Brace yourself for the onslaught of flavour. It strikes early, in a fist-clenchingly briny Tathra rock oyster, made even better by a brilliant sake-spiked Bull Kelp Martini. Then again soon after, in the mushroomy warmth of abalone dashi dramatically presented in a periwinkle shell. Unequalled sourcing and handling go without saying in Josh and Julie Niland’s kitchens, but lateral thinking sets them alight at Petermen. Lamb gets recast as yellowfin tuna in a genius take on Greece’s loukaniko sausage. Coal-grilled and butterflied red mullet feels right at home in a frothy curry with saltbush and astringent desert lime, every bit as vividly Australian as the Ken Done canvases on the walls. By the time the sure-footed service team brings it full circle – with baked-to-order cumquat madeleines in oyster shells – you’ll have little doubt this is Australia’s most seminal seafood restaurant. (At least, perhaps, until Saint Peter settles into its new Paddington digs.)
Josh Niland
