Having just celebrated its 20th birthday, Catalina Rose Bay is a Sydney icon which moves with the times, offering a fine dining experience with a casual feel and great service.
The restaurant sits prominently at a waterfront location and the length of the dining room utilises its windows looking out to the water, allowing guests to admire the views including seagulls gliding past into the night. Whilst most tables were occupied, the few that weren’t sat very pretty with white table cloths and fresh napkins folded perfectly, imperfectly – almost adding a visual ‘oomph’ to the setting and demonstrating attention to detail.
Having already heard good thing about Catalina’s cocktail menu, once we were seated, we decided to accept our waiter’s assistance to choose a couple of starters – a Ginger & Lemon Martini and a Passionfruit Margarita. They were both a welcomed and refreshing start to our evening.
Crispy pork belly with pan seared sea scallops, lemon emulsion, chorizo, cuttlefish and pickle pepper coulis
First impressions count and this dish is very visually pleasing. The scallops were perfectly seared and the pork belly was moist and the crackling was crispy – exactly what we were looking for!
Char grilled quail salad, roasted hazelnuts, orange, pickled golden beetroot, witlof and caramelised palm sugar balsamic dressing.
Quail is one of my personal favourites and this particular dish intrigued me with its combined flavours and textures. The quail was delicate and tender and the addition of hazelnuts & an orange slide paired well with the sweetness of the balsamic. The egg was cooked perfectly and the yolk was still runny. An overall enjoyable dish – one I’ll definitely be ordering again when I return!
Crispy skin Cone Bay Barramundi with Spanner crab parcel, enoki mushroom, sage and eschalot cream.
The barramundi was cooked perfectly, the skin nice and crispy and it was interestingly perched on top of a tasty spanner crab and cabbage parcel. The flavours were complimentary and creamy sauce was balanced.
Lobster, fettucine nero, tomato and chilli infused lobster oil.
We were looking forward to this dish and it didn’t disappoint. The lobster was thoughtfully presented in bite-sized pieces making it much easier to eat together with the fettuccine. The chilli cut through the richness of the sauce. Overall a beautiful and hearty dish.
Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée with poached rhubarb and marmalade ice cream
Simple yet elegant – the creme brûlée was presented uniquely and a very delicious finale to our evening meal.
Catalina Rose Bay
Lynne Park, Rose Bay, Sydney
PH: (02) 9371 0555
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