle and served on sourdough – often hailed as ‘a dish that represents Sydney’.

The menu is expansive: five varieties of Australian oysters, live scallops from Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay, two kinds of sea urchin roe, and Spanner crab from Ballina in northern New South Wales. And to pair with the food, a well-curated selection of wines from small Australian producers.

Chef Josh Niland draws inspiration from Japanese cuisine and its reverence for every part of the fish, showing that even the less glamorous bits can delight. For fish-loving Indians, this could be a homecoming – with fine-dining flair.