Five Of The Best Pie Shops
Sun Herald
Sunday November 23, 1997
1 Harry's Cafe de Wheels
Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo.
(02) 9357 3074.
A good pie you can eat cold. Harry's, which looks across at the big grey naval ships at Garden Island, has become famous for its pies, which are made crispy and firm with secret herbs and spices and no preservatives. Most people like their traditional Aussie meat pie topped with mushy peas for $2.50. Original owner Harry (nicknamed Tiger) has become immortalised in his own meat pie with peas, topped with a swirl of creamy mashed potato and gravy. It is served with a plate, a plastic fork and a smile for $3.20. But beef is not the only filling receiving rave reviews at Harry's. A lot of thought has gone into blending white, chunky chicken meat and fresh mushrooms in a delicious pastry casing. Curry and vegetable pies with blanched vegetables in a delicious cheese sauce are also worth biting into. Harry's portable pie shop opens at 7.30am to feed the shift workers and sailors and closes late every night.
2 King Wally's Pies
209 Coogee Bay Road.
(02) 9665 5588.
In 1994, King Wally's was awarded a prize for the best gourmet pie in the country. He has taken medals in the prestigious competition for the past couple of years. There are 12 varieties to choose from but the best include the traditional plain steak pie for $1.20, or the steak and potato pie, also known as the shepherd's or drover's pie, for $2.40. Actor Sam Neill likes his pie with steak and peas.
3 Pandora's Homemade Pies
101 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst and 53 Riley Street, Woolloomooloo.
(02) 9361 5643.
Pandora's serves the best chicken, leek and cheese pie in Sydney - there are hundreds of regulars to testify to this gastronomic delight. But Pandora's serves yummy vegetarian pasties as well. John and Ann Synott and their seven kids have been serving these very popular pies for 23 years from the Oxford Street shopfront and have also opened a branch in Woolloomooloo. A parade of creative types frequent Pandora's and die-hard pie fans travel miles for chicken tandoori pies; beef, bacon and cheese pies; and a special chicken, ginger and shallot number for $2.50. Fresh ingredients are the secret of their success, plus the 100 per cent beef filling used in the mushroom and beef, beef and peas, beef and bacon, onion and beef varieties, which are $2. As for the chicken, leek and cheese, it makes for a great lunch at $2.50.
4 The Golden Pie
144 Glebe Point Road, Glebe.
(02) 9660 1794.
MEDIA personality Mike Carlton, renowned jazz singers and other notables fall over themselves to scoff the Golden Pie's popular steak and kidney pies. After 18 years running the business, owners Mandy and Hans Hoffman swear the tastes of pie devotees who travel several suburbs for their pastry creations have not changed. Over the years, choosy customers have demanded minced and chunky meat pies or special pumpkin pies - and the Hoffmans have been happy to comply. The menu includes steak and onion (now with tomato and basil) pies at $2.60, and chicken and mushroom, vegetable, spinach and cheese, potato or curry pies at $2.80. But the simple steak and kidney, for $2, continues to outsell the rest.
5 Maroubra Pie Shop
892 Anzac Parade, Maroubra.
(02) 9344 7912.
Pie-lovers from as far as Wollongong and Canberra make the long trip up to Maroubra to stock up on crusty home-baked pies. The popular Mexican - filled with prime steak, cheese, chilli and capsicum - and the mushroom pies are firm favourites among locals. There are 12 varieties to choose from. A good old plain meat pie will cost $1.90, the gourmet varieties are $2. Family-sized pies are $4.80 for a medium and $5.90 for large. The Maroubra Pie shop is open from 6am-5pm Monday to Friday, on Saturdays from 6am-2.30pm.
© 1997 Sun Herald