Laneway favourite Sunda has reopened after a month-long refresh with a new head chef, brand-new menu and a return to a la carte dining after a period as a degustation-only restaurant. Nabil Ansari is in charge of the kitchen, returning to the restaurant he helped open in 2018.

“I’m very happy,” says the chef, who spent much of the past year cooking at Firebird in Windsor.

“There’s great energy in the restaurant. This venue is designed for loud music and high energy but when we went to a degustation menu it became a bit too quiet. Now people are laughing, mingling, enjoying. It pumps up the kitchen; it’s what we want to do.”

The food is inspired by cuisines of South-East Asia with some influences from Ansari’s Indian background. The only dish that harks back to founding chef Khanh Nguyen is a snack of Nyonya-style pie tee pastry shells, filled now with corn custard.

Idlis (south Indian savoury steamed cakes made from fermented rice and lentil batter) are served the way Ansari’s mum used to make them.

“She would deep-fry her idli,” he says. “They get super crispy on the outside and the middle stays nice and soft.” He’s pairing them with prawns and a jungle curry sauce.

Pickled mussels are served over a Chinese-style potato stir-fry that’s dressed with coconut curry. A spinach and lamb curry recalls Indian palak gosht but it’s served with Indonesian-style sambal hijau, an ultra-spicy blend of green chillies and green tomatoes pounded in a mortar and pestle.

“We aren’t scared of the heat,” says Ansari. “I’m not going to tone it down.”

For Sunday lunch, there’s a spin on the weekly roast with hero dishes such as spiced lamb shoulder as part of a $95 shared menu.

A new upstairs bar works as both a holding bay for diners and a snacking and drinking destination in itself.

Downstairs, the dining room’s shared benches and tables have been replaced with individual tables and banquettes.

“It’s perfect for date night and for larger groups,” says Ansari.

Open Wed-Sat 6pm-10pm, Sun noon-3pm

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