Saint Peter’s - CBD, Melbourne

Open for lunch Monday to Friday (12pm - 3pm) and dinner Monday to Saturday (6pm - 10:30pm), there is an option for BYO at lunchtime only with a reasonable corkage charge. You will find the venue off Russell Street and will be greeted by vibrant graffiti art depicting the story of the life of a fish (by artist Makatron). Inside the venue presents as modern and contemporary, conservative in size. Looks can be deceptive however as a second level doubles the size of the restaurant and offers a great function space.

None of my lunch companions had dined at Saint Peter’s before, myself included, however we all had high expectations knowing that this is the second venture for Maurice Esposito. If the name rings a bell it is for very good reasons as Maurice has worked around the world, run kitchens for other successful establishments in Melbourne and launched Esposito at Toofey’s in Carlton in 2007.

Saint Peter’s Restaurant & Bar is primarily a seafood restaurant, in which the focus remains on sustainability. The team insist on being aware of the provenance of the meats, seafood and seasonal vegetables (often from Maurice’s family garden). Close relationships with suppliers enable daily updates on what is best at the market day by day.

Our group were seated upstairs where I was able to see the smart layout of the venue from a different angle. A central staircase runs from the centre of the restaurant linking the kitchen to upstairs with ease. I soon noticed that this was used by staff only, enabling prompt service of food without the challenge of staff negotiating guests. A bar upstairs kept drinks flowing and changes to glassware manageable.

The menu is divided into ‘Tastes’ ($3.50 - $7.00); Entrees ($19 - $21); Pasta ($19 - $24 or $29 - $35); Mains ($35 - $42) and ‘Additions’ ($9). Our culinary experience started with a complimentary seaweed salad with herbs and mustard dressing. We were tempted by the taster of beer battered zucchini flower with smoked eel mousse so each ordered one whilst we perused the menu a little longer.

Lucky for us we had all arrived with a healthy appetite and were in no hurry to rush back to work. My degustation of food ran something like this:

Entrée: Northern Territory Mud Crab salad, green apple, avocado and garlic mayonnaise

Main: Yabby Gyoza, roasted beetroots, baby cucumber, shisoshoots and beetroot vinaigrette

Cheese: Strezlecki Blue (Victoria - Goats cheese); Pecorino Casa Madia Calcagno (Italy - Sheep’s milk); Holy Goat ‘La Luna’ (Victoria - yeast rind Goats cheese); Buche D’Alfinois (France) - all served with fruit toast, quince paste, Iranian dried figs and walnuts.

Given that our group consisted of wine trade contacts we had each brought something special to share in the way of wine. Needless to say that by the time we left the restaurant most tables had been re-set for dinner and staff were heading off on their break. We were lucky enough to catch up with Maurice Esposito upon departure to thank him for our wonderful experience and congratulate him on his latest venture.

It would be remiss of me not to mention Toby who looked after us for the afternoon, as there were a number of glassware changes and requirements, far beyond normal lunchtime dining demands and Toby met our needs and looked after us with confidence, professionalism and a dash of personality - just perfect!

I urge you to visit but do book as the restaurant was full when we attended. If you are in need of a venue for a function, whether it be small or medium in size this is a great venue to consider.