Almost 90 years on, Jonah’s of Whale Beach is still a big fish in the Sydney dining scene.

From Joan Collins to Justin Bieber, celebrities have long frequented the exclusive estate, for Champagne on the terrace or a bubbling spa bath with sight lines out to sea.

If you feel deserving of such treatment, there are two ways to get there, a meandering 60-minute journey by car, or take the more glamorous route, and step out via seaplane.

After the departure of executive chef Logan Campbell last year, Jonah’s has managed to lure top chef Matteo Zamboni to the post.  

He’s a great catch, with four Michelin-starred restaurants on his CV, and a raft of experience at similar seaside stalwarts, from Quay to Pilu at Freshwater and Ormeggio at The Spit.

Younger and more progressive than chefs past, Zamboni has thrown the old menus out the impressively large windows, to incorporate a string of more playful and imaginative dishes.

This time around, there’s a mortadella ravioli paired with turnip tops and a sweet balsamic jelly to cut through the creaminess.

Oysters have always been a specialty at Jonah’s. Zamboni has given the silky bivalves a spruce-up with fresh grapefruit and a tingling pine needle oil – possibly from the Norfolks outside.

Then there’s the port-poached pear with feisty wasabi ice cream and a fizzy orange tea, served in test tubes.

The whole experience is five stars. The highly awarded wine list is an oenophile’s dream, with 82 pages of the world’s best vinos: 1600 wines at last count.

The crisp white dining room is also a pleasure to settle into, with peachy sands and splashy sea views stealing the whole show.

And, yes, if you do happen to over-indulge, you can always crash out on the $16,000 world luxury series AH Beard beds in Jonah’s on-site boutique accommodation (those bubbling spa baths are in every room bar one).

For those who appreciate the finer things in life, you’ll have a whale of a time at Jonah’s.

Must-eat dish: Sydney rock oysters with grapefruit and pine needle oil