Coda has always been good,but 14 years on,is it the best it’s ever been?

Did you know Melbourne has a time machine and it can take you to 2009? The prawn betel leaf snack at Coda was on the opening menu 14 years ago and it’s still there now. Why? Because it’s brilliant. This folded fried morsel is a crisp chorus of prawn,lemongrass and green chilli with the iridescent green of the leaf
shining through. It’s bouncy and bright,bubbly and light and an excellent argument for messing with the space-time continuum.

Not much else has been bolted to the menu but Coda feels like Coda. The laneway entrance and subterranean setting still make it feel like a secret find. The el cheapo fitout (chicken wire light shades,distressed finishes) is timelessly chic. There’s energy that comes from a strong sense of identity,underpinned by
experienced staff and given breath each day by diners who are thrilled to be there. It’s a great Melbourne restaurant,pure and simple.

Owners Kate and Mykal Bartholomew recentlyended their partnership with co-founding chef Adam d’Sylva. In the early days,d’Sylva’s menus were a unique amalgam of French and Vietnamese,more juxtaposition than fusion (think bechamel snails next to duck curry). It was wild but it worked:everything was as delicious as it was daring.

Current head chef Hendri Budiman was there in those days,too. He boomeranged back to Coda in between stints at Spice Temple,Lee Ho Fook and Tonka,the younger sister to Coda.

His menus are seasonal:there’ll be more Thai and Vietnamese in summer,and as we head into winter,the flavours are heavier and heartier,tumbling towards northern China.

The hot and numbing lamb is like a 2am collision of shawarma and loaded hummus on a backstreet in Xinjiang. Slow-cooked lamb shoulder is shredded and fried,dressed with chilli oil,and piled over a blend of tofu and chickpeas. We were advised to order roti to mop up. Excellent suggestion. I would have been face-first in the bowl otherwise.

An eggplant dish is a vegan spin on Sichuan’s dan dan noodles. Gorgeously chewy mung bean flour noodles,jasmine tea-smoked eggplant and herby salad are neatly arranged above a creamy sesame and peanut butter dressing. A vinegar and chilli sauce is wingman. Mix it all together to get a dish of exemplary balance,clean and rich at the same time.

This team’s extraordinary facility with texture comes through in a bubble tea-inspired dessert of winter melon sorbet,salty cheese foam and finger lime,and in the fun fried rice that gets its savoury spine from bacalao (Euro salt cod) and its crunch from nubbles of fried tempura batter. Every bite is an adventure.

Coda is a great Melbourne restaurant,pure and simple.

Coda has always been good but is it possible it’s the best it’s ever been? It feels grounded but zingy,poised but nimble as it melds some of the best bits of 2009 with the marvels of 2023.