“Happiness from Australia”
Australian café and bakery chain Pie Face has opened its first outlet in Singapore 313@Somerset, and will be opening its flagship store at Bugis Village. Pie Face already has multiple franchises in Australia, New Zealand, and New York. Its first Middle East outlet will be opening in Abu Dhabi later in 2014 as well.
Established in 2003, Pie Face specializes in baking handmade gourmet pies from scratch. The dough undergoes three days of preparation which involves countless folds with specially blended butter to create 48 layers of the best flaky crust pie pastry.
Being a small format bakery cafe, Pie Face has gone for a functional interior without the fancy bits and bobs just focusing the attention on its pastries. Four prominent large LCD displays function as the menu boards.
Pie Face is known for animated smilies adorning the pastry tops. Each pie has a unique facial expression. There’s a secret code to deciphering them and so far we have only worked out “=S” means steak, but basically the different expressions stand for a different filling within.
Freshly made pastries awaiting baking, pies are baked daily within the store itself.
From left: Chunky Steak Pie ($5.20), Thai Chicken Curry Pie ($3.00), Tandoori Vegetable Pie S$3.00. For fans of Thai cuisine, don’t expect the Thai curry chicken to be similar to Gaeng Keow Wan Gai. This is more a sweet chicken pie with coconut milk instead of cows milk for the creaminess. The tandoori vegetable pie was simply carrots, capsicum and mixed beans submerged in an overwhelmingly sweet tandoori sauce; we were momentarily convinced it was dessert.
By far the most popular choice in Australia is also likely to be a favourite here in time to come: Chunky Steak Pie. It’s honest and simple with copious chunks of juicy beef cubes, semi firm carrots (not the usual mushy sort) and rich gravy.
Chicken & Mushroom Pie ($4.90). Every mouthful of this crusty pie felt homey and comforting. The chicken was tender with each bite, while the gravy was hearty and smooth.
Almond Stick ($1.90), Cheese Stick ($1.90). Not your regular pastry, the pastry sticks are the same ones that under go the multiple folds of 48 layers. So while they might look thick and dense, they are really light, flaky, and puffy.
From Left: Mint Lemon Pie ($3.30), Mini Chocolate Pie ($3.30), Mini Pecan Pie ($3.30). The lemon pie had a surprisingly impressive amount of sweet lemon cream compared to the tart base. The chocolate pie was a chocolate mousse tart with a hard chocolate exterior, just nice on the sweetness with a hint of bitterness. The pecan pie paled in contrast, as the pecans were chewy rather than crunchy.
Pie Face’s Asian and Middle Eastern expansion comes on the heels of the shuttering of six of its New York outlets last month. Baring that, Pie Face plans to introduce more of its Australian menu to Singapore in the near future.
Hearty and comforting, the signature pies at Pie Face are a welcome addition to Orchard road not just for its yumminess, but its affordability as well.
Expected damage: $5 – $10 per pax
