Is Rose Bay waterfront dining still a good place to go?

Catalina Island skies are overcast, rain is pouring, Shark Island is in sight, and I wonder how long I can drink whiskey without having to return to the car. Unless you’re Bob Dylan or U2, this isn’t a day to wear sunglasses. But suddenly, blue sky! Sun! The window guests retreat like Dracula at dawn.

It’s happened plenty of times before, though, with the immaculately clean floor staff offering polarized sunglasses to those who leave their Barton Perreira sunglasses in the glove box. “Would you like to borrow a pair?” If you want to know one reason Catalina is still so popular three decades after opening, this level of service — the one that’s always ready to offer sunglasses — is probably why.

besides That Harbour views, flanked by Point Piper and the Hogwarts-like brick buildings of Sacred Heart College. The great room features flowing curves and a bronze Brett Whiteley pelican, as well as a shiny new travertine entryway installed after last year’s renovation.

When lunch calls for white linen napkins and traditional-style hospitality, Catalina delivers.

The food is reliable and the wine cellar is top-notch, continuing the wine-loving tradition of restaurateur Michael McMahon, who founded the Rose Bay fine-dining restaurant in 1994 with his wife Judy.

Michael died in 2020, but Judy remains at the helm of Catalina. (Their son, James, has moved up to restaurant manager, and daughter, Kate, oversees events.) Since running Barrenjoey House in its 1980s heyday, Michael and Judy have made Sydney a place to eat oysters, drink Semillon and lose track of time.

At Catalina, rock oysters ($7.50 each) continue to be shucked to order and served on ice, just as they should be everywhere.

The three-course à la carte fixed price menu is $150. If you want a poached marron tail (served as a salad with soft potatoes, crisp salty shrub and a nicely paired saffron beurre blanc), it’s an extra $20. If you share the roast suckling pig, it’s an extra $60, and if you want it all to yourself, it’s an extra $120, which is crazy. A perfect martini is $24.

If you’re like me and your family income is average, you probably don’t come here every week. But when lunch calls for white linen napkins and traditional hospitality, Catalina’s always delivers.

If it’s pouring rain, even better, you can cozy up to a strong red. When I visited recently, it was a blustery Saturday, and sommeliers Andrew de Vries and Jarrod Mills were on deck, happy to recommend affordable wines by the glass (which, anyway, were still affordable compared to the four-figure bottles of Bordeaux first growth displayed next to the plush seats).

Red emperor sashimi served with sweet shrimp needed only a crisp $16 Bourke and Travers 2023 Clare Valley Riesling to bring out the delicate marine sweetness.

For the butterfly-shaped baby snapper — deboned, expertly cooked, with a smoky aioli and tart capers, croutons, gherkins and green olives — it’s a vibrant Grenache Blanc blend from Chateau La Nerthe in the Rhône Valley ($20).

Lamb rump comes with McLaren Vale’s rather tangy and flavourful Yangarra 2021 GSM ($21). And it’s also a very tasty rump, sourced from the Pyrenees in central-western Victoria. Four grassy pink slices sit atop heirloom carrots, potato dumplings and a thick gravy. Long-time executive chef Mark Axisa tosses it all together with celery root puree, which has me excited about eating more root vegetables throughout the winter.

Our server recommended a side of fries, but at $16 for a bowl of them, I would have expected something more flavorful. Thick-cut, triple-cooked fries? Dusted with seaweed powder? These fries could have come from any bowling club tavern.

To my surprise, when we asked for the small cakes to be taken away (we were full after one slice of the typical lemon tart), the sweets were served in a plastic takeaway box. At this price point, you might expect a small paper box.

On a good day, these are minor complaints. Catalina has been a reliable oyster and caviar supplier for the past three decades.

For a restaurant that serves several bottles of wine that cost $5,000 or more, the staff is also remarkably down-to-earth, adapting to the occasion, personal finances, and weather. No sunglasses? No worries.

This review was originally published on have a good weekend Magazine