polyphagia ♣: the pie tin, newtown

I'm sure you're all familiar with The Pie Tin in Newtown and I'm probably one of the few people who haven't tried this place out. But if you're not, it's a small funky, ancient looking eatery located off the main strip of Newtown serving a reinvented version of your typical meat pie with a little hipster twist.

And like with many other popular joints, there's very limited spacing - a communal table and only about 6 other small tables on the wall. The pies are all handmade and very reasonably priced for such large portions.

On weekends the place is packed and there's almost always a long queue. Luckily the line moves relatively quickly and the only thing you have to keep an eye out for are the seats.

Look at all those pies! There are so many to choose from - from your classic beef pie to a fancy schamncy North African roast lamb pie. If savoury pies aren't your thang, there's a wide range of indulgent and rich dessert pies to choose from. You'll definitely find something that suits you (unless you're like me and it takes 100 years to come to a decision).

The pies themselves cost $5.80-$8.80. If you're feeling really hungry, you could get a pie with two sides or with chips, which will set you back $11-$14. Unfortunately the prices of the pies aren't labelled and I can't tell you exactly how much each pie was.

chicken carbonara with white sauce, bacon and mushrooms ($5.80-$8.80):

This pie was densely packed with creamy soft chicken meat, salty bacon and pieces of soft mushroom. A few more pinches of black pepper would have made this even better but overall, it was still a pretty good pie!

north african style slow roasted lamb with chermoula ($5.80-$8.80):

I decided to be a bit more adventurous and opted for the North African style slow roasted lamb pie. The chunks of lamb are stringy and packed full of flavour. The mixture of spices and peppers really give this pie a nice subtle spice kick.

slow roasted shredded pork with apple and bbq sauce ($5.80-$8.80):

At first I was hesitant about the apple but after my first bite, I was sold! The sweetness from the cinnamon, apple and bbq sauce combined with the tender smoked pulled pork, that had been cooked for hours clearly made me realise why this particular pie is always sold out. It's so good and definitely one of my favourites.

slow roasted beef brisket, hickory smoke and mushrooms and side of chips ($11.00-$14.00):

This pie was full of tender and shredded beef brisket. I was definitely impressed with the delicate smoky, caramelised taste and the soft mushrooms. Definitely another one of my favourites!

These golden pastries were light and flaky yet firm enough to hold all the fillings in place, easily complementing each hearty filling. I did however find the base to be a little dry and hard but in saying that, it could also be a good thing because it stops the filling from falling out when you're using your hands.

So, if you thought choosing a savoury pie was hard, wait till you get to the dessert pie - there are even more choices to choose from!

hazelnut choc caramel ($7.50-$10.50):

To be honest, I found this to be a huge disappointment. There was nothing to cut down the overly rich, thick and sweet caramel filling. I was expecting more hazelnuts or some sort of nutty centre to give the slice some sort of texture but with each bite, it became exponentially harder to consume.

lemon brulee pie ($7.50-$10.50):

To offset the sickening richness of the caramel pie, we ordered the lemon brulee pie. The filling is smooth, curd like and there's a strong citrusy tang that will throw you off on your first bite. It had a very refreshing Spring and Summery feel to it, that will keep you coming back for more! But to balance out the amount of filling, I wish there had been more of the shortcrust pastry.

And of course, I couldn't leave without trying their famous oreo pie!

choc oreo cookie pie ($7.50 - $10.50):

I know this doesn't look too appealing but oreos in a rich cream cheese pie form can only mean one thing - deliciousness. The oreos had absorbed all the moisture from the cream and transformed into a soft biscuit so each bite just melted in your mouth.

I found these huge servings of very sweet pies to be a tad bit overbearing but if you get a slice to share, there shouldn't be a problem!