Saturday, April 6, 2013

The Pie Tin, Newtown


Sweet pies is a concept that is quite unfamiliar to us Australians - meat pie is the way to go for Aussies! When I first heard about a cafe in Newtown selling dessert pies, I was sold. The Pie Tin, here I come :D

Coconut cream pie, $6.50
The first time I went was quite a while ago and prices have indeed climbed since then. The cream used to come for free (though admittedly, it was quite unnecessary), but now it costs $0.50 extra. I was a tad disappointed with this coconut pie as there wasn't a distinct flavour of coconut except for the tiny bit of toasted coconut coconut flakes on top. The custard was smooth and creamy and nice though. But for my first trip, I was not wowed and left without my high expectations met as everyone was raving about this place.


Deciding to give it another chance, my friend Gingerbreadmanne and I decided to treat ourselves for our morning of hard work at uni with pie! I think we were a bit too ambitious, ordering three pies between the two of us. And no, we didn't even just order 3 slices of normal pie, we thought we could take on the huuuge XXL apple pie.

The apple pie that ate Newtown, $10.50, + $1.00 extra for vanilla ice-cream
Just look at the size of that pie slice! Compare it to that little spork in the corner and my friend's hand... Nope, we couldn't finish it no matter how hard we tried especially because the pie was extremely tart from the use of Granny Smith apples which was good because it showed they didn't add excessive amounts of sugar. The scoop of vanilla ice-cream was our saviour - it helped cut through the tartness. We finished about half of this pie before admitting defeat and packing the rest to take away haha. The crust was delicious and the apple filling itself had a really good hit of cinnamon. I love cinnamon. But I think the size and sheer amount was what lead to our downfall. Only order this if you have a big group of people!! I took it home and made it into a parfait - plain Greek yogurt layered with apple pie. Delicious!

Tart lime and blueberry pie, $8.50
If we had known the apple pie was going to be that tart, perhaps it wasn't the best idea to order this slice of tart lime and blueberry pie. This pie was amazing and packed a lime punch. The filling was smooth and custardy, simply dissolving in your mouth. But eating it with the tart apple pie, we were starting to get a bit overwhelmed by the sourness. So we decided to get a savoury pie as well!

Moroccan lamb, chickpeas & cumin, $6.80
There was a heady scent of cumin as we cut open the pie. It was heavenly eating this pie because it helped our tastebuds recover from all that sour pie we just ate! The filling was not at all dry, the lamb was tender and soft, and there were bits of pumpkin and chickpeas scattered throughout. Very comforting to eat.

Er yes, a bit disgusting, but lamb pie innards!
One of my UNSW friends (hello K!) made a trip to Newtown with T and came to visit me in my studio with takeaway pie from The Pie Tin. So lovely of them to do so :)

Slow roasted beef brisket, hickory smoke & mushrooms, $6.80
There were huge chunks of beef brisket which had a wonderful smoky flavour. It was seasoned with lots of pepper which is right down my alley - I have a tendency to add lots of pepper hehe.

Flaky pastry pistachio & dark chocolate pie $5.80
This pie slice was exactly what it was made out to be. The pastry was wonderfully sweet from the dusting of icing sugar, crumbly and flaky and it surrounded a rich chocolate filling. Gone in a flash :(

Sweet pumpkin pie, $7.50
Oh dear, the pumpkin pie got smushed slightly from it's travelling! I was curious as to how pumpkin pie would taste because it seems to be an American thing. But boy am I glad they got this pie. There was no skimping with the nutmeg that's for sure! But I love my spices so this went down a treat. In fact, the spiced flavour of this pie was what inspired me to make my healthy sweet potato muffins!

Despite having a rocky start to my relationship with the Pie Tin, I can foresee many trips down here in the future during uni for some comforting dessert or even their meat pies :) Does anyone find the concept of dessert pies strange, or do you love dessert as much as I do?

The Pie Tin
1a Brown St
Newtown, NSW, 2042

Opening Hours
Monday - Wednesday: 10:00am - 8:00pm
Thursday - Saturday: 10:00am - 10:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am - 6:00pm

The Pie Tin on Urbanspoon

24 comments:

  1. I really like the savoury pies here...they also used to do fries with a melted cheese on top. SO GOOD! I haven't tried their sweet pies - though that apple pie looks enough to feed me for a month.

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    1. I remember when I went last time and ordered the cheese sauce but alas they were sold out! And they no longer have it... I was quite sad upon discovering that :( That apple pie slice weighs over 1kg apparently!

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  2. Oh no, I'm so disappointed that you didn't love their coconut pie. That was amazing along with their apple pie!

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    1. I did try the coconut pie when they first opened... Over a year ago haha! Though everything else I tried was within the past month. I'd like to think they've tweaked the coconut pie recipe and it's better now ;) After all, I enjoyed all their other pies this time round! Especially the pumpkin pie :D

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  3. OMG! look at the size of that apple pie! So glad to hear you took away the rest of it, would of been a shame to waste it. I have been wanting to visit this place since forever and still haven't been!

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    1. I can never bring myself to waste food - especially such a beautiful piece of apple pie! You definitely should go :D They have a 'slice o pie' thickshake where they apparently blend up a piece of pie into a drink!! That's way cool. I've got to try it out myself next time hehe.

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  4. freaking love the pie tin! it's been too long since my last visit

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    1. My love for the pie tin has grown exponentially after each visit! Pieee!

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  5. yummm! still haven't had the chance to stop by, really keen on their savoury pies

    btw jazz city diner makes a helluva good coconut cream pie

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    1. I just like pies in general :D And omg coconuuuuut! I love coconut! I've been wanting to go to Jazz City Diner for the longest of times - I will have to get that next time I go :)

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  6. I can't believe how huge that apple pie is. Huge cred to you for demolishing even a portion of it! Love your blog... hi from a fellow Australian (though I am over the other side of the country... so I can't visit this bakery just yet *sob*)

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    1. I'm struggling to think of just how big their ovens are to be able to bake this pie! The tin that held it together was sooo huge! Aw, no matter though - when you next hit up Sydney, you've got to try this place out :D

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  7. Hi Sherrie, Thanks for coming back to us for a second go....glad our pies have hit the spot for you. Just one little correction, the cream is only 50c per pot, while the ice cream is $1. As you mention we used to include it in the price but found that many people were enjoying their pies without it so we made it an 'optional extra' to minimise wastage. Looking forward to seeing you again...maybe with a larger group if you are going for the "Apple Pie That Ate Newtown"?? FYI part of the reason that our apple pie tastes so good is that we make it from scratch - we peel and core the apples ourselves before stewing them the old fashioned way. Same with the Pumpkin Pie, we dont use a pre-made pumpkin puree - instead, real pumpkim that we cook ourselves on the premises. Thanks for the love....Regards - The Pie Tin

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    1. I think that it was a great move making the cream optional! Minimal wastage is the way to go :D Props to you guys for making it fresh (part of the reason why I think your pies taste so good) - I am a HUUUGE fan of your pumpkin pie! If I'm ordering the massive apple pie next time it'd definitely be with a bigger group of people (though taking it home with me is not a bad idea at all :P). I will absolutely be seeing you guys in the future for more pie :D

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  8. Oh I absolutely love love LOVE the pie tin. Such good value for lunch or dinner. Savoury or sweet, they sure know how to make a mean pie.

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    1. Completely agree! There's still sooo many pies I haven't tried yet :D

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  9. pies are so great! having just had the banana cream pie from jazz city milk bar, i'm craving more...

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    1. Oh wow banana cream pie sounds heavenly! I've heard great things about Jazz City Diner's pies so I gotta head there soon!

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  10. OMG THAT APPLE PIE!!!
    I didn't have enough room to try more sweet pies :(

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    1. The apple pie was just huuuge! I am tempted by that sweet pie selection every time!! But am always so full after eating savoury pies - loved their kumera mash and coleslaw!

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  11. i still haven't been here yet. missing out big time! so much to choose from!

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    1. There's just so much variety! The pies are delicious - you should definitely stop by if you're in the area :)

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  12. LOVE The Pie Tin! I am a usyd student too (studied architecture last year, but switched to commerce) and that place is just perfect for a quick and easy lunch!

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    1. Haha one of my friends switched to commerce too! Architecture is very very intense isn't it? I always have good meals at The Pie Tin :D The kumera mash is all sorts of amazeballs!

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