In early December, weeks before Santa is due to make his pilgrimage from the North Pole to Down Under, Chermside locals will awake to find an early Christmas present on the doorstep.
Brand-new 40-seat cafe and wine bar Coda will soon open at the base of Gardner Vaughn Group’s Estilo on the Park apartment building on Kittyhawk Drive. But it’s not Kris Kringle that northsiders will have to thank for the fresh addition – this newcomer is the brainchild of mother-daughter duo Donna and Jordan, Chermside locals that are taking it upon themselves to open the kind of venue they believe the area deserves.
“Long before Jordan was born, we loved to entertain and feed people” says Donna. “We loved this idea of having a communal space with a piazza mentality, but inside is a European-style wine bar that starts with coffee in the morning and goes through into the afternoon … it’s part of the rhythm of your day.”
The duo has worked with Dreampods Group to create a space that could transition from a light-filled daytime eatery to intimate after-dark haunt. Aesthetically, the venue will layer warm natural textures through lime-washed walls, natural-look timber, rich green tones and marble surfaces, with brass details and ambient lighting providing accents of quiet luxury.
“We were trying to find that middle point where we could transition from being welcoming for brekkie but then still kind of have a little bit of a mood with the wood,” explains Jordan. “Meanwhile, a lot of the textures in terms of the rendering of the curved bulkheads ties into the overall theming of the building.”
“It’s not going to feel like you’re in a bar to have breakfast and at night, with a little change to the lighting, I think it translates well into a place you’d want to go for drinks after work or date night,” adds Donna.
Coda’s offering will shift to reflect the time of day, starting in the morning with invigorating brews from Veneziano Coffee Roasters (the team will be pouring its Elevate blend) and artisanal tea from The Steepery Tea Co. On the food front, Jordan informs us that Coda will keep things concise but seasonal, with dine-in fare on offer alongside cabinet goodies baked in house.
“We’ll have light meals – things like tartines, plus egg-based dishes like frittata and shakshuka,” says Jordan. “There will also be home-cooked stuff for cabinets, such as cakes, and we’ll have Ploughman’s boards that lead into the charcuterie, before we swap to the afternoon and evening menu.”
As the day progresses, expect Coda’s menu to transition towards grazing-style dishes, with snacks and share plates segueing into a clutch of larger plates that customers can select from.
Coda’s will be pouring 36 wines by the glass via high-tech Enomatic wine dispensers, backed by a five-strong collection of barrel-aged cocktails inspired by the Mediterranean, a signature spritz and a selection of inventive non-alcoholic options.
“It’s a really fun way for people to start to adventure – you don’t feel the pressure because you don’t have to buy a bottle to get the adventurous wines, you can just start with a 30-ml pour,” says Jordan. “It also gives us the ability to have some names people know and love, and then the same goes to being able to occasionally splash out and have a half-glass of something fancy that they’ve always wanted to try.”
Coda will open to the public in early December. Keep your eyes peeled for more!