Fast and Fresh Bakery Cafe: Steak and Cheese Pie Review

With a window brandished with "pie awards winner"...expectations were naturally quite high. The particular pie I had was OK. Not the best and but thankfully not the worst either.I had to have a steak and cheese pie to keep consistency but I was left wondering whether I would have enjoyed my lunch more had I gone for the silver award winning steak and vegetable pie. 

First Impressions
Standard sized pie, easy to bite into and scoff down with soft pastry - distinctly yellow in colour but not too extreme. Perfect temperature although rather greasy, I distinctly remember the pie had managed to penetrate the white paper bag before I'd got my wallet out to pay for it.I was hungry, so satisfied.

The Analysis 

Texture and taste of pastry was perfect, slightly crispy on the surface yet soft inside, not dry or crumby on the surface so a crumbly mess was averted. However, it was let down by being greasy and overly yellow in colour. Filling had a few steak chunks, which were full of gristle and tasted like they were from the same place that those terrible frozen pie makers get their meat from. Needless to say, the steak chunks were more of a turn off rather than an exciting salivating moment.  Very little cheese was found so not a great cheesy taste was experienced - definite disappointment here. Gravy consistency was great, there were no risks of burnt mouth/lips from a napalm-like gravy. Taste of the gravy was OK there was just too much of it.

In the end...

For the $3.90 I paid my opinion is I could have got better. Highlights were the pastry and gravy but the steak was terrible. Proportions of steak:gravy:cheese were all wrong and made for an OK tasting pie that was not cheesy at all. At the end of the day, I was hungry and my stomach was satisfied but given the choice, for the cost versus the quality recieved, I would not choose a steak and cheese pie from Fast and Fresh Bakery Cafe again.


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Wild Bean Cafe Classic Steak & Cheese Pie Review

Not exactly in the top grade as far as pies go, it was good enough to finish but I wouldn't go out of my way to get another. However, one should not complain too much when it's someone else's shout as I'm about to do!

 

(Wild Bean Cafe situated just outside of Taupo was were this pie was purchased)

First Impressions
A round pie that seemed slightly larger than a standard pie. Not too bad for a Wild Bean Cafe pie, it was soft and easy to bite into albeit a bit cool for my liking. I think their pie warmers should be turned up a tad. Oversized paper bag was good and made it easy to envelope and handle the pie.

The Analysis 

For a service station cafe I wasn't expecting star quality so there were no surprises when I found that it was a mainly mincey pie with little steak or cheese. That bad aromatic taste that makes me think I'm eating off-meat struck after the third bite but at least it was not overpowering and it certainly wasn't enough to abandon finishing my free lunch.

The pastry was a wee bit thick for my liking, it made the pie a little dry but its softness was perfect. Casing bottom was short pastry and think the the top was too, or it was a very cheap and stiff kind of flakey pastry.

Gravy consistency was excellent, not too thick or too runny, just perfect to hold the filling together and keep it moist.

Not exactly the tastiest pie, but my hunger was sated at the end of devouring it.

In the end...

The pie was sold for $3.90 and what I got was more like a mince pie with a drop of melted cheese. Not really a good buy but if you're on the go, and this is convieniently on offer, then it'll do to cure any hunger pains otherwise try elsewhere for a steak and cheese pie. I think if Wild Bean Cafe (Wairakei) is my only option I'll try their Angus Steak and Cheese pie instead and hope for a better result

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Beaut Bakery Steak and Cheese pie review

This pie was pretty good. Overall Beut Bakery's Steak and Cheese pie was pretty tasty and I think the awards they've won in the past for their pies are probably well deserved.

First Impressions
 Standard sized New Zealand one serve pie.
I was having it for lunch so I have no qualms about it being served up in a white paper bag. However, not too impressed that the bottom of the bag was oil soaked and left a layer of grease on my fingers when I picked it off the passenger seat after a 5 minute drive down the road back to work.

First bite was quite enjoyable, in fact delicious. I encountered a slightly crisp and soft pastry encasing a filling at a temperature that was perfect and not at risk of being scolded for burning my mouth.

The Analysis 

Definitely a flaky pastry top with what I think was a short pastry bottom. Pastry was noticeably yellow in colour - this was neither a put off or an attraction. Pie casing had a thin crispy layer incasing soft tasty layers inside and of course the gravy centre. For me the pastry's texture and taste was perfect, the look was okay. No overly oily feeling left on my lips afterwards, which is fantastic.

The filling was yum, even the gravy! But if I go down to the nitty gritty...I counted two ~1 cm cubes of steak and limited cheese unfortunately. Another 2 cubes of meat and double the cheese and I would have higher praise. The gravy, was slightly too runny. I needed to plan my bites so that I didn't squeeze gravy out the sides of my lips and burn my cheeks!

As a whole, this pie is one of the tastiest pies I've had.

In The End...Given the price, I think I paid NZ$3.50 for this pie, and how good it was to eat, I definitely recommend a steak and cheese pie from Beaut Bakery.  

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Dixie Brown Steak, Bacon and Mushroom Pie Review

Pies can be pretty good, good, pretty bad, bad or pretty average. On the whole Dixie Brown's Steak, bacon and mushroom pie was pretty average.

First ImpressionsPretty standard size for a New Zealand one serve pie.It arrived with a large dollap of mashed spuds (could have chosen salad), gravy and it seemed 'crispy' (burnt) but I'm not one to judge a pie on its looks alone.
Unfortunately, the first mouthful tasted like an oven-baked family pack pie bought from the supermarket.

The AnalysisFlaky pastry top with short pastry bottom. Nothing particularly poor to mention on the casing but nothing too special either.
Good job on the supply of bacon and tenderness of beef in the filling. However, I have qualms about the excessive use of gravy like it's a bulking agent. This is mainly due to the increased risk of mouth scalding whilst munching.
A few thinly sliced mushrooms lined the base of the pie casing. Until I had fully disassembled and poked around in my pie I was sure they were either hiding from me or non-existent. Turned out they were just in short supply.
I left my plate with a mound of garlic mash garnished with a side of partially eaten pie base in a soup of gravy. The pie top and filling was completely devoured and fulfilled my needs for sustenance.

In The End...For the NZ$9.90 plus 15% surcharge for being a patron on a public holiday, it is not a pie that I would choose to treat myself on again.


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