'The Pie Tin' Review

Hey Nibblers!

         Oh, the good humble pie. Shared with great company and there's nothing in the world that you could ever ask for. Tucked away behind the bustle of King St, Newtown is one of the best places I've been. Despite being hidden away, it draws quite the crowd so don't be too hopeful for seating if you're thinking of going during peak hours. Great for a small gathering of 2-4 friends if you're lucky enough to grab a table as you can share the different sides and pies with each other
         'The Pie Tin' offers an amazing selection of sweet and savoury pies that are made fresh in store each day. Service is quick and friendly and side portions are so generous. It's a real bang in your buck.

'The Pie Tin'
Where: 1a Brown St, Newtown, Sydney                                  Website: http://www.thepietin.com.au/

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Pie and drink selections/ prices can be found on their website

Inside 'The Pie Tin'

             I ordered the 'Sicilian style chilli lovers sausage with white bean' with a side of 'Kumera' chips (Sweet Potato Chips). My foodies in crime Thao and Jacky ordered the 'Sweet roasted duck with seasonal vegetables' with a side of 'coleslaw' and 'potato salad' and the 'Slow roasted shredded pork with apple and bbq sauce' with a side of 'chips.' We also ordered the 'Whipped lime pie' and 'Snickers Pie' to share. All up it was $55.60 for the five pies and sides so great value for the gourmet quality.

'Sicilian style chilli lovers sausage with white bean' with a side of 'Kumera' chips (Sweet Potato Chips)

          There's self-serve sauces, napkins, cutlery and water which makes it a relaxed home-like atmosphere. My pie came out piping hot. The pie lid was flaky and had absorbed the spicy tomato based sauce filling. There's so much flavour packed in the filling that I don't think you need any extra accompanying sauces. There were visible sausage pieces in my pie so you can really see the ingredients that are going in. I only had a spoonful of Thao & Jacky's pies but, from their feedback, they definitely enjoyed their experience.

'Sweet roasted duck with seasonal vegetables' with a side of 'coleslaw' and 'potato salad

'Slow roasted shredded pork with apple and BBQ sauce' with a side of 'chips'

         In terms of sides, the 'Kumera' chips were crisp and perfectly seasoned. They fried our batch fresh so it really enhanced our experience. The normal potato fries were equally appetising. Great seasoning and really fluffy inside. If you're a fan of 'Potato' and 'Coleslaw' salads, you'll definitely like the ones at 'The Pie Tin.' Both are packed with flavours and taste extremely fresh.
        By this stage, we were all pretty stuffed but, we still had two dessert pie slices to pig through. The 'Whipped Lime Pie' was light and full of zesty flavour. The fruity flavour was great in countering the intense flavours from the savoury pies. Great for sharing and with a spot of tea because after about 5 spoonfuls, I was sugar overloaded.

'Whipped Lime Pie'

       The 'Snickers' Pie was sensational. Again, I would of loved it with some tea but, the peanut-caramel flavour was on point. Creamy and with peanut chunks in the mix, it's definitely one for the sweet tooth lovers. Melt-in-you-mouth goodness.

'Snickers' Pie

       I loved my experience at 'The Pie Tin' and would gladly go again and introduce it to anyone else. Portions are so generous that next time, sharing one side is enough if you want to do the whole sweet and salty taste test. Leave a comment down below with your favourite pie place or what your favourite pie filling is!

Nibble Away,

          Jo

'Hoochie Mamma Cafe' Review

Hey Nibblers!

      When your university campus is situated only 15 minutes away from Newtown, you know it's going to be hard to lose  that winter weight gain. I could eat in moderate amounts but when food is so glorious, how can I possible say no? I remember this day so vividly. I had just received some bad news and to help cope with the negativity, Kelly and I decided to eat my sorrows away. Mind you, to prepare for this food baby, I had been eating healthily for the entire week so, I guess everything eaten during this slump is warranted? At least that's what I tell myself to override my guilt.
      Anyway, Kelly's been here a few times and loved it but had only tried some of their little knick knacks at the counter and didn't actually sit in for a proper cafe luncheon. So, we thought we would take the opportunity to try it out. We both arrived about 1PM but came in at just the right time as we settled nicely at a table by the window before a surge of other customers came bustling through.

'Hoochie Mamma Cafe' Review
Where: 156 Missenden Road, Newtown NSW 2042                             Website: http://www.hoochiemammacafe.com.au/

Image taken from: hoochiemammacafe.com.au

          I loved the interior of the cafe. It was cozy, easy on the eyes and oh so hipster. But, isn't that part of Newtown's charm that gets people coming back? Now enough talk, lets get digging into the good food goodness!

          I ordered the  'B.L.A.T.' This amazing sandwich came packed with bacon, rocket, tomato, avocado with aioli and a serving of their shoestring fries. The sandwich was so juicy and they were very generous with the amount of ingredients. The lightly tasted Turkish bread buns were warm and really soaked up the saltiness of the slightly crisp bacon and creamy texture of the aioli. Every component of the 'B.L.A.T.' was just perfection. Even the tomatoes layer were seasoned well and all I could taste was love. To top off this heaven of a sandwich, the shoestring fries were amazing! I don't know how really to describe it but, it was seasoned well, fresh, crisp and the insides of each chip was moist. I was actually kinda full after devouring the 'B.L.A.T' but couldn't say no to those fries. Mmm- mmm.

'B.L.A.T' $14.90 AUD

              Kelly on the other hand, opted for the 'Slow Roast Pork Belly Sandwich.' I loved the presentation of this dish. Served on a small wooden board, just seeing it was appetising enough. I've had my overload of pork belly sandwiches/ crackling over in London but couldn't resist a little tester. The pork piece I had was succulent and full of juicy flavour. The crackling, crisp, crunchy but there was not enough of it from what I saw. I can't give an in depth of the sandwich as a whole as it was not mine to judge but, since Kelly and my little food date, she's talked about this sandwich again on numerous occasions so I think it was safe to say, it was a winner.

'Slow Roast Pork Belly Sandwich' $15.90 AUD

          As the her sandwich didn't come with a side of fries, she ordered them seperately. While the bowl looked relatively small, there were a tonne of fries in there. They piled that bowl up! Her bowl was equally amazing as my own and with a generous serving of mayo/ tomato sauce on the side I honestly can't wait to go back for some more. One of the best cafe chips/ fries I've ever had.

Fries $6 AUD

        In terms of pricing, I would say it's pretty standard for cafe food pricing. The servings are quite large and I think would be very satisfying if you ever have time for a visit. It's a lovely place to catch up with friends with outdoor seating if you fancy some sunshine or indoor seating if you prefer something more cozy. Service was delightful and genuinely enjoyed everyone's feedback while paying at the counter. I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience at 'Hoochie Mamma Cafe' and can't wait to go back to try some other things on their menu.

        Hope you're having an amazing week! Hopefully this icky Sydney weather will turn around. I'm crossing my fingers for it.

Nibble Away,

                 Jo x.

'Black Star Pastry' Review

Hey Nibblers!

       This one is going to be a short and sweet little entry. Do you ever have those days where you hear about a place you might like and then suddenly every where you go, everything you read and everyone you meet starts talking about it like its fate? Yup, that's what happened to me when I discovered 'Black Star Pastry.' Having heard about their famous strawberry, watermelon cake through a friend and then finding myself in Newtown, I thought why not?

'Black Star Pastry' Review
Where: 277 Australia Street, Newtown                                Website: http://blackstarpastry.com.au/

Picture from http://sydney.concreteplayground.com.au

          Situated across from the Newtown Police Station in a cu-de-sac section is where 'Black Star Pastry' lies. Trying to find the place at around 3pm on a Friday afternoon proved to be quite the challenge. It wasn't because the street was hard to find but, the 'Black Star Pastry' sign was blocked out by the mass of people sitting outside and standing around the shop. When we finally settled in, we immediately spotted the strawberry, watermelon cake and asked for two portions to be taken away as there was not an inch to sit. While waiting for our order, by looking around I noticed quite a number of customers digging into their own watermelon cake portions/ coffees and pastries. However, it was just too crowded that all I can really give a review on is the 'Strawberry, Watermelon and Rose Cream' cake.

      At $7 per portion it sounds like a big ask for a piece that's probably 4cm x 12cm x 8cm. It is presented beautiful and popped into a nice sturdy white box when ordered to take away. Kevin and I found a spot close by on a bench and began to unravel its beauty. Evenly decorated with rose petals and even layers of strawberry and watermelon was a good first impression. We then both dug in, making sure we did not comment until the other had also had their first bite. It was pretty amazing the first taste. The sweetness of the watermelon against the slight sour taste of the strawberries moulded together against the pungent rose cream was pretty spectacular.  I also had the expectation that it was just going to be mushy in my mouth but the different layers and crunch from the watermelon really adds texture and dimension.

Loving the edible flowers and strawberries

Look at those amazing layers!

        All in all, I really enjoyed the experience of the cake. The rose cream isn't really a flavour I'm used to but while it was a tad odd at first starts to grow on you. So, I say if you're ever in the area from 7am -5pm, definitely check 'Black Star Pastry' out. I'll definitely be coming back to try their other amazingly presented desserts. But for now, I'm happy I went with the 'Watermelon, Strawberry and Rose Cream' cake to start off with. The only downside is there isn't much seating arrangements to have a catch-up with friends over coffee/ cake but, I guess if you're keen sitting on the concrete benches near by is sweet enough.

Nibble Away,

            Jo x.

'Moo Gourmet Burgers' Review [Newtown]

Hey Nibblers!

       I still remember the first time I went to 'Moo Gourmet Burgers.' It was about two years back but I can still vividly remember how delicious their 'Just Nuts' Moo shake was. It consisted of all of my favourite things: a snickers bar, crushed nuts, caramel and chocolate syrup in a milkshake cup! What also tickled me was how they had paper straws for their shakes! But as much I want to rave on about how awesome the shakes were and probably still are, I can't exactly say the same for their burgers. I can't remember the burger I had two years ago but, I don't recall any details so it must not have stood out.
        So why did I decide to go again this time around, you ask? Social media heightens any lusts and cravings. Seeing all those luscious pics and people eating away, I just had to have it for myself! I just had to give it the benefit of the doubt. So off Kevin and I went to 'Moo Gourmet Burgers' in Newtown.

'Moo Gourmet Burgers' Newtown
Where: 232 King St, Newtown, NSW, 2042        Website: https://www.moogourmetburgers.com.au/

          I was so excited I looked up the menu on the train. As soon as I saw they had a 'Chorizo' burger, I was sold. This burger consisted of, Angus pure natural beef and chorizo patty, mozzarella, rocket, tomato, tomato relish and home-made mayonnaise.
          This was one gigantic burger. It couldn't even fit in my mouth which was a real shame. You don't get the uniform of all the flavours. But in terms or portions, they were very generous with every component of the burger. However, I found my burger to be very dry. There was a lathering of mayo on the bun which coated the rocket/tomato nicely but the beef/chorizo bun was overcooked. I couldn't taste the chorizo nor even see chorizo bits in the patty. While it was freshly made I found it to be lukewarm by time I was able to pop the baby in my mouth.

Chorizo Burger $16.50 AUD

           Kevin on the other hand ordered the 'Classic Beef' which had Angus natural beef, tomato, mixed leaf lettuce, home-made mayonnaise and tomato relish. Unfortunately, he had similar comments. His burger was dry and not succulent like a burger should be. It was his first time at 'Moo' and it was not a great feeling to know it was not a satisfying meal as hyped up to be.

'Classic Beef' $11.00 AUD

           As a side, we ordered a basket of 'Cheese Bacon Chips' to share. I was excited for this one. I wanted to pig out and the cheesy bacon chips sounded like the perfect choice. The chips were crunchy and so soft on the inside. It just melted in my mouth. However, as much of a cheese and bacon fan I am, I found the cheese to be so overpowering that I couldn't taste the bacon bits. There was not a huge serving of bacon bits so it was pretty much cheesy chips. We couldn't finish it as the grease just built up in our throats and I felt quite sick afterwards. This was a food baby I did not want.

'Cheese Bacon Chips.' $8.95

             Luckily, I opted not to order the shake as I remember that it was too thick with the burger the last time i was at 'Moo.' So, I went for a more refreshing option which was the 'Nexba green apple and strawberry iced tea.' It cut the grease well so I'm glad I chose this. 

'Nexba' Green apple & Strawberry $4.50 AUD

      While I loved all the decorations and the atmosphere 'Moo Gourmet Burgers' creates, I don't think I'll be coming back for their burgers. If I ever do, It'll be for their amazingly sweet shakes and chips. However, it still baffles me the popularity around their burgers. It could be that I may be ordering the wrong burger or just have no luck but, this experience leaves me unwilling to beg for more.

Out table set up

Table numbers

Inside 'Moo Gourmet Burgers' Newtown

           If you Nibblers do love 'Moo,' leave a comment below telling me what you love and which branch you had it at. I've heard amazing reviews from their Manly branch so perhaps I just have bad luck! Also, please excuse the quality of these photos. I had forgotten my camera and had to use my phone to take these pictures. 

           Hope you're all having an amazing week!

    

Nibble Away,

         Jo x.