April is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated months of the year in Australia Not only do we have two long weekends to look forward to, but the opening of The Sundays – a glamorous $30 million boutique hotel on Hamilton Island. Adding to the excitement, acclaimed chefs Josh and Julie Niland are set to unveil a stunning waterfront restaurant as part of the new luxury escape – and have just dropped a sneak peek of the menu ahead of its grand debut on April 24.
Unlike Niland’s other award-winning restaurants – including his long-standing Fish Butchery and newly launched Saint Peter – the Catseye Pool Club won’t be a seafood restaurant. While the renowned ‘fish butcher’ will stay true to his trailblazing nose-to-tail approach to cooking, this time he’s expanding the menu to feature premium land-based proteins and fresh produce from the Queensland coast. The father of four has also designed dishes to cater for the whole family, celebrating the cherished Australian tradition of sharing meals by the sea.
Niland says: “Whilst 'family style' or 'share style' dining is very much a way restaurants have operated for many years, the Catseye Pool Club approaches its menu with each item very much designed to be enjoyed as a whole table, with all the trimmings coming with each dish.”
This week, Niland unveiled a sneak peek at his debut menu, which features two standout seafood dishes: Eastern Rock lobster served with floury white bread rolls, tarragon mayonnaise, salted butter, salted chilli and lemon; and coral trout baked in salt pastry, paired with vadouvan roast cauliflower, garlic saltbush and warrigal greens, pickled sultanas and finger lime butter sauce. Meat lovers can look forward to roast heritage Sommerlad chicken accompanied by slow-cooked zucchini, tomato and grilled bread salad, chicken fat roast potatoes and garlic aioli; and Coppertree Farm grass-fed beef rib eye, served with boiled greens, fries, chimichurri, black garlic béarnaise and relish.
Guests can end on a sweet note with nostlagic, housemade sundaes in flavours like Daintree chocolate, Bloomfield vanilla and Queensland strawberry – with soft cream, waffle and melted chocolate on top. To complete the experience, Saint Peter bar director Sam Cocks has curated a Queensland ingredient-focused cocktail menu.
Mornings at Catseye Pool Club will be just as tempting, with an exclusive breakfast menu for hotel guests. Guests can wake up with fresh pastries or spanner crab royale while watching the sunrise over the incredible Whitsunday Islands, or unwind beneath swaying palm trees by the pool, with the menu extending to the hotel’s poolside sun loungers. Now that’s our idea of paradise.
The Sundays and Catseye Pool Club will open on April 24, 2025, and you can find out more here.