He left Sunda as sous chef early in 2023 for a head chef role at Firebird in Windsor. Now, rising star Nabil Ansari is returning to Sunda as head chef when the Punch Lane restaurant reopens in November after a facelift.

“I was in the opening team at Sunda more than five years ago,” says the Mumbai-born chef. “It always gave me that feeling of home.”

When founding chef Khanh Nguyen abruptly left Sunda and sister restaurant Aru in July, Ansari’s phone rang. “I got the offer to come back,” he says.

Sunda is part of the restaurant group owned by Adi Halim under the Windsor Melbourne banner; newly opened Antara 128 is also part of the gang. “The Windsor group is more like a family than an employer,” says Ansari. “That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to go back.”

Because Ansari was on a sponsored employment visa, moving workplaces was an administrative challenge. To his delight and surprise, his permanent residency application was recently approved, meaning he was free to return to Sunda. He leaves on good terms with Commune Group, the owners of Firebird. “It’s such a small industry,” says Ansari. “They have supported me.”

When Sunda reopens mid-November, individual tables and banquettes will replace communal tables and benches. The upstairs area will have a larger bar ready for snacks and drinks. The South-East Asian menu will be all-new too, with a return to a la carte after a period as a tasting menu-only offering.

“There will also be a bit of Indian here and there,” says Ansari, who won fans for his lockdown curry and naan side hustle. “I went to Malaysia and Singapore for a small research trip recently and realised the Indian influence is massive, especially from the south, so I’m incorporating that.”

One dish will be a prawn jungle curry with uttapam (a pancake made with a fermented batter of rice and lentils) brushed with prawn head sambal. “I was going to do it with Parker rolls, but uttapam makes complete sense,” he says.

Ansari will also pick up on a trend of scooping tiramisu tableside. “We’re thinking about that and also the tofu fa pudding that’s served at yum cha,” he says. “We’re going to make our own soy milk, make tofu pudding and serve it right at the table from wooden containers.”

18 Punch Lane, Melbourne, 03 9654 8190, sunda.com.au