Noi, Petersham

Take one LuMi co-owner, Anastasia Drakopolous, add Veneto-bred chef Alessandro Intini (ex-Aqua Dining) and you have Noi Restaurant plonked in the middle of Little Portugal, Petersham. It's the kind of fancy restaurant you wouldn't expect in Petersham, but one that's likely to accommodate the changing demographic in the inner west: one that likes good food with parking and isn't too far from home.

The seven-course tasting menu is priced at a very reasonable $72 or choose your own adventure with a la carte - entrees range between $18-$21; mains are $26-$31.

It's a reasonable proposition once you factor in the complimentary items. We're immediately presented with amuse bouche of lemon thyme pastry puffs with mayonnaise and mini tacos with salmon and wine jelly. They're incongruously served in a Chinese steamer basket, but functional and cultural inexplicabilites aside, it makes for a welcome and appetite-inducing introduction.


Milk bun, focaccia and bread sticks with extra virgin olive oil and smoked paprika butter

There's a sense of LuMi hospitality too in the presentation of the complimentary bread offering, a trio of options served in an elegant timber box. Quell any hunger pangs with the mini milk bun, a square of crusty focaccia and elongated bread sticks. Smoked paprika butter is dolloped into a wooden pinch pot; extra virgin olive oil is dispensed using a (plastic) pipette. While the novelty value of the pipette is high, my only quibble would be it wasn't quite enough for three people.

Maybe I'm looking for the similarities, but the decor has LuMi vibes too, a sense of understated luxury with its cool tones of dark timber, brass and midnight blue. The napkins are heavy, water is poured into beautiful ceramic cups and industrial lights illuminate exposed brick walls and stripped back floorboards.


Kingfish, young fennel and wild rice $20

The menu reads more like a list of ingredients. You can always ask waitstaff for more details - or look on Instagram (you bet we did). It leads us to lock in the kingfish with young fennel and wild rice. The entree is light and refreshing, delicate slices of firm kingfish contrasted with the acidity of pickled fennel and the nutty crunch of wild rice puffs.


Pig's head terrine with coconut, turmeric and sherry vinegar $18

Pig's head terrine is steadily becoming one of Noi's signature dishes, raved on about across Instagram. The picked morsels of pork are compressed into a neat little log, crowned with a dollop of whipped coconut cream and scattered with toasted coconut flakes. The coconut adds a tropical decadence although it does feel a touch overwhelming - perhaps even dessert-like - against the soft and tender fattiness of the pork.


Risotto, Cloudy Bay clams, asparagus and sour cream $21

We skip the housemade pasta options in favour of risotto. The rice is cooked to a toothsome chewiness, strewn with petite nuggets of de-shelled Cloudy Bay clams and crisp spears of asparagus. It eats better than it looks, fortified with pinstripes of asparagus emulsion and sour cream.


Lamb, hazelnut, kipfler potatoes and buerre noisette $29

Lamb cutlets are cooked to a textbook shade of juicy pink. The fat has been rendered, the skin is crisp and the buerre noisette and toasted hazelnut crumbs add a nutty and textural enhancement.


28-day dry aged black Angus sirloin with spring onion, shallots and juniper $31

The 28-day dry aged black Angus sirloin feels a little chewy by comparison, although I am a fan of the charred and caramelised spring onions and sticky jus.


Hapuka, green papaya, baby cos and ginger $31

For a lighter main, the hapuka delivers on all fronts, a hunk of fish cooked to flake-forking tenderness that we swipe through polka dot dollops of of green and white.


Broccoli, satay sauce and cashew nuts $8

We order a side of vegetables on our waitstaff's suggestion. Roasted broccoli sounds delicious but in hindsight the satay sauce is an odd inclusion, especially as its pervasive creamy spiciness jars against all of our mains. The broccoli is cooked to the point of soggy softness which does make me appreciate the crunch of smashed cashews even more.


Terramisu $14
Miso oil, mascarpone and coffee

Terramisu continues the Asian-Italian pattern, a mash-up that works well here. It's a playful presentation of umami-laden miso soil scattered across mascarpone cream.


Green $14
Matcha creme, pistachio crumble and mint ice cream

Green is a triple combo of matcha, pistachio and mint. Do they work together? I'm not sure. The match and mint don't feel like a natural pairing, even if the pistachio works valiantly between the two.


Spring $14
Yoghurt pannacotta with melon and almonds

The most unassuming dessert ends up being my favourite. Yoghurt pannacotta is impressive in its nuanced subtlety and delicate fragility. There's a distinct echo of honeydew melon in the aerated foam. This is just the kind of dessert to leave you refreshed and content after a long meal.


Chocolate meringue with jam

We linger so long in the dining room (there's only been one other two-top present throughout the entire Sunday lunch service) that we score complimentary petit fours, chocolate meringue shards with jam. A bottle of peach-cello also materialises - it's like limoncello but made with peaches instead of lemon - and everyone is treated to a shot.

In a suburb cloaked with the aroma of charcoal chicken, Noi is not like any of its neighbours. Even seafood restaurant Fich next door looks to do a heavier trade in takeaway than dine-in. Noi means "we" or "us" in Italian. Here's hoping Noi finds its tribe.

Noi Restaurant
108 Audley Street, Petersham, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9337 7377

Opening hours
Lunch Thursday to Sunday 12pm-3pm
Dinner Thursday to Tuesday 5pm-10pm
Closed on Wednesdays


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Fich at Petersham

So you thought Petersham was only about Portuguese charcoal chicken? Not so. It's seafood ahoy at the suburb's most recent addition, Fich. Co-owners and chefs Jose Silva (he also co-owns Sweet Belem) and Manny Paraiso (ex-Bibo Winebar) are bringing a new kind of fish and chip shop to the suburbs. Expect the best catches of the day available for dine-in or takeaway. And yep, they have potato scallops too.



There's just one A3 page to the menu, broken up into small, large, burgers, salads and sides. Kids get to choose from fish cocktails, calamari rings or a fish burgers ($10-12), each served with chips. And yes, it's all seafood - don't go looking for any other proteins.

The dining room is clean lines and Nordic influences. The main wall is dominated by a giant fish mural. It's the kind of space that is low-key enough for young families but also passes as date night-friendly for couples.

I end up visiting twice in the space of a week: the first with friends, the second time with family. Ready for the onslaught of photos? Scroll on.


Ceviche $19

The swordfish ceviche is a good place to start. Chunky slices of swordfish have been cured with coconut vinegar to a barely-cooked softness. A blanket of coconut cream provides decadence, contrasted with the zingy pop of pomelo and the crisp bite of paper-thin cucumber.


FICH taco $9

At $9 a pop, the fish taco seems a little exxy at first glance, but there's a fair amount of work in this handheld snack. The battered fish combines puffy crunch with succulent flesh, balanced with a cucumber and tomato salsa and a perfectly cut square of butter lettuce. The highlight is the deep fried fish skin, scattered across the top like confetti.


Potato scallops $2 each

Of course we had the potato scallops, much thicker and chunkier than my 20c takeaway shop memories. There's a noticeable creaminess to the potato, encased in a thick armour of crunchy batter.


School prawns $18

Most addictive dish is awarded to the school prawns, deep-fried so they eat as noisily as potato chips. It's a simple dish that works only with the freshest of ingredients. And there's attention to detail too, with the deliberate scattering of baby radishes, chives and micro herbs to break up the heaviness.


NSW eagle ray skate schnitzel $22

There isn't enough skate on Australian restaurant menus, I reckon. Fich widens its appeal by turning it into a schnitzel. Our eagle ray skate schnitzel doesn't feel like it hits the mark this time, tasting a little mealy and without its trademark collagenic texture.


Kinkawooka SA mussels $20

The Kinkawooka mussels with sobrasada butter is another story. I order it on both visits. On my second, we get two serves. The mussels are plump and juicy; the toasted bread is seductively charred and smoky, but let's be honest, it's all about the sobrasada butter. It's literally drinkable.

We do just that, breaking open the mussel shells and using one half as a spoon to scoop up every last drop. Its salty sweet butteriness has both the fragrance of seafood and the gently spiced undertones of sobarasada, a pork and paprika cured Spanish sausage.


FICH love salad $12

Five choices beckon from the salad menu. We try three of them overall. The love salad promises bacalhau with cos lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olive and croutons. We only manage to find three tiny pieces of cured cod, but otherwise it's a tasty serving of vegetables (and deep-fried bread. Yum).


Beet salad $10

There's much to like about the beet salad, the earthiness of crimson roasted beetroots offset by a labne dressing, bitter rocket and crunchy roasted chickpeas and pumpkin seeds.


Rocco salad $10

The rocco salad is all about celebrating cous cous. It's a fluffy mound, interspersed with roasted zucchini, charred capsicum, toasted almond flakes and the sweetness of raisins.


Polenta chips with anchovy mayo $12

Polenta chips aren't presented in usual Jenga block fashion, but in cubes. That makes for a more favourable crunchy outer ratio, made even better with a splodge of anchovy mayo.


Whole grilled trout with grilled tortillas, molhol verde, piri piri and aioli $36

The largest - and most expensive - dish on the menu is the whole fish, either grilled or southern fried as you choose. The fish varies day to day. We were keen to have the flathead but it's not on the menu today. We opt for the whole grilled trout instead. It's cooked with expertise, sporting slightly charred skin.

We demolish it all, alternating mouthfuls with the trio of sauces on the side: a Portuguese green sauce, piri piri chilli sauce and aioli. A grilled tortilla and pickled turnips and gherkins round out this substantial main.


Grilled garfish with grilled tortillas, molhol verde, piri piri and aioli $36

On our next visit, we're again denied the flathead so choose the snapper instead. This causes some confusion when grilled garfish arrives at the table. There's an awkward moment when the waitress asks us if we're happy with the garfish or if we'd prefer the snapper. We acquiesce but then suffer regret as we battle with the minefield of tiny bones. The fish is tasty, if hard work though.


Grilled Cone Bay barramundi with roasted Jerusalem artichokes and broccoli $36

Much easier to eat is the grilled Cone Bay barramundi. It's another testament to the expertise in the kitchen, cooked so the crisp is crisp without compromising the flesh. Roasted Jerusalem artichokes and broccoli on the side would make this an ideal main course for one.


Fich n chips $18

The classic fish and chips is one of the real highlights though. The beer battered New Zealand ling fillet is masterfully done. Is there anything more beautiful than deep-fried perfection? A massive serve of chips means you'd probably want to share this.


Fich bowl chai tea custard $10

We end up trying all three desserts available. The Fich bowl chai tea custard is probably the most disappointing, only because the taste of chai is barely discernible. Warm quince and the scattered crumble of oats, pumpkin seeds and almonds make this feel like I'm eating breakfast. If there's been more of the chai flavour this could have been so comforting.


When Fich meets Belem $7

Fich meets Belem is a cute tribute to the famed custard tart sold around the corner. The pasteis de nata is blinged up with blowtorched Swiss meringue and an assembly of finely sliced fruit. Few things can beat flaky pastry and eggy custard. It doesn't need all the garnishing to be honest, but it does mean you get to feel a little better about eating more fruit?

Looking for a night out or a night in? Go Fich. And get those mussels.


Fich ice cream sandwich $8

Surprised dish of the day? The ice cream sandwich. It's more than that. It's swoonworthy. The discs of incredibly flaky pastry make my eyebrows arch, but it's the salted caramel too, a thick and dense sauce that has been pushed to the edge of sweet and salty bitterness.






Fich at Petersham
Shop 3, 98-106 Audley Street, Petersham, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9572 7887

Opening hours
Wednesday to Sunday 12pm-9pm


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