Catalina Restaurant and Regatta

Given this is a column called Barhop, I don't do a lot of hopping. Heck, most weekly reviews involve little more than a shuffle on a bar stool and a lap of the room. At best, a trek to the loos to see if we're talking a L'occitane, Aesop or Palmolive Softwash kind of joint.

I felt it was time for a tipple trek and what better stretch of road for such an adventure than the one kilometre separating Catalina and Regatta in Rose Bay? I slipped on my Sperry Top-Siders and best orange chinos (even though I hadn't recently returned from Mauritius, I felt it was important everybody in Rose Bay thought I had) and off we went.

Catalina is not a Palmolive Softwash kind of joint. It's where you might get bottarga on your Bottega after too many bellinis ($17). I've never cared for the late-90s yacht-club interior but that bay view is one for the ages. The best way to enjoy it is from a seat on the verandah and the best way to jag a seat on the verandah is to eat at the bar.

Traditionally a holding pen for the restaurant proper, the bar now sports its own menu and accommodates correctly-attired blow-ins. In addition to sashimi from long-standing sushi master Yoshi Fuchigami, you can snack on Oritz anchovies with tomato salsa on grilled sourdough ($14), jamon iberico and tomato bruschetta ($12), and an excellent cheese board ($39) which on this visit featured Saint Agur blue, Maffra cheddar and the ultimate date-night double-cream, Fromager d'Affinois.

Shucked-to-order Sydney rock oysters ($4.50) are served on ice with each drop of their delicious, Pambula Lake brine still in the shell. Natural is always best, but I don't dislike the lime, chilli and tobikko (flying fish roe) oyster option here, and actually love the grilled guy blanketed in a meaty garlic and tomato butter crumb. They all match terrifically well with a glass of floral and smoky Domaine de l'Arjolle 2011 viognier blend ($22) from France's Cotes-de-Thongue region.

My date and I figured it was necessary to share a $45 cocktail because, like Everest, "it was there" and wanted to know what a $45 cocktail tasted like. Turns out the "XO" – a martini glass of Paul Giraud XO cognac, Grand Marnier and Joseph Cartron peach liqueur shaken with fresh lemon – is boozy, tarty and utterly drinkable. It's also still a waste of good cognac.

Boy, I wish I'd packed a hand-reel and pilchards so I could throw in a line on the 10-minute walk to Regatta after such a tipple. Or from the balcony at Regatta itself. The bar staff are so relaxed and accommodating, I reckon they still would have served me after I'd visibly and literally tied one on.

Once Sailors Club and Pier before that, Regatta at Rose Bay Marina has a smart little bar and a penchant for royal blue. The cocktail list is more composed than Catalina's, which features nine different martinis and an unhealthy obsession with lychees. The Sunset Collins ($20) involves Four Pillars gin mixed with housemade blood-orange cordial, lemon juice and soda. It's exactly what you want to drink at five in afternoon, as is a refreshing 2013 Tim Adams riesling ($10/$50) from the Clare Valley.

We try some salmon and ham-hock croquettes ($12 for five) that could have done with another minute in the fryer, and consider ordering a fish slider with smoked pancetta and green chilli mayo ($10). But, dagnabbit, I can't sit on the water and not eat natural oysters ($4.50 each) by the bucket load.

The pacifics at Regatta are some of the saltiest andcreamiest I've had. "They're from Fleurtys Point in Tasmania," said one of the staff. "Don't you just want to live there?"

Well, yes. Maybe. But while quaffing riesling in front of a golden harbour and watching tiny dogs chase tiny waves on the shoreline, moving to Rose Bay seems like the grandest idea ever. Thirty isn't too old to start a career in investment banking, is it?

THE LOW-DOWN
Go for… oysters on the harbour in its Sunday best.
Stay for… dinner at either restaurant.
Drink… wine from Catalina's knock-out cellar.
And… don't wait for a sunny day. Watching rain pelt down on Rose Bay from the comfort of a sheltered verandah has its own charms.

Catalina Restaurant and Regatta

Address Catalina, Lynne Park, Rose Bay, 9371 0555; Regatta, 594 New South Head Road, Rose Bay, 9237 6561

Bar hours Catalina Mon-Sat noon-midnight, 12pm-12am, Sun noon12pm-6pm; Regatta Tues-Sat noon12pm-5pm