Honeycomb

A Saturday afternoon trip to Honeycomb, Andy Bunn's new venture after Cafe Sopra, requires a strategy. A bicycle or bus ticket strategy.

Darlinghurst is no place to casually assume a parking space awaits. Unless you like trawling crowded streets, or you're a local, arrive early.

Then you can munch on fantastic hot chips as your companions send ''Still looking for a park'' text messages for the next half hour.

Set on a corner near leafy residential terraces and a small cluster of shops, Honeycomb has the feel of a secret locals' restaurant.

It's small, with a big bi-fold window, outdoor ledge seating and a cosy, verging on cramped, seating plan. There's an elegantly relaxed vibe.

Angular, golden lightshades and pale wood panels share a theme of honeycomb-like perforations. Narrow shelves of wine rest above a narrow kitchen servery and, at night, one wall glows yellow from strips of concealed lighting.

To catch the sun, we're sitting on cushions outside on a wide window ledge. A snazzy two-legged table balances on the ledge between us. It is awkward wedging our legs sideways under the table - and I'm practically sitting on a woman who is behind me inside the restaurant. She does entertain, though. ''He must not go to Portofino without you again,'' she tells her dining partner. Then, to us: ''I overheard you ordering the banoffee pie. Such congratulations.''

Of all the excellent foodstuffs Andy Bunn oversaw at Cafe Sopra, few inspire as much awe as the banoffee pie. But first, lunch.

I've started with the big bowl of crunchy chips - thick and liberally sprinkled with sea salt. With lunch companion installed, we order pan-fried sardines and tuna carpaccio.

We're stumped how to share the carpaccio, served with olive tapenade and shaved fennel. Food flecks spray wildly during the plate transfer. But it is sparky with flavour - rich olive, melty fresh fish and supple strips of tangy fennel.

There are no sharing hiccups with the sardines because we can't get enough of them. Crisp golden brown, the piled sardines are served on stewed tomatoes, dolloped with pesto and sluiced with fresh lemon. A gentle fight ensues for the last one.

Next comes spinach and ricotta raviolini, and orecchiette with prawn, chilli, garlic and parsley.

The raviolini's filling is velvety and full of flavour. Speckled with baby basil and swiped through a thick pool of rich tomato sauce, it is hearty without a hint of stodge.

Equally excellent is the orecchiette - the fat curls of pasta and prawns pair well with the chilli heat. Sides are just as good. Warm truss tomatoes burst gladly in the mouth. The wild rocket with reggiano and aged balsamic is a meal in itself.

Service is prompt and cheery, but pushed - two people work hard to look after nearly 40 people in a tightly packed room.

Banoffee pie and creme brulee arrive. The brulee's sweet and creamy interior is satin-soft, but we nearly lose our spoons in the thick but marvellous layers of buttery biscuit, ripe banana and caramel of the pie.

''Isn't it glorious,'' says the woman at my back, leaning on me after a few wines. And all of it is. Fresh, well-proportioned and full-bodied food in an exceptionally close-knit space.

Menu Italian and European, with great produce and innovative dishes.

Value Good. Dishes from $4-$32.

Recommended dishes Tuna carpaccio, banoffee pie.

HONEYCOMB
354 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, 9331 3387
Tues-Fri, noon-3pm, 6pm-10pm; Sat, 9am-3pm, 6pm-10pm; Sun, 9am-3pm, 5pm-9pm
Licensed, no BYO