NewsBite

Advertisement

Catalina

Oh, we do like to drink chardonnay by the seaside.

Lemon tart with raspberries.
1 / 6Lemon tart with raspberries. Supplied
The indoor and outdoor dining at Catalina.
2 / 6The indoor and outdoor dining at Catalina.Jennifer Soo
Line-caught butterflied baby snapper with smoked garlic aioli.
3 / 6Line-caught butterflied baby snapper with smoked garlic aioli.Jennifer Soo
White Pyrenees lamb rump with potato dumplings.
4 / 6White Pyrenees lamb rump with potato dumplings.Jennifer Soo
Crudo of red emperor and amaebi prawn.
5 / 6Crudo of red emperor and amaebi prawn.Jennifer Soo
Catalina overlooks Rose Bay.
6 / 6Catalina overlooks Rose Bay. Jennifer Soo

Good Food hat15.5/20

Contemporary$$$

If you were looking for a reason why Catalina is still immensely popular after three decades, it might be the kind of service that offers sunglasses if you forgot a pair of your own. There’s also that bay view, the sweeping room and bronze Brett Whiteley pelican, and a shiny new travertine entrance installed after a refurbishment last year.

Meanwhile, the cellar has plenty of fine options, whether it’s riesling to bring out the sea-sweet flavour of red emperor crudo with spot prawns, or grenache blanc for butterflied baby snapper – boned, deftly cooked and nudging a tumble of capers and green olives.

Chef Mark Axisa knows his way around meat, too, and blushing lamb rump with a ribbon of grassy fat is rested across potato dumplings, heirloom carrots and lip-sticking jus.

Advertisement

None of this comes cheap, but when lunch calls for linen napkins and good ol’ fashioned hospitality, Catalina routinely nails the brief.

Continue this series

Eastern Suburbs
Up next
Yakitori skewers at Chaco Bar in Darlinghurst.

Chaco Bar

Charming izakaya powered by charcoal.

The chilli chicken and coriander ramen at Chaco Ramen.

Chaco Ramen

A humble space for a hearty ramen.

Previous
Caravin’s smoked beetroot tartare.

Caravin

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?

See all stories

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement

Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/goodfood/nsw-good-food-guide/catalina-20240106-p5evjs.html