Saint Peter makes shortlist for World Restaurant Awards 2019 - Latest News

Jan 17, 2019

It's the only Australian restaurant to do so.

Sydney’s Saint Peter is obviously doing something right. The seafood-focused eatery has not only been declared one of the best restaurants in the country by delicious. as the winner of the NSW delicious. 100, but the fine-diner is the only Australian eatery to make the shortlist for the inaugural World Restaurant Awards.

For those not familiar with the World Restaurant Awards, the global celebration was formed by IMG (the company behind Margaret River Gourmet Escape among others), in partnership with Where Chefs Eat author Joe Warwick and food critic Andrea Petrini. Designed with the intention of celebrating restaurants in the same vein as film, art and music, the categories of the awards are judged by a diverse expert panel of 37 different nationalities.

Among them you’ll find star chefs and restaurateurs, media, book publishers, filmmakers, food-system scientists, activists and campaigners. To give an example of just how eclectic the judging panel can be, 2019’s group contains food critic Tom Parker Bowles, Munchies founder and publisher John Martin, chef Kylie Kwong, chef Paul Carmichael, and Chef’s Table director Brian McGinn.

Saint Peter and its owner-chef Josh Niland will have a few weeks to bask in the glory of being named in the run-up to the awards – winners will be announced on February 18 in a Paris-based ceremony. Saint Peter was named one of five leading restaurants in the Ethical Thinking category – a well-deserved accolade considering Niland’s ongoing dedication to sustainably caught seafood and his nose-to-tail approach to cooking. And the restaurant is in good company – fellow nominees include New York’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Denmark’s Noma, the UK’s Silo, and Food for Soul, non-profit organisation founded by Italy’s Massimo Bottura. We’ll have to wait until February 18 to see if Saint Peter proves strong enough to take out the competition.

“It is an absolute honour,” says Niland of the nomination. “I’m so proud of the entire team at Saint Peter & Fish Butchery for the extraordinary work they do. It’s really been since Fish Butchery opened that we have gained so much momentum in maximising the potential of a fish. Our use of fish offal and our dry ageing technique has allowed for greater creativity and waste minimisation at Saint Peter and now its going beyond the restaurant into the weekly shop, which is truly exciting for all of us. All the nominees are extraordinary restaurants that truly set a global standard for their ethical approach, we are pretty humbled to be in the list to be honest.”

Fellow nominees for the World Restaurant Awards 2019 shortlist reads as follows:

Big Plates
Original Thinking
1. Enigma / Spain
2. Ikoyi / United Kingdom
3. Mugaritz / Spain
4. Noma / Denmark
5. Le Clarence / France

Off-Map Destination
1.Mil / Peru
2.Bootshaus / Austria
3.Wolfgat / South Africa
4.Tokuyamazushi /Japan
5.Riley’s Fish Shack / United Kingdom

No-Reservations Required
1. Clamato / France
2. Kiln / United Kingdom
3. Mocoto / Brazil
4. Deli fu cious / Japan
5. Retrobottega / Italy

House Special
1. Gazela / ‘Hot dog’ / Portugal
2. Yat Lok / Roast Goose / Hong Kong
3. Obana / Unajyu / Japan
4. Trishna / Soft Shell Crab / India
5. Lido 84 / Cacio e Pepe (cooked in pig’s bladder) / Italy

Forward Drinking
1. Cub / United Kingdom
2. Mugaritz / Spain
3. Dersou / France
4. Amass / Denmark
5. Godenya / Hong Kong

Event of the Year
1. Refugee Food Festival / France (and worldwide) http://www.refugeefoodfestival.com
2. Parabere Forum / Sweden http://parabereforum.com
3. Al Meni / Italy http://www.almeni.it
4. Game at Lyle’s / United Kingdom https://www.lyleslondon.com/game
5. The Presidential Train http://www.thepresidentialtrain.com

Ethical Thinking
1. Blue Hill at Stone Barns / United States https://www.bluehillfarm.com
2. Food for Soul / Refettorios / Worldwide / https://www.foodforsoul.it
3. Noma / Denmark / https://noma.dk
4. Saint Peter / Australia / https://www.saintpeter.com.au
5. Silo / UK / http://www.silobrighton.com

Enduring Classic
1. Peter Luger’s / USA
2. Paul Bocuse / France
3. La Mère Brazier / France
4. Hyotei / Japan
5. Elkano / Spain

Collaboration of the Year
1. Vespertine X This Will Destroy You www.vespertine.la
2. Mirazur X Huilerie Saint Michel http://www.mirazur.fr
3. Cafe Paradiso X Gort na Nairn Farm https://paradiso.restaurant
4. Single Thread Farm X Bloodroot Blades https://www.singlethreadfarms.com/artisans
5. Frantzen X Jacob Marsing-Rossini http://www.restaurantfrantzen.com

Atmosphere
1. Punk Royale / Denmark
2. Vespertine / United States
3. Chambre Séparée / Belgium
4. Astoria Seafood / United States
5. Machneyuda / Israel

Arrival of the Year
1. DaGorini / Italy
2. Inua / Japan
3. Virtus / France
4. Angler / United States
5. Kjolle / Peru

Small Plates
Tweezer-Free Kitchen of the Year
1. Bo.Lan
2. Racines
3. Black Axe Mangal

Trolley of the Year
1. Ballymaloe House / Ireland / https://ballymaloe.ie
2. Otto’s / United Kingdom / http://www.ottos-restaurant.com
3. The Grill / United States http://thegrillnewyork.com

Tattoo-Free Chef of the Year
1. Clare Smyth
2. Alain Ducasse
3. David Thompson

Instagram Account
1. @little_meg_siu_meg
2. @mattymatheson
3. @alain_passard

Long-Form Journalism
1. Lisa Abend ‘The Food Circus’ in Fool Magazine
2. Helen Rosner for ‘What Jonathan Gold meant for food writing’ in the New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/that-guy-who-won-that-thing-what-jonathan-gold-meant-for-food-writing
3. Jonathan Gold for his obituary of Anthony Bourdain in the LA Times ‘Anthony Bourdain Opened the Working Class Kitchen to the World’

Red-Wine Serving Restaurant
1. Noble Rot / United Kingdom
2. Roscioli / Italy
3. Le Baratin / France