Days of our Pies
Alan a while back suggested a quest to find the best bacon sandwich in Wellington (at least I think it was Alan. UPDATE it was actually llew). This, of course, would be to match Tom's gallant mission to visit every Wellington bar in a year.
Well I tried to do a "Big Breakfast" review but was beaten back by the cholesterol in my veins (I'll post the results here soon). Bacon Sandwiches and Martinis are not my areas of expertise but there is one type of food that I can give an expert opinion on: Pies. That's right, I ate all the pies (in Wellington) and reviewed them for you, the people.
(You might notice a theme when it comes to flavours)
Steak & Cheese from Bon Mange, 110 Lambton Quay.
Bon Mange means Good Eats in French and if you don't have the pies, then that is really correct. The pie crust is flakey and the top separates from the base with alarming regularity causing "steak" and ooze to, well, ooze in your paper bag, revealing a large "window to weight gain". Also I never could stand yellow pastry.
4/10
Mrs Macs Steak & Cheese, most dairies.
Never before has mankind crafted a cheesier pie. A pie from "across the ditch", made with Australia's latest infusion de fromage technology, a Mrs Macs pie is a spectacle of flavour. If you are a Pie-and-a-coke kind of person, then this is the pinacle of lunches. Unfortunately, while the pastry is filled to overflowing with yellow gold*, it is a little lacking in solid meat. Teh more Bohemian amongst you may balk at the fact that these pies can also be found in frozen form at your local supermarket.
7/10 (without the cheese this would drop to a 5)
*Yes I am aware of how stupid this is.
Steak & Cheese from Thorndon New World
What else do I have to say about a pie that won frikkin pie-award! I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. It does come from a supermarket after all. But man, it was GOOD. Lots of cheese and REAL steak. So real that when I took a bite I saw a piece of meat that looked like it had just been cut off a good sirloin. Also the makers have the good sense to grill cheese on the lid.
9/10
Steak & Cheese from Hataitai Hot Bread Shop, 8 Moxham Ave, Hataitai.
Don't let the name fool you. This place is a mecca for pies of all descriptions. Steak and cheese being my obvious staple, I could never say no to one of the HHBS's pies. Meaty with just enough gravy to make sure the pie wasn't too dry. Again plenty of tasty cheese inside and a good layer of the grilled variety on the top. The HHBS is open late on weekends for the drunken hordes returning from town, you'll never guess what they buy.
8/10
Trisha's Steak & Cheese Pie, various outlets including Word of Mouth, 100 Molesworth St.
Trisha's Pies is an established Wellington brand. They are of a similar status to Auckland's (over-rated) Ponsonby Pies. Trisha's steak & cheese is a good variant which is disimilar to most other pies. The pastry is dry rather than oily and quite thick. Having said that it is also quite soft. The lid is solidly fixed and in the shape of a dome which allows the diner to pretend they are a giant about to eat the Santa Maria del Fiore. The meat is good REAL steak too. If you are dining in at Word of Mouth you also get a little relish (instead of the iconic kiwi tomato sauce) and you can also get a salad for a few extra bucks (incase you're feeling guilty about your arteries).
8/10 (9/10 with relish and salad)
Photo from Stevecadman
Ahem! I think you may be mistaking Alan, with me, in this instance. And it was on this very site. Or maybe the old one.
Anyway - great WORK! I am sometimes in the Hataitai hot bread shop, and Bon Mange (try their bacon & egg roll instead). Although I am a steak & kidney aficionado.
Yeah, definitely not me. Although I think one for coffee is way overdue. Would anyone like to team up with me for a scientific survey post-prandial espressos at coffee houses around town?
Meanwhile, I've always been partial to a Trisha's pie. Although I seem never to be in a part of town where I can get one.
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http://halfpie.net/
Brilliant mission Hadyn.
I can recommend the venison and Guinness pie at Te Papa. It comes in a bowl with a pastry lid, so not your bag type pie. It is delicious, and worth every cent of the $6.50 it costs.
Alan, I would love a coffee quest. It will have to be in weekends with families probably, so not a groovy every day thing.
I used to be a regular at Trisha's, the shop on the road out to Island Bay (false memory?), love the steak and cheese but the chicken pies kicked arse. Best consumed either with or followed by a pint or three...
yep - actually 'Patrisha's Pies'. Superb pies - I recommend the Chicken Curry.
Very old school - to the point they don't have EFT-POS, so come prepared with cold hard cash.
This is ging to be an ongoing series. Thanks for the suggestions.
Alan sorry for confusing you with llew, that was just my lazy memory.
do try the bakery in bond street
yeah, I like Trisha's chicken pies too. The shop in Capital on the Quay sells them.
Meanwhile... has anyone ever actually tried a "legendary pie sandwich"?
A couple of months ago I was flying down to Wellington and absent-mindedly bought the Press rather than the DomPost at the airport. In my defense it was early in the morning and I had only had one coffee.
The lead story, on a Saturday, was the meat content in pies. Whereas when I got my hands on a DomPost, the meatpie story was well on the inside. Perhaps this reflects the relative sensibilities of Cantabrians vs Wellingtonians.
I am afraid that Mrs Macs rated quite poorly, not even reaching the mingy minimum of 30% meat. Big Bens were the worst, at around 20%. The best were the various boutique pies of course.
PS: I also used to favour the Bond St coffeeshop pie as a classic, down-to-earth example of the pie-maker's art. No arty fillings or mucking about. Glad to hear they're still in operation.
This post warmed my heart. I'd like to beat my personal best of 35 pies in 30 days. Since I live in Calif., I have to get back to NZ/OZ to do it. What about the pies at Elite, underneath Radio Active? Tricia's *are* rather good meat qualitywise, but I'm not picky. An old Mrs. Macs from the convenience store at midnight is a piece of heaven.
35 in 30!?! Well done!
I'm not surprised about Mrs Macs meat content. I think I read the same article. But I'm sure that it's 30% meat, 70% cheese.
Elite Bakery on Victoria Street. We used to swarm there in MSD masses when we worked across the road. The staff rule too.
I often swarm there myself. Very good pies, and apparently they make good coffee, but you'd be so close it'd be dumb not to go to Offbeat Originals for that instead.
In agreeance with (N)-others here: Elite has award-winning pies that are worth a look in.
As I work in the boonies, I am occasionally allowed a pie from the BP service station in Tawa (but only if I've been on my "bestest" behaviour!). I wouldn't wave a tooth at most of the pies, but the gourmet bacon & egg is remarkably toothsome. Generous filling of egg (not overcooked), bacon, a layer of tomato and cheese. Scores a savoury 7 out of 10.
My only complaint - they never heat enough of them, and the ordinary b&e pie doesn't qualify for a consolation prize.
The comments about Trisha's pies here reminded me that a local dairy has a shingle out advertising them. It's time to expand my "mystery envelope" repertoire and try one. A mission of conquest & acquisition is about to be launched....
Sometimes I have to do the airport run for my SO to get the early flight to Melbourne... it's too late (and too far) to go back home to bed, but 5am (before leaving home) is too early for breakfast...
Are there any places in Wellington that are open by 6am where I can stop and get a decent breakfast before showing my committment at work by getting in at 7am?
Kenny's diner in Courtney Place used to be open all night for the taxi drivers. But bound to be someplace open at that time nearby.
This very topic in the news today:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3774319a11,00.html
Australian pie-maker Mrs Mac's has been warned by the Commerce Commission about a lack of meat in its pies following a Press investigation.
Tests on behalf of the commission revealed that the average meat content of Mrs Mac's steak pie was below what was claimed on the packaging, confirming The Press's findings.
The commission believes this may be a breach of the Fair Trading Act and has urged Mrs Mac's to take immediate steps to rectify the problem.
Q. Who ate all the pies?
A. Haydn!