Why stay?

A heritage neighborhood pub, The Grand National, has been transformed into a gourmand’s getaway in the affluent eastern Sydney suburb of Paddington. That’s thanks to chefs-restaurateurs turned first-time-hoteliers Josh and Julie Niland, who have opened an intimate 14-room boutique hotel above one of Australia’s best restaurants, the fish-focused Saint Peter.

The neighborhood

The hotel is located on the corner of a quiet residential area lined with rows of renovated Victorian-era terrace houses just a block back from popular retail and restaurant strip Oxford Street. From here, buses run to the city center and Circular Quay, where the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge are located, or the other direction to Australia’s famed Bondi Beach. But there’s plenty to explore on foot, with leafy Centennial Park and several of the city’s most fashionable shops a stroll away on William Street and the Five Ways junction.

The feel

Sydney design firm Studio Aquilo has given a new lease of life to this former pub – built in 1890 – creating a tale of two settings where heritage meets modern. The hotel’s entrance is discreetly set on Underwood Street, where a small reception desk is used for check-in. An elevator and stairs lead up to the rooms on the upper two floors of the three-storey building. Here, classic design reigns, with plush fabrics, abstract patterns and motifs of Australian florals adorning textured walls, wallpaper, carpet, headboards and cushions. At street level, large windowpanes frame the minimalist, contemporary interiors of Saint Peter bar, which diners walk through to get to the main restaurant. Booth and banquette seating wraps around the perimeter of the dining room, with a showpiece open kitchen at one end humming with activity.

Guest quarters

Many of the hotel’s 14 classically styled accommodations are called suites, though in effect, are rooms without partitioned living and sleeping areas. The nature of the building means that every room is uniquely configured and ranges in size from 20 square meters to 45 square meters. Original features such as architraves, vintage tiles and marble fireplaces have been restored where possible, with the fireplaces used for decorative purposes only. Each room features Aesop toiletries in refillable bottles, complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic minibar, Frette bathrobes, Dyson hairdryers, and duvets filled with ethical down. Some feature claw-foot bathtubs and views of the city skyline and the largest room has a small wrought-iron balcony. Fish fat soap and mugs made from fish bones nod to Saint Peter’s whole-fish philosophy.

Food and drink

This is why you’re here. Michelin doesn’t have a presence in Australia; instead, it has a hat system, and the hotel’s restaurant, Saint Peter, is one of just a handful awarded the maximum three. Chef Josh Niland is a culinary fish whisperer, able to coax amazing flavours and dishes out of every piscine part. The treats start with Niland or another chef personally delivering canapes like albacore tartare on crispy fermented rice cake to your room upon check-in.

Guests receive priority reservations at Saint Peter, though these must still be made in advance as tables are sought after. The lunch menu is a la carte while dinner is a tasting menu. Dishes might include sensational noodles made from coral trout bones in a bonito dashi, or dry-aged yellowfin tuna with summer vegetables that are almost too pretty to eat. Alternatively, the bar is good not only for cocktails (try the oyster shell martini) but offers the chance to sample dishes the kitchen is testing, like swordfish empanada and curried dhufish pie.

Breakfast sets are a highlight, with the likes of marron scrambled eggs and spanner crab omelet distinguishing The Grand National from standard hotel offerings.

Wellness factor

There is no spa or gym, though Aesop skincare products are available for purchase. Head to nearby Centennial Park for jogging, cycling and horse riding.

Family matters

With compact rooms, limited facilities and food designed for grown-up palates, the hotel is best suited to adults. Portable cots and highchairs are, however, available on request.

Sustainability cred

The hotel’s zero-waste ethos complements that of the restaurant. Soap bars provided in guest bathrooms are made from the fat reserved from processing fish, while coffee mugs in the rooms are made from fish bones saved by the kitchen team and sent to a potter. Water bottles in the room are made of aluminum and small soap amenities have been minimized.

What else?

Niland is an award-winning cookbook author, and his series of books on preparing fish, copies of which are kept in each room, are instructional and beautiful to look at. These are available to purchase.

Reviewed by Kee Foong

saintpeter.com.au
+61 2 9167 3703
161 Underwood Street, Paddington

The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter

Australia

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