Hit This Fresh Newtown Restaurant for Punchy Thai-ish Flavours (and an Excellent Omelette)

I keep thinking about the mussel omelette I ate at Piqu last week. No one thing stood out to me. It was the smoky, slightly charred flavour. The ping of chilli jam saucing up the glossy shells. The fragrant Thai basil leaves and fluffy eggs hiding underneath. It was swiping a slice of crisp roti through the bowl to load it with a mix of it all. As I write this, I’m plotting my return to the Newtown dining room.

It arrived in April from chefs Jihwan Choi (ex-Momofuku Seiobo, The Mayflower) and Nicola D’Angela (ex-Osteria di Russo & Russo). The pair met while working at the now-closed Italian restaurant Altum, at Luna Park, and reunited on the opening team of Callao in Barangaroo. A collaborative project has been on the cards for more than two years, just waiting to find the right location.

Newtown delivered a space on the most bustling stretch of King Street. The fit-out is pared-back but funky, and the menu is loosely Thai. The constant? Piquant flavours, the inspiration behind the name.

Take that omelette, which is based on pad kra pao, the chilli-laden holy basil stir-fry. “We started that dish from Thai egg omelette,” says Choi. “We thought to add on something to make it more substantial, more tasty. On the egg, we just add on fish sauce, mussels we cook in the wok with smoky chilli jam and lots of Thai basil.”

You’ll want a carb for this one. The house-made rotis have a flour and buttermilk base that’s rolled with butter and fried to order – and the jasmine rice is just as nice.

A kingfish larb crunches with peanut praline, plus a salad with chunked watermelon, green mango and toasted rice. Choi and D’Angela credit the larb’s electric flavour to the traditional hand-pounding technique they use for all their dressings. “Instead of using a blender, you get a more authentic flavour,” says Choi. “All the oils, all the natural flavours come out. So we stick to that technique – it’s a bit hard, but we believe it’s worth it.”

On the snackier end of the menu, delicate fried prawn dumplings bathe in a fire-engine-red chilli oil. It’s alive with vinegar, soy sauce, fresh-chopped ginger and coriander stalks, too. While the whipped salted cod nods to D’angela’s Italian heritage.

“It riffs on a baccala mantecato,” says Choi. “Thai flavour, but Italian technique.” Curry paste and coconut cream tie it back to Piqu’s brief, and it’s jazzed up with a crunchy topping of crispy baccala floss, mint and fresh lime, with wonton crisps to dip.

The 35-seater has a mix of inventive cocktails, too (hello, Thai Peanut Coladas and pandan highballs), along with a tight wine list. Personally, until I’m back I’ll be thinking about the glass of Italian orange, and that perfect omelette.

Piqu
194 King Street, Newtown

Hours:
Tue to Sat 5pm–late

piqu.com.au
@piqu_newtown