Pique Nique is another brainchild of Pang Kok Keong, the same guy behind Antoinette. It takes the place of the old MacDonalds in the basement of Takashimaya, and while proclaiming itself as a casual American eatery boasts a feminine, floral and French elegant decor. I like how peaceful it feels when you’re there, despite being in the middle of one of the busiest malls.
I’ve grown quite fond of Antoinette, and had headed over to Pique Nique with high expectations too. Those expectations were unfortunately not met. Hum.
Carbonara Mac n’ Cheese
Beautifully presented in a cast iron skillet, the Carbonara Mac n’ Cheese unfortunately was average at best. Studded with bits of bacon, sauteed onions, mascarpone and parmesan cheese, and topped off with a poached egg. Really looks and sounds better than it tastes.
Classic Benedict
This was actually pretty disappointing. A good Eggs Benedict is just about my favourite brunch order, but the English muffin used here was too big and slightly dried, and seemed more like bread than the chewy moist English muffin I know. There’s somethign to the Hollandaise sauce that was a tad off – a bit too much lemon for my liking, though the yolk did break beautifully. Also, there’s a bit of a plating problem – having the fries (which were decent) stuffed atop the English muffin and filling up whatever free space there is in the rectangular casserole dish just makes cutting and consuming the dish a bit of a messy business.
Sticky Date Pudding
Thankfully, the sweets saved the day. The warm Sticky Date Pudding is moist and sticky and not overly sweet. Paired with the Vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce, mmmmm.
Baileys Milkshake
Boozy, spiked milkshakes are the best! Creamy, frothy, delicious goodness.
Lemon Meringue Bar
A nice lemony tang, good for those who don’t like something too sweet!
Chocolate Mud Bar
I forgot the exact name of this one, but it looked really good in the display case so I had to try it. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a textural issue with this one. I was expecting a thick, silky mousse but it was too hard and when I put my fork into it the chocolate kind of… crumbled. Into little chunks. Meh.
I’m kind of disappointed with this place. I dearly want to like Pique Nique – they have the location, decor and concept down pat. The food however leaves much to be desired, and ultimately the food is the key factor in determining whether return visits will be ensured. Overall, the sweets fare considerably better than the savoury foods, but even so, the cakes are of average quality, not somethign I’ll shell out the moolah for again. I’m slightly puzzled considering how Antoinette is on a whole different strata in terms of food quality.
To sum it up – hohum.
Pique Nique
391A Orchard Road
#B1-01/02 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Ngee Ann City Tower A, Singapore
Tel: +65 6238 6705
Daily: 10am – 9.30pm
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