Pie Republic

Discovered this pie mash shop as I was in Stratford.
Pie Republic is your ordinary but not so ordinary pie mash place because it is halal food which is brilliant.

I liked the way how they use crate pallets as part of the design.

As well as your traditional breakfasts and pies, they also have some Indian inspired pies like the Cox's Bazaar which has spices, cheese and coriander and the Shepherd of Shimla which is Indian inspired with Indian spices and Kidney Beans.

I couldn't try it that day because I was full so I just had some tea.

Anyhow, it was hard deciding on which pie to get but after looking at the menu so many times Shepherd of Shimla was the one.

You get to choose two sides so chose the slaw and chips.
The slaw was really creamy.
As for the Shepherd of Shimla, it was similar to chili con carne but made with lamb topped with mashed potatoes just like a Shepherds pie!

Didn't eat the pies below but took pictures of them.

[Review] Pies at Piebury Corner

Discovered Piebury corner while I was at King's Cross so decided to give it a visit because I love pie and mash.

I didn't have any expectations but the menu was really good with pies and scotch eggs to offer.

As a pie shop, the pie was a must even though I love scotch eggs especially the black pudding scotch egg that they offer as well.
Went for the lunch deal where you get to choose a pie from the list, a side with gravy.

It was really difficult to decide between the lamb and beef so got the beef.
The pie and mash was served within a flash.
The pie was sliced in half with a small jug of gravy in between.

In a way, it was a good that they sliced the pie as I probably would not have done any better with such a clean cut like that.

From the sliced pie, you could see how good it was especially the pastry which was even from pie crust, pie top and the pie base.
The pie filling also looked good as you could see it evenly filled the pie and not a cavity.

I don't know why but I dug into the mash first and it was shockingly good because it was creamy without being too overwhelming. The mash tasted like the mash at school so it was really comforting.
Next, I tried the pie and again it was flawless especially the minced beef which was good quality in my opinion as it didn't contain any strange stringy or fat its but pure beef in delicious thick sauce.
The pie pastry was to my liking as it wasn't too crunchy or soft.

After trying the pie and mash, I tried it with the gravy which tasted tasted like bovril gravy.

Overall, I was pleased with my choice of pie and definitely impressed.

I would have had the morello cherry pie for dessert but I was too full so went back for it later that evening.
Strangely they would not sell me the cherry pie to takeaway because they had a party event there so I was really shocked.
Anyway, I asked again because I didn't require any heating so it was really good they sold it to me because I didn't want to make another journey another time even though it would be better to dine there as you can choose custard or cream with the dessert pies.

Finally got home and heated the cherry pie.

As expected, the pie was so delicious, you could see so many whole cherries inside.
Fortunately, it was the last mouthful that a cherry stone or it would have ruined my enjoyment at the beginning.
Luckily the stone was baked right through and crispy because I managed to crack it with my teeth which is better than the stone cracking my teeth as I wasn't expecting a cherry stone in the cherry pie.

Overall, I was extremely satisfied so I can't wait to go back again.

[Review] Mother Mash

Mother Mash is a lovely pie and mash shop located near Carnaby Street.
The joint is small and cozy serving a choice of mash, mains with a choice of pies or sausages with a choice of gravy.

As the name suggests, they specialize in mash where there is a good choice to choose from including Irish Colcannon mash, bubble and squeak which is a breakfast item as well as Cheesy mustard mash.

Went here with a friend so he had the pie with Colcannon mash while I had sausages with cheesy mustard mash.

It was my third time dining here and the food was still as good as before.
For mash, the cheesy mustard mash is highly recommended while for pies and sausages, it is hard to recommend a specific one because they are all equally as good.
For gravy, Liquor would be the traditional gravy you get at old fashioned pie mash shops.

[Review] Oysters at Richard Haward's

There are quite a few oyster stalls at Borough Market but Richard Haward's appealed to me as it was on one side with an area reserved for customers.

It is definitely an advantage that they have some tables so that you can appreciate your oysters.
I like the way you are free to order any combination of oysters or as few as one to try.
There are three prices because you can buy them unopened, half opened or fully opened to eat there.

Opposite the oysters, there is the condiments area where they have red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar.

As I had already had lunch, I just had an oyster and a clam.
They are opened in front of you and not rinsed hence you can taste the sea water which is the delicious part.
Both were fresh and appetizing complimented by the delicious vinegar so I will definitely be back for more.

The only thing I didn't like was the odd shell fragments.
Hand disinfecting gel and tissues are also available.