Darlings PastaClub

Darlings is the night-time pasta bar at 66 Smith Street, opened by the operator behind Ray's Patisserie & Cafe — itself the evolution of the long-running Alley Cats. Pasta is the entire proposition: rolled and cut by hand on the premises, served Monday to Saturday from 5pm with the kitchen running until 9pm. The menu rotates around classic Italian forms — carbonara, bolognese, lamb ragù, clam fettuccine, prawn tagliatelle, roast pumpkin tortellini, stuffed calamari with XO butter — with the operator describing the kitchen as "an ode to traditional techniques with our own spin" rather than authentic Italian. Australian wines, classic cocktails, $20 classic pastas at happy hour from 5–6pm. Behind Ray's, accessed through the same Smith Street courtyard.