Noosa lures Sydney chef Andy Davies and that signature dish

The chef who created one of Sydney's most-loved signature dishes is defecting to Queensland, driven out by our soaring property prices.

Andy Davies dreamt up his tuna and angel-hair pasta at Bondi's Sports Bar in 1994 and has been cooking it ever since.

Now he'll take the dish, which has survived fads and fast-moving Sydney culinary fashion, to Noosa.

Davies confirmed he'll depart the Bondi Tratt, where he has been cooking the dish for the past 10 years, in October. The chef explains Sydney's cost of living is one of the main reasons behind the move, and he plans to eventually open a restaurant in the Queensland resort town.

Like most signature dishes, Davies' creation has caused controversy over the years. A few years ago a social media campaign flared up when then Hugos Manly chef Massimo Mele, who had worked with Davies, put a tweaked version of the dish on the menu.

Fans and colleagues of Davies became increasingly frustrated by references on TV and in print to it being Mele's dish. Davies is resigned to his famed creation staying after he's left town.

"It'll certainly remain on the menu at the Tratt," he says.

Is he sick of cooking it after all these years? "You can't get sick of something that gives so much joy."