Saint Peter in Paddington wins Delicious 100 People’s Choice

The state’s best food critics had their say about which restaurants made the Delicious 100 list but now the winner of the People’s Choice in NSW has been revealed — and it seems their tastebuds are in agreement. SEE THE FULL LIST

• Revealed: The top 100 restaurants in NSW
• Delicious 100: 10 surprises from NSW list

The people have spoken and their tastebuds are in agreement.

After being lauded by Australia’s top food critics as the best restaurant in NSW, small, unassuming Paddington eatery Saint Peter has also been named number one by the ­public in the People’s Choice Delici­ous Top 100 vote.

To do so, the restaurant, a 34-seat diner from owner and head chef Josh Niland, had to withstand a spirited challenge from Peter Gilmore’s Quay, which was the biggest top-10 mover, jumping three spots from fifth to second.

It’s a rare shortfall for the newly renovated harbourfront institution which regularly tops “best restaurant” lists the world over.

Josh and Julie Niland’s Paddington restaurant Saint Peter was awarded People’s Choice. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The swordfish bacon and egg English muffin with the smoked eel hash brown.

“To be honest, I’m always just ­really touched to be up there in the mix with people’s choice votes ­because sometimes restaurants like Quay, which are right at the high end of the market, can be seen by the public as inaccessible,” said Gilmore, whose other Harbourside restaurant Bennelong came in at number 12.

“You do get neglected because of the price. We can be seen as too ­expensive. So to be at number two on a list like this, and to get that recognition, is actually really lovely and shows the hard work is paying off.”

Despite missing the top spot, Quay does hold one major distinction — it carries the city’s longest waiting list.

A table for two in the lofty, 900sq m harbourfront monolith, on a Friday or Saturday evening, must be booked five months in advance. Saint Peter, by comparison, needs three weeks.

However, according to a long-time Quay insider, there is little-known way to circumnavigate the reservation code and it’s all down to the numbers.

Chef Peter Gilmore and the kitchen staff at Quay celebrate their success in the People’s Choice awards. Picture: Nikki To

“Most bookings on Fridays and Saturdays are for tables for two … and something a lot of ­people don’t know is that we always set aside a certain amount of tables for four which can go unused,” says Gilmore’s long-time executive ­assistant Elizabeth Hewson.

“So if you can get a group of four or more, it is possible to get in with virtually no wait at all. It can’t ­always be done. But it’s possible and certainly worth a try.”

Saint Peter, too, can be flexible, says Niland, especially during the week.

“Midweek, people often cancel because of business or family commitments so there is always reservation movement,” he says.

Aside from a handful of shuffles within the top 10, the rest of the people’s choice list remained remarkably unchanged from the critic’s choices announced two weeks ago.

* To read the full list of Delicious 100 top restaurants or to get some tasty recipes, go to delicious.com.au

Originally published as Saint Peter in Paddington wins Delicious 100 People’s Choice