CODA: Berlin gives dessert a different job

Dessert can be a method rather than a destination. At CODA in Berlin, the techniques associated with pâtisserie move beyond sweetness, shaping a meal around acidity, bitterness, texture and the savoury possibilities of vegetables.

René Frank and Oliver Bischoff established the project in 2016. By the time of WAYFARER Brazil’s June 2025 account, the dessert bar had become a dessert-dining restaurant, with executive chef Julia Leitner bringing close technical attention to the kitchen. The approach avoids refined sugar as a default tool. It does not mean that the food contains no sugars.

The dishes make the distinction tangible. Aubergine appeared with pecan, apple, balsamic and liquorice salt. A raclette waffle met yoghurt and kimchi. Elsewhere, yellow tomato, chickpea and lemon occupied a space that a conventional menu might have divided into separate categories. A frozen artichoke and vanilla preparation, with walnut and caviar, made temperature part of the argument.

Wine remained important to the experience described in the original report, rather than serving merely as a sweet pairing for a sweet course. CODA’s proposition is therefore less about extending dessert than loosening the habits through which a meal is read. The final course is no longer the only place where pâtisserie can speak.

---

Adapted from the WAYFARER Brazil archive, first published 2025-06-12. English adaptation: 6 October 2026. This is an archival account, not a report of a new visit. Exhibitions, collections and menu details are described in their original context, not as current availability.