Sydney waterfront dining ‘takes off’ with launch of Sydney Seaplanes Lounge at prime Rose Bay harbour location
3 February 2025:
Leading hospitality and hotel entrepreneur Dr Jerry Schwartz has acquired the Empire Lounge on the harbour waterfront at Rose Bay and will relaunch the venue as Sydney Seaplanes Lounge.
The acquisition of the prestigious venue complements his majority ownership in Sydney Seaplanes, which will increase to full ownership in mid-2025. Sydney Seaplanes operates scenic tours from the Rose Bay Wharf, where the restaurant is situated.The seaplane tours and restaurant have been popular with international and interstate visitors as well as locals seeking one of Sydney’s best outlooks combined with quality dining and drinks menus.
The restaurant’s previous name, the Empire Lounge, derived from the 1938 flying boats, reflecting the venue’s deep-rooted connection to Sydney’s aviation heritage.
With the launch of the venue as Sydney Seaplanes Lounge comes a distinguished new Head Chef, Natali Mikailoğlu, whose culinary journey is as dynamic as the venue itself.
Mikailoğlu’s passion for food and travel has taken her across various gastronomic landscapes, enriching her culinary repertoire. Her professional experience includes roles at esteemed establishments such as The Boathouse Group, Rockpool, and Merivale, where she honed her skills and developed a distinctive approach to modern Australian cuisine.
“Under Chef Natali’s leadership, Sydney Seaplanes Lounge will focus on fresh, seasonal produce with a particular focus on locally sourced seafood. The menu showcases Natali’s innovative take on modern Australian cuisine, offering dishes such as the creamy Thai-style barramundi curry, Mediterranean pan-fried snapper with sweet baby sugar plum tomato and Sicilian olives, and a seafood spaghetti featuring melt-in-the-mouth calamari, plump juicy muscles, and hearty prawns.”
Befitting the waterfront location and its ‘special occasion’ popularity, Mikailoğlu has put together a decadent Seaplanes Seafood Platter featuring a range of hot and cold seasonal seafood selections which can be shared on the deck over lunch or as dusk sets.
Mikailoğlu also regularly lists a range of specials, including WA whole lobster, and exquisite house-cured salmon pastrami, a Mikailoğlu family recipe passed down through the generations.
Alongside the numerous seafood options, you’ll also find bistro favourites, with the signature burger including a beef brisket patty ‘with THE LOT’ – egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, pickles and caramelised onion in a brioche bun topped with black and white sesame seeds.
The cocktails and drinks menu has also been totally redesigned making the venue even more attractive for afternoon and evening drinks, taking advantage of the large deck and glistening waters from all tables on the wharf frontage.
With those drinks in hand, you can enjoy some of the share plates of the new Seaplanes bar menu featuring house-made white cod taramasalata, large plates of Queensland tiger prawns, and the moreish Appellation Oysters served with apple mignonette granita, finger lime, and a squeeze of lemon.
“I draw inspiration daily from the Rose Bay waterfront, which invokes my childhood memories of growing up in Istanbul overlooking the Bosphorus, says Mikailoğlu. The two locations may be a world apart, but they offer a similar calming effect, which inspires me to produce dishes with a taste of the Eastern Mediterranean in this harbourside pocket of Sydney.”
Hours of operation:
Sydney Seaplanes Lounge operates during the following hours:
Tuesday to Friday- between 12noon and 9pm,
Weekends- from 8am to 9pm, with special menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner and alfresco drinks.
The restaurant offers combined dining, drinks and scenic tours with Sydney Seaplanes.
These include Champagne Brunch and Lunch packages that offer the ultimate visual and taste experience of Sydney Harbour.
About Sydney Seaplanes Lounge
Sydney Seaplanes Lounge is also available for bespoke functions and events, offering Sydney’s finest address and ambience.
The venue has been a long-time favourite for weddings and memorable celebrations, catering for up to 160 guests. Newlyweds can literally fly off into the sunset onboard a Sydney Seaplanes’ scenic flight.The launch of Sydney Seaplanes Lounge offers a totally new chapter in the Rose Bay venue’s rich heritage while paying homage to its aviation roots as the arrival point for the famous Qantas flying boats that opened up the ‘Kangaroo Route’ in 1938. That was the epitome of the luxe life, which now takes off again at Sydney Seaplanes Lounge.
Website and bookings: https://www.seaplanes.com.au/empire-lounge/
