Red Lily

Bypass the thumping Vietnamese restaurant at the front and slide your way down the back of the Surry Hills outpost of Red Lantern for a nice surprise.

In a refreshing twist to the usual bar-in-a-restaurant scenario, this one-year-old restaurant has hidden its bar out the back, creating a secret opium den-like space covered in red wallpaper and classy Indochine-inspired furniture.

If this is how they did it in the old Saigon, we'll gladly go back in time.

The cocktail bar, named Red Lily, is no bigger than a bathroom but designed very cleverly - high stools at the bar, narrow tables along the mirrored wall and a glass door skinnier than a Hanoi high-rise that opens onto Crown Lane, home of Love Tilley Devine and a dodgy car park.

During the week it's quiet and cosy, on Fridays and Saturdays it's rammed, rambunctious and awkwardly tiny.

The bar snacks come straight from Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen's kitchen so you know they're good. The only problem is finding some table space.

Rice paper rolls (either with seared tuna, poached duck breast or Asian mushrooms) are the classic starter but we go for Banh Bot Chien, an intriguing-sounding collection of little rice cakes topped with tiger prawns, caramelised pork, pork floss and shallot oil ($18).

The pork floss looks like mouldy brown hair festering on top of a mound of goodies but don't be put off - it's an outstanding dish. I could eat it all night long but we move on to noodles with Angus strip loin, king salmon salads and devilishly fatty duck.

The dishes are all fabulous, quick and great for sharing but watch the dollar count because it can quickly creep up.

Cocktails are flowing at pace on a Friday night and are the kind of regal drinks that you can picture the wealthy sipping in colonial Vietnam. There's plenty of lychee, fresh spice and flashy spirits being splashed around in fancy glassware.

The Pham Fatale is the signature drink (Kaffir lime leaf vodka, lychee liqueur, ginger liqueur, fresh lemon juice, coconut water, $18) and is light, bright and summery.

For something dark and strong, the Love You Rhum Time (Matusalem 15-year-old Gran Reserva, Marie Brizard Vanille de Madagascar, Fee Brothers Aztec chocolate bitters, $18) and the Clove and Banana Old Fashioned (Maker's Mark Bourbon, TMD banana liqueur, Angostura bitters, cloves, agave syrup, lemon, $18) are served up short and sharp but the latter isn't quite as flavoursome as I had hoped. And my companion thinks it tastes medicinal.

We finish off the night with a sugary-sweet Vietnamese Affogato Martini (Patron XO Cafe, Vietnamese coffee, $18) complete with floating ice-cream scoop - never mind dessert.

Beers and wine cover a good mix that will have something for most people. Of the Vietnamese beers, the Bia Hanoi ($10) is a winner - a delicious, crisp lager-style beer that is designed to go with Hanoi street food and does so perfectly.

With excellent food and drinks almost a given in Sydney's small bars these days, the pulling power of Red Lily is in its bite-sized charm.

It's a gem of a find that you almost don't want to share with your friends.

As we're tucked in tight, sinking cocktails in a seductive little Vietnamese hideout in a secret back alley, we've almost got to ask whether we're actually in Sydney.

You'll love it if … you love discovering hidden small bars

You'll hate it if … you have a big group

Go for … Aunty's rice cakes, Pham Fatale, Bia Hanoi