editorial

Josh Niland is revolutionizing seafood with his scale-to-tail philosophy, expanding from fine dining to boutique hotels in Sydney and beyond.
<figure id="attachment_144637" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144637" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144637 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Peter-at-The-Grand-National-Josh-Niland-at-the-pass.jpg" alt="Josh Niland at the pass in Saint Peter, now housed within the historic Grand National." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Peter-at-The-Grand-National-Josh-Niland-at-the-pass.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Peter-at-The-Grand-National-Josh-Niland-at-the-pass-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Peter-at-The-Grand-National-Josh-Niland-at-the-pass-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Peter-at-The-Grand-National-Josh-Niland-at-the-pass-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144637" class="wp-caption-text">Josh Niland at the pass in Saint Peter, now housed within The Grand National. (Courtesy of The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter)</figcaption></figure>
He’s known as the “fish butcher” because he treats fish like meat, cutting up and using all its parts. But perhaps “surgeon” might better describe Josh Niland’s precise dissection of fish. Nothing is wasted, with heads, eyes, fins, bones, scales and fillets all carefully removed for use in deliciously innovative dishes that have won over critics and picky eaters alike. 
Niland believes that once a fish leaves water, it should never come into contact with it again. No washing, no storing on ice, which he says causes off-putting fishy odors. Instead, he keeps fish dry in a temperature-controlled fridge, which can extend its shelf life by weeks.
It’s this radical, scale to tail approach – defying accepted practice – that has helped propel Niland into the culinary limelight and kept him busy with projects over the past 18 months.
At the end of 2023, he opened his first international outpost, <a href="https://www.fyshsingapore.com/?destinasian" class="broken_link">Fysh</a> at the <a href="https://destinasian.com/singapore-hotels-the-singapore-edition">Singapore Edition</a> hotel, Niland admits there have been challenges: around product procurement, implementation of new systems, training an inexperienced team from afar, and the unfamiliarity of diners with their whole-fish ethos. However, “being consistent with our product, taking it one day at a time, and focusing on what we can control,” has allowed them to turn the corner, he says. 
Meanwhile, he and wife Julie have completed restoring a heritage pub in the affluent Sydney suburb of Paddington. Known as <a href="https://destinasian.com/the-grand-national-hotel-by-saint-peter">The Grand National</a>, it’s now the terrific new home of their flagship restaurant, <a href="https://www.saintpeter.com.au/?destinasian">Saint Peter</a>, as well as a neighborhood bar and upscale boutique hotel. 
<figure id="attachment_144636" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144636" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144636 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Peter-at-The-Grand-National-external-view-of-bar.jpg" alt="External view of the bar at The Grand National's Saint Peter." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144636" class="wp-caption-text">External view of the bar at The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter. (Courtesy of The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter)</figcaption></figure>
The restaurant reopened in August 2024. Soon after, the fish-focused fine diner was awarded three chef’s hats, the highest number possible in a country where Michelin doesn’t exist. It’s also the only Australian restaurant to make the long list of the influential World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards.
Then came the opening of The Grand National Hotel in early 2025, an intimate 14-room property above the restaurant. “We wanted to extend our expression of anticipatory hospitality to the world of luxury hotels,” says Niland. “While we are new to hotels, we felt it was a natural progression for us and our brand at Saint Peter.” Although first-time hoteliers, the couple have succeeded in striking the right notes between style, practicality and comfort, with design that’s classic without being frumpy.
<figure id="attachment_144635" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144635" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144635 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Catseye-Pool-Club-Morning-outlook.jpg" alt="Morning view at Catseye Pool Club." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144635" class="wp-caption-text">Morning view at Catseye Pool Club. (Courtesy of The Sundays)</figcaption></figure>
Now, the Nilands are about to open their first resort restaurant, <a href="https://www.hamiltonisland.com.au/the-sundays/dine?destinasian">Catseye Pool Club</a>, at The Sundays on Hamilton Island in Australia’s World Heritage-protected Great Barrier Reef. This time, they’re “excited about the family style approach we have taken with the menu. When guests order their main course, for example, the dish is made with all the trimmings, which will feel generous and look beautiful.”
In between openings, Niland, who is already a James Beard award-winning cookbook author, is working on a new tome that will “communicate the challenges, successes and desires of Saint Peter the restaurant, along with providing insight into the methods we choose to build our menus.”
His tip for anyone who says they don’t like fish: “build that individual’s trust by purchasing fish that has never been washed under a tap. This will bring the most significant improvement to the experience you have with fish.”

Saint Peter at The Grand National, Josh Niland at the pass

Josh Niland: Australia’s Fish Butcher

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