Roy's Seafood Tapas Oyster Bar

LOCATION
Just a two-minute walk from Bondi Beach, Bondi Hotel and the Swiss Grand Hotel.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Well, who’d a thunk it? Behind the facade of another Curlewis shopfront, you’ll discover Roy’s Seafood Tapas Oyster Bar which is a groovy joint that opens surprisingly out into a spacious, social mecca. Follow the red, white and black wall mural (designed and painted by the owner’s son) past tables and a mosaic-tiled bar to find what is endearingly referred to as the Tapas Garden. Communal tables, banana lounges, couches and other funky forms of seating arrangements encourage a myriad of delicious outdoor affairs whether you’re a tete-a-tete twosome or a crew of comrades. Get cosy with a “big Roy” cocktail with fresh ruby grapefruit juice, Pimms and a dash of cranberry juice, and slurp down a couple oysters to whet the appetite as you peruse the menu.

Chiefly designed for sharing, each dish is simply devised and easily adaptable to fit any appetite, budget or hankering. Load up your table with plates of soft shell crab with herb aioli, scallops with apple salad, watercress, olive oil and chilli, and garlic prawns with marjoram cream and organic sourdough. For the landlubbers, there’s marinated Wagyu beef, Spanish chorizo with tomato and garlic sauce, and a mezze plate laden with cheese, roast tomato, capsicum, frittata, olives, babaganoush, fruit and bread. An interesting wine list pans the vines of western Europe and Australia, complementing the cuisine knowledgably, and a dj spins his magic on Friday and Saturday nights, adding to the jovial atmosphere.

Annabel Wise