Thread: The Witch Pie Factory

Had my pie and come back to report and then find a handbag fight

Verdict,
Not bad, pastry a bit short, not at all flaky.
Meat had a bit too smooth a texture for me, no chunks but other than that it was good enough to buy again which would be the first time in Thailand I have ever felt sufficently satisfied to buy another, most of the other I have brought 3, eaten one and tossed away the other 2 I purchased.

I feel the onion gravy adds a lot to the experience.

The Witch Pie Factory details as promised.

44/5 Thong Lor Soi 1,
Sukhumvit 55,
Bangkok
10110

Tel: 02 662 6664, 02 259 5228

Originally Posted by jizzybloke

There is 'the pie man' it Pattaya runs around on motorbike pie shop on the side thing, last night in Pattaya this Feb had a cornish pastie from him and that was surprisingly good!
Anyone else had one from him?



This is him, i didn't even have to get out of my seat.

How come when I click on that photo it takes me to Slimboyfats bookshelf?

Originally Posted by Bobcock

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Anyway, junior ordered a Chicken and mushroom pie with mashed potato, mushy peas and onion gravy.

Bit shy with the vegetables.

Is Big John's still open along the road? He does pies too.

^^ Not very good ones though, and his pasties are awful.

I went here yesterday and whilst it was 'ok', it could've easily been a lot better.

The pie (steak & potato) was excellent, but lukewarm.

The mushy peas were fine.

The chips were off, so I had mashed potato, which wasn't as good as mine.

The onion gravy was good, but there was enough for about two pieces of pie.

There was no vinegar for the non-existent chips or the mushy peas.

A few simple things could turn mediocre into excellent.

^ sounds like 95% of restaurants in Bangkok.

Close but no cigar.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Big Johns was gone last time I walked past

Didn't he move to Soi 1? Fucking useless kunt he is anyway.

That just looks too dry to me- and not enough gravy to substitute for it.

Gimme an Aussie meat pie anytime.

Give me a different meat pie....

No an Aussie meat pie....

Fuck....do they ever get bored of gobbing off about their self perceived greatness....???

^ no, we do make bloody good pies here mate! in fact having won a 1 or 2 gold awards, i consider meself a bit of a conisour, and it is my trade [ pastry chef]

The Pie is a purely culturally British item anyway. All the Aussies did was stick a blob of ketchup on the top and claim it as their own.

Aussie pies can't hold a candle to English ones.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

do they ever get bored of gobbing off about their self perceived greatness....???

Does it occur to you that people get used to things done a certain way, and perhaps they just prefer it that way? How you can read jingoism into ones taste in meat pies speaks volumes about you, and you only. Perhaps you should win more at sport, it might be therapeutic.

Traditionally, Aussie meat pies are a bit more 'sloppy' than the ones I find in Thailand. The gravy, apart from making them less dry, also adds flavour. You also need a certain amount of fat content (just like in a hamburger or sausage). Nothing worse than an overly lean and dry meat pie IMO. So, when I find the typically dry meat pie style here, I substitute by having a generous pot of gravy on the side. But the gravy is usually insipid.

An example of the style of pie I am referring to, but from the UK, is the Pukka pie. Now these are just fine to me. I don't know if they deliberately took a leaf from the Australian style of meat pies, but I could not find a meat or steak n' kidney pie from a UK fish and chippy that I rated as even average when I lived there back in 1982- 84. The mince and onion pies were fine though. And home made, or proper (upmarket) restaurant stuff could be delicious. The steak n' kidney pie at the old Savoy grill may be the best I've had.

Hormel foods (makers and inventors of Spam, and Dinty Moore beef stew) did a decent attempt at an Aussie style meat pie. I know because, when news spread there was an Aussie in their Headquarters town of Austin, Minnesota in 1996, I was invited to their research and product testing facility to try them out and give my verdict. My Verdict-
"Turkey pot pie" - (like our Chicken pie)- tasted fine to me, but chook pies not really my thing. Few too many veggies.
"Aussie Steak pie" - Good, and tasty. An Aussie purist might look askance at their habit of putting visible chumks of carrot in the pie, but it's the taste that counts.

Anyway, this does show that, if a major food company was producing an Aussie style meat pie for the massive American domestic market, then you do not have to be a flag waving Aussie to enjoy them. BTW- the US consumer market shudders at the thought of a steak n' kidney pie, Philistines.

Lets hear it for the humble Balfours pie. I miss them.

55555

Caught quite a big one there.

I just tried a 'Bunters foods' steak n' kidney pie. Zapped it in the microwave/ convection oven. Same story- too dry . Decent size chunks of meat, could feel the texture of the kidney but certainly couldn't taste it. At the end of the day, pretty dry, stringy and tasteless.

It occurs to me, they could save costs by having less meat but a nice tasty gravy stock to soften up the meat and make the whole thing tastier. Still, only 65 Bht. The search continues.

I'm off to Foodland later today with a list of ingredients for pie making.

I'm going to try to get some mutton for Scotch pies and some steak for steak and Guinness.

Originally Posted by sabang

I just tried a 'Bunters foods' steak n' kidney pie. Zapped it in the microwave/ convection oven. Same story- too dry . Decent size chunks of meat, could feel the texture of the kidney but certainly couldn't taste it. At the end of the day, pretty dry, stringy and tasteless.

I presume it's an English style pie, so it's up to you to add the gravy.

An easy but tasty gravy is made thus:

Chop an onion and fry slowly in oil to caramelise. Add one tablespoon of brown sugar.
When onions are caramelised add a splash of red wine and allow to reduce.
Prepare a cup of vegetable stock with hot water.
Add stock to onions and mix well.
Mix a teaspoon of cornflour with a couple of tablespoons of cold water and then add in to thicken the gravy.

Voila! Simple and tasty. You can also leave out the red wine but it certainly adds flavour.