OzMex

there was an awkward silence today as I left MacDonald's Bakery, for nearly two weeks, i had come in and ordered a new meat pie, but today, what could I do, i had sampled the best of their pies, and they had nothing new, so I shook my head and solemnly left, maybe I would be back someday, to try their exotic "salad roll", or even a turkey sandwich with vegimite, but for now, I had other quarry, more meat pie. goodbye MacDonald's, you've been good to me. so off I went, to the Gobble and Go. what could have been a gas station quick stop, judging by the name, turned out to be a very tasteful (and tasty) cafe and bakery, advertising sandwiches, rolls, and (yes!) pie. When I looked over their menu, I was sorry to find that most of their pies I had already tried at MacDonalds, but there were a few fortunate exceptions which stood out, one which particularly cought my eye. Never in my life did I think that so far from the soutwest would I find a "Mexican Pie." in fact, regardless of geography, the mexican pie is not something I would have expected even in the heart of Jalisco. Honestly, the mexican pie was almost quaint, in the way that australians tried to go for some latino flavor. The filling was not completely unlike chilli. The pork was right, the bell peppers (Capsicum, as the australians call them) was almost right, what gave the pie away as an imposter was the curry powder they had used to give it spice. And the ketchup that they had used as a stand in for salsa did not help matters. In the end, imagine an adorable version of taco bell, and that's about how mexican this was, but you could tell they were really trying. Don't get me wrong, the pie was just fine, it was quite enjoyable, really, it just lacked authenticity, but I guess what can you expect out of Australian mexican food.

Chicken pot pie, or is it!?!? yeah, it is.

well readers, i'm back, after a brief hiatus. bet you thought i had eaten through all the pies gulgong had to offer, but here i am, back with a review of the Chicken Supreme pie. this is the first not beef pie i have tried so far, and i must say, it was pretty good. as i ordered the Chicken Supreme pie, I was expecting something similar to the american Chicken Pot Pie, probably the most popular meat pie outside of prime meat pie territory. A chicken pot pie is what i had expected, and a chicken pot pie is exactly what i got. creamy chicken with peas and carrots. i've got really nothing to reflect on here, this was just a good thick pie, perfect for a cold day.

on the philosophy of the australian burger.

So I'm going to stray from the stated topic of this blog a bit, and talk about something a bit different today. And that is the australian hamburger. Is it a meat pie? Well, no. But hey, I need some variety in my diet. have you ever stopped to think about the cultural implications of garnish? The condiment mentality? Why is it that americans serve hamburgers with sliced lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun? why is ketchup the pre-eminent ruler of condiments in all things burger? what ruling dogmatist said "This goes on a burger, anything else is unamerican" okay, maybe that's an exagerration, but you have to admit, there is a standardization of burgers in this country. Any extra ingredients deem the burger as "gourmet" and can add up to 4 dollars to the overall cost. For canadian bacon, and grilled pineapple? Well I have been to the mountain top. I Have eaten the hamburger, as prepared by australians. And it is good, my brothers and sisters, it is good. Let me make myself clear on one account I did not order a specialty gourmet burger, there were no add ons or modifications to this order, this is how they serve burgers all over Australia (i've done research). You order your sandwich, and up comes this massive son of a burger, patty on top of a bed of shaved carrot, carrot sandwiched between patty and a mass of lettuce (they call this full salad), sitting on top of the patty are a few slices of canned beet root. That's right, I said beet root. deep purple beet root. crowning this entire creation, right under the top bun, is a singular fried egg. Which I can tell you, they are not gentle with. This is the australian hamburger. And I love it.

on the topic of tomato sauce

after my daring luch yesterday, i decided to go simple today and order a plain beef pie. And when asked if i wanted sauce, I said sure, plain beef pie by itself does not give much to talk about, but the topic of australian tomato sauce, now that is a blog entry. now if an australian offers you tomato sauce, which they pronounce with a soft 'a' as do the british, what they really mean is "ketchup" and if you want some actual tomato sauce, you will have to ask for "Marinara." all this aside, tomato sauce (and by that i mean ketchup) goes surprisingly well on meat pie. the high vinegar flavor complements any savory filling incredibly. the flakiness of the crust with the acidity of the vinegar is a bit weird, but if you can get used to meat pastry, you can get used to anything. most places have tomato or barbecue sauce for 20c extra, which was a bit strange for me with the ubiquity of the ketchup dispencer at nearly every fast food joint in the US, but it's worthe the extra change.

steak and kidney pie

As I walked towards MacDonalds bakery today, I knew today would be the day. Today I would finally try steak and kidney pie. perhaps the most iconic of all meat pies, steak and kidney pie has remained one of those outlandish concepts to me, skirting the domain of meat pie possibility. The sort of thing I would occasionally think of trying, and then going, "You mean kidney? the filtration organ? those kidneys? nah." but today was the day. As I walked boldly towards the bakery, the scene that kept replaying in my mind was a bit from the simpsons, back when the show was good, when lisa was going to england. Marge is reminding her "in england, they have kilometers instead of miles, grams instead of pounds, and Steak and Kidney pie instead of botchulism." Steak and Kidney pie instead of botchulism. Steak and Kidney pie instead of botchulism. In marge's nag nag naggy voice. This was coming right at me from the built in playback circuit next to the id ego and superego on the modern brain. Was I about to get in over my head? We who are about to dine salute you. So I place my order, and I bite in, tentatively at first, but with growing zeal. this isn't half bad. any meat pie fanatic who happened to be raised on deli food will note the similarity between Steak and Kidney pie and chopped liver. this is like a pie made of warm chopped liver and gravy. It was actually quite comforting. this really does make a lot of sence, when you consider the similar functions of kidneys and livers, from a biological standpoint. The kidney added greatly to the stability of the pie, making the overall filling a bit like a delicious meat pudding. I guess the point is, give something a try, and if you're not too hung up on obscure ingredients, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Beef Tomato & Egg Bacon & Onion Pie

on the smooth flowing blackboard of MacDonald's Bakery, every pie is in order, plain beef, beef and kidney, curried chicken, potatoe and pea, save for the double lined monstrosity that is Beef Tomato & Egg Bacon & Onion Pie. it is written just like this, the name is so long that it needs two ampersands. I decided it was finally my time to try this breakfast beast. so I stepped up and placed my order, I think they're starting to recognize me now, that strange american who comes in here every other day and orders a pie. I can't help it. They're delicious. And this great big moster of a pie was no exception. this pie was practically an omelette, with a mass of round cooked egg acting as the crust, embedded with sundried tomatoes, bacon, and onion. the beef filling slunk at the bottom, almost as an afterthought to the full eggy goodness that dominated the pie. as you eat through a Beef Tomato & Egg Bacon & Onion Pie, you are occasionally confronted through the egg with solid masses of egg yolk, that's right, they didn't beat this egg, they just tossed it down and let it sit, as any egg pie should be made. The Structural integrity added by the egg made this probably the easiest egg to eat, and definitely a delicious treat.

Beef and Mushroom Pie

Allright, updating from work this time, so this should be a quick post. I'm updating from work, and I have co-workers coming in and out of the office. Today, was the Beef and Mushroom Pie. Beef and Mushroom are another one of those flavor combinations which is hard to beat. The only problem with this pie is that it was a bit too juicy, making it a bit of a challenge to eat on the go. this seems to be a problem with all pies, although some are easier to eat than others. With most pies, the reward does outweigh the cost, but there are some exceptions. The challenge provided by this pie was perhaps a 7 out of 10, while the taste I would place at an 8, making it well worth the challeng.