The first Pique Nique outlet was at Takashimaya which had a menu that focused on American comfort food which includes mac and cheese, burgers and whoopie pies. However, the outlet at Jcube has a different menu offering pastas and more sophisticated brunch fare too. Varieties of burgers and mac and cheese were also less diverse at the Jcube outlet due to the addition of the pasta and salad section. The prices at Jcube were also slightly steeper than the one at Takashimaya.
Decor of the place is really nice with a real container in the middle of the restaurant that had faux grass as its floor. The rest of the place had a rustic and industrial feel with some floral fabrics here and there which contrasted with the bare cement floors and the dark framed windows. Service is great but the set up of the whole restaurant with its pillars and different sections does make it difficult to get hold of the waiters/waitresses' attention at times.
The first time I went there I ordered the Swiss Mushroom Burger. Portions were huge and the fries and salad complemented the burger. So you don't have to worry about not being able to fill your tummy as portions are so huge that some girls might just skip out on the bun itself. The burger is huge in a way that you definitely could not take one bite expecting to eat every "layer" of it. I love their fries because their are thick enough for you to actually taste the potato and yet crispy on the outside. Salad was just some greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. The burger patty was quite substantial and you could taste that it was handmade and not frozen. I wouldn't say it's oh-my-goodness juicy but it's acceptable and definitely not on the dry side. As for the sauce with the mushrooms, I just found it a tad salty but that could be because I didn't eat it with the bun.
Next up was desserts. Chef Pang is famous for creating one of the nicest macarons that you can find in Singapore. Macarons is also something that is exclusively offered at the Jcube outlet as the Takashimaya outlet only had whoopie pies. The green one is Pistachio and the red one is Red Velvet. The Pistachio macaron tasted a bit artificial with this perfumey smell that borders on smelling like some pandan nonya kueh. The Red Velvet macaron was better, however still quite forgettable if you ask me. It was more heavy on the vanilla taste with a extremely mild (or perhaps non-existent) hint of chocolate. The chocolate whoopie pie reminds me of a sophisticated version of a orion choco pie. The "cake" part is more of a dense chocolate cake/brownie and the marshmallow filling less sweet than your usual choco pie. My suggestion is skip the macarons and order the whoopie pie (if you want to try something new). Nothing spectacular actually and I think that is my first and last time eating them.
The second time I went there I ordered the lunch set which only cost $12.50++. I think it's a pretty good deal as you get an appetizer, main and drink. For desserts, you only have to add $5++. However, the bad thing about the lunch set is that other than the drink, the appetizer and main is designated. I'm not really sure if they change the main for the set everyday or week. But I sure hope they do. That day, creamy mushroom pasta was designated as the main. The pasta was not bad! The spaghetti was al dente and there were many mushrooms to accompany it. However, you might probably get sick of the cream sauce halfway through the dish.
The third time I was there I ordered the one and only mac and cheese dish in the menu. Can't remember the exact name of the dish but it was basically mac and cheese with mushroom and cajun chicken. It was good and the portion was just nice before you get sick of this cheesy creamy concoction. The pasta was not overly soft and they were pretty generous with the mushrooms too with a few pieces of chicken slices.
And so, that pretty summed up my experience at Pique Nique at Jcube. I think it's a good place to hangout for brunch and western fare as their food is definitely above average. And having a place to chill right in the west in the heartlands make this place even more appealing than ever when you are too lazy to travel all the way to town. However, I can't vouch for the standard of their brunch/breakfast fare as I haven't tried it myself and the rest of their desserts. So people out there, if you had tried other dishes and stuff, feel free to leave a comment and share about your experiences. :)
Pique Nique (JCube)
2 Jurong East Central 1 #01-08, Singapore 609731
http://www.piquenique.com.sg/
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