Bourke St Bakery, Surry Hills (NSW)

Two weeks to go until we leave Sydney.  Packing is well on track with boxes all over the flat and trying to live off minimal food so we don’t fill up the fridge and cupboards. From my first post I got agreement from most people on the judging criteria but there was a lot of people split over round vs. square pies.  Plus thanks for the suggestions of places to try pies along the way (I know the challenge has been laid down to South Australia)

So the other day we took a walk over to the Bourke St Bakery to kick off the pie diaries.  Bourke St is a local bakery in Surry Hills and it’s a well-regarded establishment with lines outside the door every weekend.  We were introduced to this place while living in Sydney and it has awesome hot and sweet foods.  If this were the sausage roll diary it would win hands down.  Here you find the best sausage roll made with lamb and almonds.  A must to try.  Bourke St is also right on the way when heading to the SCG.  I’ve swung by there a few times to pick up a box of sausage rolls before the footy (it goes down better than a Villi’s pie).

We were at Bourke St as well to catch up with Hazel’s friend Candice before we left Sydney.  Now down to the pie.  I had eaten a beef pie here before, but it had been a while and was good to get reacquainted with the taste.  I knew beforehand the pie was going to be tasty, so it would be a good benchmark for the pie diaries (& maybe a potential winner).  The beef pie here was round and served in an aluminum case.  Now I’m not a fan of the case as too many pies seem to stick and when you grab it out it falls apart.  Alas this was not the case, so all good.

So how did it stack up?  My favorite bit of this pie was the pastry.  It was light and crunchy and just a little bit sweet to the taste.  It was not flaky at all.  The beef and gravy inside was juicy and tasty, nice chunks that melted in your mouth.  The only issue with the pie was the heat.  It was too hot inside and meant for slow eating.  Hazel and Candice also had the pie and confirmed this analysis (they also had it with tomato sauce, but I won’t go there).  Plus there was a bit too much gravy, which dripped everywhere, but at the end of the day it was a delicious pie, which I scored 7/10.  I then had to wash it down with a lamb sausage roll, as it might be a while until I get one of those again.

With the first pie down, we said our farewells to Candice and headed home to do some more packing over the weekend.  Next weekend I will be trying out Hannah’s Pies on Harris St, for my last pie before leaving Sydney.  Plus in between then Hazel and I have a few final lunches to attend so it will be a busy week.

Get Behind!