I previously wrote about Pie Face when I checked out their first branch at the Mall of Asia a few months ago.
Earlier this week, they invited me to see their second branch, located in Eastwood (right across from Eastwood Mall). I guess they saw my original Pie Face post and saw how much I love their pies! The Eastwood branch of Pie Face looks really nice – it has a homey, cozy, coffee shop vibe. They are open 24 hours!
THE PIE FACE STORY
Pie Face is an iconic Australian pie brand that started in 2003. The first store opened in the hustle and bustle of busy Bondi Junction in Sydney and eventually spread throughout Australia. In 2013, Pie Face expanded overseas into New Zealand, and in 2014, they opened branches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Now, in 2015, they opened their first branch in Manila!
From day one of Pie Face, the brand has made its pies and pastries from scratch. Pie Face has its own central kitchen that makes every individual pie to its own unique and individual recipe.
In Australia, Pie Face is usually located in the Central Business Districts, where busy business people can just buy pies to go for a quick and easy snack/meal.
The coffee served at Pie Face is created exclusively for Pie Face by Phillip Di Bella of Di Bella Coffee, an award-winning Australian coffee chain.
THE FOOD
The Pie Face pies have a shortcrust base, and are topped with flaky puff pastry. The puff pastry is made using French butter, and this is the reason for the wonderful buttery smell that greets you when you enter the Pie Face store while they’re baking!
The pies are baked fresh every 4 hours. I was told they don’t serve pies older than 4 hours. You are assured of a fresh, quality pie each time.
All the pies are handmade. No two pies are exactly the same – and no two pie faces are exactly the same, too! Apparently, piping the pie faces is a difficult thing to do. Our host, Mr. Alfred Lay, COO of Pie Face Philippines, laughingly told us that he gave up on trying to do it after ruining a lot of pies in his attempts.
They have a variety of flavors:
- Hickory Pulled Pork
- Chunky Steak
- Classic Aussie Mince
- Curry Vegetable
- Philly Cheese Steak
- Mediterranean Chicken
- Chicken & Mushroom
- Steak Bacon & Cheese
- Spicy Chili con Carne
- Sweet Meatball
- Lamb Hot Pie
You can easily tell which is which by checking the “code” below:
Most of the “codes” make sense – for example, the Hickory Pulled Pork’s smile looks like a P, the Chunky Steak looks like an S (for steak), the Aussie Mince’s lips look like an M, the Curry Vegetable’s lips look like a V, the Steak Bacon & Cheese looks like a B (for bacon!), the Chili con Carne looks like a C, the Meatball looks like an O.
The most popular ones are Chunky Steak and Classic Aussie MInce. My favorite is the Hickory Pulled Pork. I didn’t expect to like it the most. As a matter of fact, I almost didn’t order it because I thought I was going to like the beefy ones the best. But the Pulled Pork easily became my favorite because it is sweet and spicy and tastes like shredded pork & sweet barbecue sauce.
The Savory pies come in two sizes – the regular size (big), and the mini size. The regular size ranges in price from P115-130, while the mini pies are P49 each.
I was very happy to see that the big pies were full with filling. I didn’t expect it to have enough filling, but it did! I didn’t feel like they scrimped on the fillings at all.
The mini pies were also full, but I think getting the big pies is more value for money – you get a better filling to crust ratio ☺ Translation: more filling, less crust!
The pies are meaty and I didn’t feel like they added things as extenders. For example, the Chunky Steak and the Pulled Pork were all meat and just a bit of sauce. Here’s a shot of my favorite Pulled Pork (mini pie), with some catsup on the side.
The big meat pies are very filling (nakakabusog). Depending on your appetite, one pie is usually enough for breakfast or a heavy snack or lunch on the go.
Aside from savory pies, Pie Face also has sweet pies. These are only P45 each! They also have salads, sandwiches, pasta and more sweets!
MY PIE FACE TIPS!
If you still haven’t decided on your favorite pie flavor, I suggest trying the mini pies. Try eveything until you’ve decided on your favorites and order those in regular (big) size next time!
Something I learned during this visit was that in Australia, people usually eat their Pie Face pies with catsup! According to the Australians, catsup balances out the pie. I tried it with catsup and while I agree it balances out the richness of the pie, it’s just not something I’m used to. But why don’t you give that a try and see how you like it?
If you need Pie Face in your life but don’t live near any branch, you can also buy the pies frozen (uncooked) and bake them yourself (instructions are provided).
I don’t have such ambitions but do buy a box of cooked pies whenever I am near Pie Face. I put them in the refrigerator and just reheat them on a toaster oven (5 minutes on medium setting).
They also usually have ongoing promos – just ask the staff what the current promo is. This is the current promo – get these pies at only P99 each instead of P130!
I was told they will be opening a branch at SM Megamall soon! Can’t wait!
PIE FACE
Ground Floor, North Wing, SM Mall of Asia Complex
Ground Floor, Techno Plaza 2, Eastwood City
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PieFacePH
Instagram: instagram.com/piefaceph
One response to “Pie Face – Make It A Point To Try These!”
The standard beef pies would be eaten with Ketchup (or as Australians call it Tomato Sauce) – but the other richer flavours would not require any addition.