Sydney restaurant titan Josh Niland has been riding the wave of success these past months. He launched his first overseas restaurant in November. He netted a spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants long list in May. And now, the pearl in the crown – the opening of his flagship fine diner Saint Peter at the Grand National Hotel in Paddington this month.

More than just a relocation, Saint Peter at The Grand National has grown from a guppy on Oxford St to a seriously Big Fish. A slick new fit-out by Sydney-based designer Studio Aquilo features fine fishbone tiled walls and curved booth seating in soft mollusc shades. A half-shell table at the front of the room is faced towards the open kitchen, offering an exclusive opportunity to watch the fish master at work. Coming soon, 14-boutique hotel rooms will offer a luxurious place for guests to flop after their feast.

Now’s about the time in the review that we need to confess that we didn’t actually dine at the restaurant.

Not only was it booked out, but it was also very expensive (see: $275 a person). Instead, we dined at the bar – and we’re convinced it’s the best-kept secret in town.

The term ‘bar’ here is a bit of a red herring. The size of the space is comparable to the main dining room, set out with standalone tables and chairs, plus additional booths for larger groups.

Related recipes: 4 game-changing recipes from Josh Niland’s ‘The Whole Fish’ cookbook

The menu is not just nibbles. You can also order larger dishes that can be used to build a shared feast or three course affair. Oysters ($8 each) are a natural starting point, sourced from up and down the coast and splashed with various dressings from wakame seaweed to sweet, salty melon.

Sardines also make an appearance. Niland bins the tin for fresh, silvery fillets, sourced from Yamba fisherman Keith Kerr. The herrings ($24) are smoked on ironbark and preserved in native thyme oil, which is so fruity and herbaceous you’ll want to soak up every drop. Doorstops of sourdough ($6.50) get the job done, along with a shimmering butter pearl served in an open oyster shell.

The prize catch of the menu, however, is the curried fish pie, made with line-caught hapuka ($40)  sourced from Revolution Fisheries. The sweet, delicate flakes are tangled with seaweed in a creamy, fenugreek-spiced vadouvan curry. Inspired by a lamb shank pot pie, the one-pot wonder is finished with a buttery pastry lid complete with fish vertebrae poking out of the top. The dish pays tribute to the hotel’s former life as a pub, as do other items, like the Cumberland fish sausages ($42) and chubby potato chip stubs ($14).

For dessert, a chocolate crackle slab made from Valrhona chocolate rippled with hemp and leftover fish scales is a textural delight ($16). It’s polished off in a snap.

And since this is technically a bar, you can also order a delightful oyster shell martini infused with long spine sea urchin. The bill arrives and it’s a lot less than $275. Surely, that’s worth a toast.

Related review: Josh Niland’s newest restaurant is an absolute catch for the North Shore