Sweet endings at Coda

Business Times

16 hours ago

[SINGAPORE] The centrepiece of many watering holes is a gleaming display of liquor bottles behind the bar, in a parade of familiar brand names.
Yet what is striking at Coda isn't this visual cue, but its glaring absence. There are no bottles behind the bar, nor brand names on the menu.
These omissions were the deliberate choice of owner Michel Lu. The aim is to encourage customers to judge each drink 'on its own merit', rather than rely on recognisable names to form conclusions, he said.
'I wanted this to be a clean and pure space,' said Lu, who also founded pan-Asian craft spirits brand The Orientalist Spirits.
'It's not about whether this is a Macallan cocktail, or an Orientalist Spirits cocktail. What matters are the flavours, and how you enjoy the drink.'
A space within a space
Getting to Coda is so tricky that guests who make reservations receive a text message with directions.
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First, take an escalator to the second floor of the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay.
Next, push past curtains on the right to enter a dim, box-like room lined with mirrors. Finally, locate a blinking blue sensor beside a candle – a wave of the hand will trigger a door to open into Coda's main 16-seater room.
The experience is meant to be disorienting, said Lu. 'When you first arrive, you're like, 'What do I do?' We wanted a portal that would insulate the actual space, so that we'd never be disrupted by light or sound.'
At Coda, there are no bottles behind the bar. By removing visible alcohol brands, owner Michel Lu aims to encourage customers to judge each drink 'on its own merit'. PHOTO: CODA
Coda's interior is minimalist, with small tables along a long leather couch and a few armchairs. An adjoining 10-seater room is usually closed to the public, but can be booked for private events.
Soft furnishings – a carpeted floor, false suede ceiling and thick curtains – create a cosy cocoon while absorbing sound. Warm cove lighting and a gentle woody fragrance complete the vibe.
In the spotlight – literally – is a custom-built bar counter near the centre of the room.
As the only spot with direct lighting, the bar was designed to resemble a stage, with the bartender as its star, said Lu. The open concept also invites guests to even go behind the counter to speak with the bartender.
A coda is the concluding segment of a piece of music or literary work. General manager Treyna Zhang hopes the bar can similarly be a place where customers round off their day. 'We look forward to being that sweet spot, that little happy ending for you at the end.'
Spotlighting Asian spirits and flavours
Coda's cocktail menu features 16 signature tipples in four sections, each themed after a different mood. For instance: tranquillity for Blue Hour, eternal happiness for Elysian Fields, chaos for Fragmented Consciousness, and bliss for Chasing Fireflies.
Blue Hour – an actual term that refers to the period just before sunrise or after sunset – thus features subtler flavours, while Fragmented Consciousness offers experimental options that incorporate unlikely ingredients from kimchi to artichoke.
At Coda, Asian spirits and flavours are the focus – beginning with a complimentary welcome drink of local black tea infused with bergamot liqueur, inspired by a classic negroni.
'Whether you're from South Asia, China, South Korea, Japan or Taiwan, tea unites Asia. The West drinks tea, but it's from Asia,' said Lu, noting that several cocktails on the menu contain tea notes.
These include the bar's bestseller, the Coda Martini, in which vodka is mixed with rooibos tea and tieguanyin, then finished off with a dash of Calvados.
The bar's bestseller is the Coda Martini, in which vodka is mixed with rooibos tea and tieguanyin, then finished off with a dash of Calvados. PHOTO: CODA
While it is a spin on the classic vodka martini, other drinks stray further from their source. A re-imagining of the Singapore Sling, the cocktail Fling retains only the original recipe's gin base and pineapple juice.
'The Singapore Sling is a very dated, sexist drink from colonial times; it's not a great drink, but it represents Singapore,' said Lu. 'I felt it was time to create something more befitting of Singapore today.'
Fling is a variation of the Singapore Fling, which Lu launched in 2024 at Marina Bay Sands' Spago Bar & Lounge.
'Back then, I had actually created the Singapore Fling as a contemporary take on the Singapore Sling,' he explained. 'But we wanted to do a more elegant and cleaner version for Coda, which resulted in Fling.'
The Singapore Fling and Fling share a recipe: a gin base infused with chrysanthemum, snow pear and red dates, then combined with Lillet rose, hibiscus sour plum tea, pineapple juice, calamansi juice and ginger flower water.
The difference is in the execution: the Singapore Fling is shaken, while Fling is clarified.
Those looking to turn up the heat can order Smoke, Coda's only hot cocktail.
Described by Lu as an 'Asian-style' hot toddy, Smoke is a blend of three whiskeys; honey lemon fermented for two-and-a-half years; and the Japanese roasted tea iribancha, for an extra touch of smokiness.
Besides cocktails, Coda offers limited categories of beer, sake, champagne and wine. A Japanese food menu will be launched in July, and will offer a la carte dishes such as udon, bara chirashi and sashimi.
Fling