Food Review: Pico Express
In March this year, entrepreneurs Arjun Gadkari and Abhay Jaiswal shared with us their plans to give to India what Pret A Manger is to the UK, a quick-service chain that sells gourmet food at affordable prices. Part of their company’s 18-month expansion plan is opening grab-and-go outlets called Pico Express, of which there are currently two in Mumbai, one at the Nirlon Knowledge Park in Goregaon, and the other in Tardeo, which opened last month. The South Mumbai outlet is located on the same floor as a gym, in a strictly-vegetarian office building near the Sobo Central mall.
The branch, which is made up of a food display, a cash counter, and a seating area for 16 people in an awning-covered terrace, is serviced by polite and knowledgeable staff. The menu of sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads, and hot and cold meals targets the office crowd that can’t afford the luxury of a leisurely lunch. We got there on a rainy evening and ordered their Korean chilli ramen noodle soup (Rs60), but the bland concoction of light-soy flavoured water with a few floating strands of flat noodles and thinly sliced red capsicum provided no solace on the terribly wet day.
However, their warm and filling sandwiches did manage to lighten our mood. For when you’ve scheduled a post-lunch meeting that’s likely to last until dinner time, get the ultimate veg sandwich (Rs105) with slices of aubergine, zucchini, capsicum, onion and feta packed between two thick but soft triangular pieces of focaccia. Their tomato and basil pesto sandwich (Rs90), which comes with fresh basil leaves and mozzarella, is a lighter but equally tasty option. The penne cooked with basil pesto (Rs140), which is among their hot meal offerings, was gummy and heavy. The best thing we can say about the mushroom lasagne (Rs135), served in a microwavable plastic container, is that it was just about better than your average flight meal. The too thick sheets of lasagne were layered with button mushrooms, a tangy tomato and onion sauce and blanketed with baked cheese that was hard even after being zapped in the microwave.
After the first batch of food arrives at 8am, Pico Express replenishes the quick-selling items at noon and around 7pm. When we went by at 6.30pm, they were out of the eggless blueberry cheesecake and banoffee tart and were left with only the eggless apple tart (Rs75), which had a delicious cinnamon-scented apple and almond filling, but a soggy crust. Jaiswal and Gadkari have made good on their promise of serving moderately-priced food made with quality ingredients. We only wish some of the dishes had more flavour and weren’t quite so heavy. The Tardeo outlet’s main advantage then is that along with Pronto and Domino’s Pizza, it’s among the few places in the neighbourhood that offer home delivery.
This review was conducted anonymously. Pico Express Tardeo offers home delivery between Mumbai Central and Napeansea Road.
Tags: Pico Express, RestaurantsPico Express
Location6th Floor
Film City Building
Next to Inch By Inch Gym
Near Sobo Central Mall
Tardeo
Phone99303 91836
HoursDaily, 8am to 10pm
Websitewww.pico.co.in
Comments (7)
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hey i just tried the food from the Bandra outlet, i wished i had read the 1st post before trying it. The food was horrible. I ordered the Chicken pasta salad which was undercooked and seriously dry. For mains i ordered the Spicy Chicken (yuck) the noodles were pasty tasting and the dish had no flavor aside from some mild spicy taste. they even included a lump of noodles which had been stuck at the bottom of the pan ( thanks guys).
i thought he Blueberry cheese cake might save the day and for some part it did. the cheesecake was light and smooth and yum. however the biscuit base had some rancid butter/ ghee used. which let down an otherwise delicious dish.
all in all please don’t visit this place is a foodies nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mozarella tomato sandwich, stir fry noodles with veggies, mini cupcakes and the pain au chocolat are great! raw papaya salad comes close. everything else is average.
Excited to see the Bandra location open! Love the food and atmosphere– check it out if you haven’t already.
Went to Pico express at Bandra this weekend. First, appreciated the ambience for a small space – the bookshelf and sofas give it a relaxed atmosphere and once the wifi is up as the staff helpfully told me, feel I ll be able to bank on this spot for my weekend afternoon reading and surfing.
For food, my friends and I ordered 2 to 3 different items on the menu each and found that the overall quality was fantastic. Having shifted back to Mumbai from London recently, it was a delight to find some European style delights in the bakery and desserts section. The chocolate terrine cake was mind blowing and the Espresso Chocolate torte is a must have for all coffee lovers. The croissants were warm and soft, just the way I like them.
For mains, the chicken lasagne was a clear winner. For my vegetarian friends, its counterpart – mushroom lasagne had a similar effect. For the health conscious, the pearl barley, green beans and cherry tomatoes salad was innovative and fresh.
Only tasted one sandwich – the mozzerrella and pesto on foccaccia bread which according to me met London -Pret-a-manger standards. Its a pity my work place is not in Bandra!
We ate here on Sunday and suffice to say, if these guys do not pick up their act, they’re done.
Three of us sampled a bunch of the stuff at the Bandra outlet (near Lilavati).
We tried the spicy veg noodles, the beetroot & goat cheese sandwich, the tomato and basil pesto sandwich, the jerk chicken wrap, lasagna and a dessert (not so memorable, so I’ve forgotten the name).
Save for the tomato and basil pesto sandwich, everything else sucked. And by sucked, I mean it seemed like some hack had thrown the stuff together.
Amateur at best, lacking any identity and overall you are left with a ‘WTF’ am I eating, kinda feeling.
They’ve hired well though, as the manager refused to let me try to Katsu Chicken (he said it is bad, don’t for it) – appreciate that. Given how ‘bad’ the other stuff was, I seriously wonder what went wrong with the Katsu, a simple Japanese curry.
He also did not charge for the lasagna (which was unpalatable), nice of him. Overall, a fairly priced place, that should stick to good sandwiches or step up their game to stay in business in Mumbai.
Bandra is pretty unforgiving. The food did not taste like it was prepared by trained chefs.
Sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to try!
http://www.facebook.com/healthytreatsbandra
Was waiting for this one. Thanks for the update!