Friday, October 13, 2006

Persistency Pays Off


No, I did not give up on the Great Pie Hunt. (When I want something, I want it ... ). Somewhere at the back of my mind, I remembered seeing a closed cafe on Glenferrie Road late one night, with a sign in the window saying "we use organic meat and free range eggs". So I went for a wander with the Plumbaby, and just as we had reached almost the top of Glenferrie Road and at least one of us was tired and cranky, we found the Pastry Kitchen.

The Pastry Kitchen does a range of chicken, beef and vegetable pies and rolls, plus flourless cakes and tarts. The sausage rolls looked scrumptious but I had come for a pie and we left with a box.


The pastry was flaky, the filling moist. The meat wasn't entirely regularly ground, but I found that reassuring - it's how my home made mince has always turned out. A bit of ketchup and absolute bliss. For $4.00 a pop, I found it reasonably priced, comforting and just what I was after.



Although I discovered a new standard just a couple of days later. Zipping into a fabric store on Lygon Street, I decided that there is only so much material you can look at and that what I really needed was a doughnut. I knew the Sugardough Patisserie was somewhere in the neighbourhood and found it tucked away behind a tiny shopfront. A handful of tables inside and out and the most amazing display of bread, pastries and cakes. Their bread is baked with organic flour and like all their goods, it looked like it was made with careful thought and pride.

I only had a handful of coins after the fabric binge so I was limited in my purchasing (I could have carried half the shop out with me otherwise). A doughnut was chosen, although a sweet focaccia was very seductive, and when I saw the words "Chicken Makani Pie" I knew what else I'd be taking. The pie combined a mild curry sauce with chunks of chicken and good pastry. I took exception to the coating of poppy seeds on top but you can't have everything in a pie I suppose. If I'd had more than 40 cents in my hand, I'd have rushed back and bought another. Sadly, the doughnut was not as good, it was based on a heavy yellow dough and I like my doughnuts somewhat more etheral. But that pie ... mmmmm

The Pastry Kitchen
834 Glenferrie Road Hawthorn
9815 1666

Sugardough Panificio & Patisserie
163 Lygon St Brunswick East
9380 4060

2 Comments:

At 12:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This craving for pies - are you sure you're not pregnant? Have you moved back to the city?

 
At 6:51 PM, Blogger Niki said...

The most incredible donut I've tasted recently was at Dench, in North Fitzroy, near Piedimonte's supermarket. Their Italian bomboleo (or something) donuts, filled with light, lemony Italian custard. The dough is really light too....mmmmmm!

 

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