Catalina in legal stoush

Swanky Rose Bay restaurant Catalina is now being sued by a reality TV star’s sister over what she claims was a “disappointing” wedding reception.

The case centres around Nora Miller Gazal, who is the sister of former Miss Australia and The Real Housewives of Sydney’s Nicole Gazal O’Neil.

She claims that after spending $100,000 on a dream wedding, the event didn’t go to plan.

As a result, she is now suing the waterfront restaurant for $53,266.20 in damages. And $23,711.20 of that pertains to the reception’s food.

She has not been talking that much to the media about it.

She told news.com.au that it has been “a very stressful time, under awful circumstances and we have nothing else to say, other than what was in the statement of claim”.

According to that statement of claim, she has alleged that less than 20 per cent of the amount of food she had bought was served. And she alleges that a further quarter of it was “cold and inedible”.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Catalina denied allegations it had agreed to “any requirements or requests” that the Gazals could have “full, sole and unrestricted access to the premises”.

“All I can say is we are vigorously defending all aspects of the case,” the restaurant owner Judy McMahon told news.com.au.

Nora was reportedly shattered by the event.

“She was devastated by it … the whole thing was a disaster, from the time they tried to bump-in and people were still eating dessert, to when the power went out in the middle of dinner. The airconditioning died … we were all sweating, even the wedding cake started melting,” a wedding guest told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“They ended up calling a hot dog truck to feed the 250 guests. A hot dog truck! I mean, can you imagine? Hot dogs in a carpark on a stinking hot February night, it wasn’t the wedding they had hoped for.”

Leon Getler 27th June 2018.