As you walk towards Oh Boy, a cafe perched above the sun-kissed saltwater lanes of Andrew Boy Charlton Swimming Pool, "Oh boy" barely covers it.

Framed by the glittering, fig tree-edged waters of Woolloomooloo Bay, with views of Mrs Macquaries Point, the Garden Island Naval Base and the plane tree undulations of Potts Point, its locale inspires other phrases of dazzlement: "Wow" or "This is incredible" or "Look, there's a crew member abseiling down the side of HMAS Supply (A195) docked at the Royal Australian Navy Base across the water."

The latter info comes straight from pool staff whose vantage point at the entry gate affords intel on every crew manoeuvre on docked ships across the bay. "They're always very friendly," one pool staff member says, gazing at the hull's girth. "They come here and have a swim sometimes."

All eyes fall on the nearby pool lanes. Are there Speedo-clad naval crew churning up and down its 50-metre length? Such analysis, easily tackled from the cafe's umbrella-shaded outdoor tables, is one of Oh Boy's many delights.

Others include the ability to order a blushing, softly floral Bellini cocktail from the Morning Tipple menu section, which also includes glasses of NV Cantina Trevigiana Prosecco and a Bloody Mary.

Or, if you're here for breakfast, munching through lush double-smoked ham and provolone croissants, dinky yoghurt pots topped with fruit compote, or soft milk buns layered with bacon and egg, Kewpie mayo and hot barbecue sauce.

Stirred by the abounding pool fitness displays, an order for the quinoa bowl brings a health-rousing combination of speckled grain, house pickles, beetroot, yoghurt, beans and soft-boiled eggs.

Scrambled eggs, served with curry butter and toasted sourdough, is also ordered with extras including house-cured Ora King salmon and streaky bacon from LP Quality Meats. And Merna's buttermilk sourdough crumpets, served with whipped honey butter.

It takes good food to divert attention from athletic swimmers, enormous navy boats and gleaming harbour waters and Oh Boy does the job.

The scrambled eggs are a silken mountain of luscious oeufness with crispy bacon curls and salubrious salmon. The quinoa bowl is hearty but not heavy, mixing the pickles' kick, nutty grains, fatly sliced beetroot and beans and fresh coriander leaves to good effect. The only imbalance is the boiled eggs being cold. Warm and gooey ones could ooze about freely.

But, no matter. Look, there's a muscled individual rising from the pool waters only metres from the table to towel off with a tiny square of absorbent flannel in the warming spring rays. And there, a saltwater-flecked type taking off their shirt and trousers to walk very close by in form-fitting togs … Oh boy.

Oh Boy, which opened in September, is run and owned by Emma and Adam Marshall of hospitality company Bird & Bear Group. They oversee an impressive line in waterside venues with food and drink spots ranging from Foys Kirribilli to Mosman Rowers, Navy Bear at Darling Point and Sandy Bear at Clontarf.

Their offering beside Woolloomooloo Bay is far from your average hot chips and a frozen juice box-style pool canteen. If you ask for an ice-cream, cheery staff will bring a Sunny Boy orange and ginger sorbet or a Love is Love Jersey milk gelato coated with white milk chocolate and hundreds and thousands, both from Ciccone & Sons.

The lunch menu, wide-ranging and a mix of Australian and Mediterranean, features a chicken schnitzel on soft white bread with herb aioli, grilled barramundi with fennel, handmade Fabbrica rigatoni with kale and walnut sauce and a minute steak lashed with "spiced-Vegemite sauce".

There's even a hefty salted honey biscuit amply sprinkled with cornflakes. In a nutshell, Oh Boy is peak Sydney. Friendly, sun-soaked, filled with inventive fresh food and surrounded by gobsmacking views and the prospect of sailors jumping off the side of enormous ships.

Go for the vista, stay for the victuals and swim with the scantily clad defence forces under the golden almost-summer sunshine.

The low-down

Vibe Sparkling waterside cafe with sparky menu, morning cocktails and a wow-wee public pool.

Go-to dish Scrambled eggs with curry butter and a fragrant Bellini.