A nicoise is arguably France’s greatest contribution to the salad world. But I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually had a good one.

The classic combination of tuna, potato, green beans, lettuce and boiled eggs is so often a limp let-down, subverted by the type of tuna John West rejects and lettuce leaves so flaccid they look like the scraps left on supermarket shelves.

But not the nicoise at the new Fika cafe inside the freshly opened Inter/Section precinct in Brisbane’s CBD, from entrepreneur Adam Wang.

The monster 700sqm dark and moody site linking Mary St to Charlotte St features Wang’s local coffee icon Coffee Anthology at one end and Fika through the centre of the brick-lined venue. The cafe wraps around a stunning, fully-enclosed glass production kitchen for award-winning Brisbane patisserie brand The Whisk, allowing diners a front-row seat to watch pastry chefs prepare everything from croissants to danishes.

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At Fika the all-day menu puts a quirky spin on classics like making French toast from bao buns or adding smashed cucumbers to scrambled eggs on toast.

Then there’s that nicoise ($24). Given an almost Japanese twist, the tuna arrives channelling tataki, thinly sliced and torched on one side leaving the other side vibrant pink and meaty. It’s then paired with a salad of cos, olives, cherry tomatoes, blanched green beans, boiled potatoes and a whole grain mustard mayonnaise with sheets of fried croissant dough forming the tastiest of croutons.

There’s also a couple of vegan dishes like a mushroom fried rice, as well as a gnocchi with lamb goulash and the Filipino-inspired kare kare ($25). The latter is a peanut-based stew of sorts, this one served with chunks of fall-apart-tender beef cheeks, verdant wilted kailan and a side of rice. I barely get a few bites before my dining companion whips it away, declaring it his favourite.

Just as well considered as the food is the coffee, with Coffee Anthology providing the brews.

The line-up showcases various roasters from across Australia, including the Candyman blend from Melbourne’s Small Batch Roasting Co. It can be ordered with milk, black, as a pour over, cold drip, or my choice, the 1+1 ($7) where it comes as both an espresso and a white coffee of your choosing. It’s fruity with sharp lemony notes when served black, while as a flat white it’s one of the sweetest coffees I’ve ever had, with a gorgeous malty quality.

There’s also teas, chocolate-based drinks, chai, juice from Hrvst St and a clutch of interesting wines by the glass and bottle, plus local and imported beer and cider.

Staff are well-informed and happy to offer recommendations on both food and drink, but their biggest tip is to arrive before 11am if you want to try one of The Whisk’s pastries, as I’m told they generally sell out before lunchtime.

Fika is a glamorous, contemporary cafe, with gorgeous curved leather booths to sink into, making it an ideal spot for everything from catch-ups with friends to business meetings.

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