The Missing Piece, Macquarie Park

There is a lot of hype surrounding The Missing Piece, especially about their funky drinks and their amazing coffees. The constant line of expectant customers waiting patiently for a free table proves that this cafe has a loyal fan base despite its location at the end of the fashion section of Macquarie Centre.

After the prerequisite wait, my friends and I got seated at a small table overlooking the void. Note to all future customers - these tables along the glass barriers are suited to two people only (i.e. one on each end and not along the aisle) because the waiters, and customers, will bump into you EVERY TIME they walk by, no matter how close you sit to the table.

Cacaonut: Cacao Powder and Coconut Milk ($8)

Coffee ($3.50)

I tried the Cacaonut as I'm a major fan of coconut milk and chocolate (who isn't!), however I found the drink really hard to consume. Firstly, it was topped with the biggest branch of mint possible, which was promptly discarded, and the drink itself was seriously thick and unsweetened - it was like as if they poured coconut cream/milk from a can into the cup and mixed/topped the drink with cacao powder! Drinkable coconut milk is normally diluted and lightly sweetened to enhance the coconut flavour and adding the cacao powder, which is naturally bitter, did not help at all.

After a 20 min wait, the food finally came along:

Old-Fashioned: Bacon and Egg Roll, with Crispy Kale and BBQ Sauce ($8)

Smashed & Smoking: Smashed Avocado on Sourdough, topped by Marinated
Wood-Smoked Salmon, Lime and Olive Oil ($15)

Brioche Sliders with Slow-Cooked Shredded Pork and Coleslaw,
served with French Fries and Tomato Sauce ($16)

The smashed avo and salmon on sourdough was average (wouldn't you serve the lime on the side, rather than on top? The plate was funky though) and it was hilarious watching my friend eating the bacon and egg roll as it kept dripping oily juices onto the serving board whilst she was consuming it. Despite the coleslaw, the brioche sliders were a little dry without any chutney or sauce inside and lacked seasoning - I had to alternate between bites of the sliders and fries to achieve the right salty balance. 

I really wanted to like this place but I thought it was a bit of a let-down. There are a lot of cafes that offer a better selection of food (and tastes better) but it does require you to travel further - personally, I'd make that extra effort.

However, they do stock flavoured cronuts to tempt anyone with a sweet tooth:

Cronuts (Peanut Butter; Cookies and Cream) ($6.50)

The deep-fried oily goodness is not for the faint-hearted and definitely to be eaten in moderation.