The Magic Oven, 126 Edith St, Wynnum

This place, tucked in a busy little commercial section of Wynnum, appeared on my radar from an article in 'Brisbanism - who makes Brisbane's best pies?'

Brisbane's Best Pies Article Here

Of course the usual suspects were all mentioned: Piefection, La Campagne, Goat Pie Guy, Beefys etc, along with the usual crazies who declare that nothing beats Brumbies / Big Dads / Pie Face etc... I swear, these people are breeding and walking among us - it scares the shit out of me. Future Bill Shortens in the making, the lot of 'em.

But one comment stood out from all the others.  'John from Chandler' declared that the plain meat pie at The Magic Oven was 'simply superb', and that he should know because (& I quote): 'believe me, I really have looked hard'. Is that a fact, John? You really have looked really hard, havya? 

John went on to say that he had been visiting weekly for years since he found TMO, and that 'without doubt' it outshines the aforementioned Piefection et al. He also asked anyone reading to 'give Vin and Tina my love' and declared that 'you feel good after eating there'. Awwwww.

Well, John from Chandler, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings son, but when it comes to pies, you don't know 

from

From the outset, I have to declare that I really badly wanted to find a hidden gem in the suburbs of Wynnum. I really did. And things looked promising there for a while.

The lady behind the counter (I'm assuming the owner, Tina perhaps?) was super-friendly and helpful, her little porcelain lucky cat with the waving arm sitting on the pie-warmer was endearing, as was the statue of buddha and the throwback-to-the-80's decor (& prices); but after some vigorous debate between myself and the Rim-dog we agreed that TMO is just another suburban bakery. No more, no less. Certainly not of sufficient luminescence to outshine Piefection, La Campagne (aka Rock n Roll Bakery), Beefys, or any of the other big hitters that have graced this blog (and occasionally the front of my shirt).

Let's give it the MC Hammer treatment:

I had the steak, bacon, cheese, and tomato; while Rimmer had the pepper steak. We both had a curry pie for entree.

The pastry is pretty good. It's on the biscuity end of the scale, but it was cooked properly and there were some flakes of crunchiness on top. The base was firm without being dry, and the whole thing tasted pretty good with a few gnarly bits busting through as you can see from the photo. Top marks for presentation, I think you'll all agree:

Curry pie

The temperature was spot-on. Absolutely perfect. Ever-so-slightly on the hot side to begin with, but perfect to the last bite without burning the roof of the mouth. The curry flavour was a Keens powder type, which is kind of what you expect at an Asian bakery in suburbia (Christ knows why - if I was an Asian baker, I'd embrace the shit out it and crank out some of granny's old school Asian gear in my pies. Maybe Asian bakers think that Keens is still where the Aussie palate is, curry-wise. Racists...give us some credit...red-braised pork pie, anyone? Kung pao chicken pie perhaps? NiHAO!). 

Anyway, the pie-maker had been liberal in his or her use of the Keens tin, and the curry pie had plenty of go. Rimmer actually got the hiccups, but I'm not sure whether it was because of the heat or because he attacked it like a Great White on Mick Fanning. But he was hungry, the young fella, and sometimes his youthful exuberance gets the better of him.

Apologies, but I can't get this bloody photo to rotate...
you might have to turn your head (just don't let anyone see you)

The gravy was also good. Nice, thick, and glossy without a hint of the over-gelatine treatment that is so prevalent in suburban bakeries. So what are you whingeing about, I hear you ask. Well, our problem with the pie was that it was all gravy and no meat. All blow and no shaft, as they say down at The Wickham. 

And the meat that was there was kinda grissly and shithouse...a far cry from John's assertion that it would be, 'generously filled with very good quality meat'. Which is a real shame, because everything else was good. 

We debated the score, and decided that it certainly wasn't a fail due to all the positives I've just mentioned, but it would struggle to score any more than a 6/10. You can't score highly without good innards, and unfortunately they weren't particularly good.

Steak, bacon, cheese & tomato

My steak, bacon, cheese & tomato on the other hand was pretty good. Size, heat, temperature, and (in complete contrast to the curry pie) the ingredients were all good. There was a plethora of meat, and visible onion, cheese, and tomato. Having said that, it wasn't anything particularly outstanding on the palate, and there wasn't much depth of flavour or seasoning, so a 7/10 is about all the enthusiasm I can muster for it.

Rimmer's steak & pepper pie went down pretty quickly as he was able to overcome the treacherous bout of hiccups that had assailed him, and he said that it was better than the curry pie with better meat and visible cracked pepper - but he was only prepared to give a 6.5/10. [So generous Rimmer; an extra half-point over the curry pie!]

So if you're reading this, John from Chandler, I'm calling bullshit on you 'having really looked hard'. The Magic Oven is OK as a suburban bakery, but I wouldn't drive across town (again) for it. My advice to you John is to look a bit harder mate. Start with a point just past the end of your nose.

Guest Review - Wagga & Gundagai

I've finally caved in to the avalanche of requests that I've received from everyone, and sent my roving reporter Toddy The Tipster forth from Pie Towers armed with the black Amex into rural NSW to scrounge up some meaty goodness. Of course, as you'd expect, he inevitably found a country race meeting, and ended up in Wagga. Or Wagga Wagga, if you're a tourist.

This is what he found:

As a regular fan of The Pieologist, I have been inspired in recent years to sample the odd pie or two.  In fact, it's fair to say, my obsession is growing, if I spot a bakery, I'm always happy to sample the menu.  

Earlier this month, I found myself in the town of Wagga Wagga, on a punting sojourn for their two day Wagga Cup Carnival.  Before heading out to the track on day one, it was time to find a bakery and see how they go.  It was time well spent.  O'Briens Hot Bakery, 89A Morgan street was the venue in question.

I perused the menu, and decided that my old favourite the Pepper Steak was what I needed to fill the void prior to a day on the punt and also to take the final edge off the fact I was a bit dusty from the night before.  

The price of the pie wasn't what I would call cheap at $4.80 a pop, but once I took it out of the bag, I was happy with my purchase.  The pastry on top was browned and crisped just enough, the pastry for the casing though - more importantly - was removed of any soft doughiness, which in my mind is a fatal mistake with a number of pies.

The inside of the pie was top shelf.  Large chunks of tender steak, combined with enough gravy to keep things nice and juicy.  The final highlight of this very good pie was the generous pepper flavour evenly spread throughout.  There is nothing worse than getting a Pepper Steak pie and wondering the whole time you are eating it, whether they have accidentally given you the plain Steak pie.  I like a bit of spice, and that's what I got to top off this number.

Overall, I give this one an 9 out of 10, it is the best Pepper Steak pie I have sampled.

The following day, I of course returned, and decided to sample the Beef Curry Pie.  To say I was disappointed wouldn't quite describe my feelings, as it was a good pie, but overall, I'd say I could get the same product elsewhere.  

Ultimately, it was mincey and not chunky, but the saving grace once again was the amount of spice.  When a bakery promises a curry pie, I want it to be a curry pie, and this one did leave my mouth with that pleasant tingling feeling.  Again the casing and pastry was good quality, I'd have just liked this one to be equally chunky as the day before.  I'll score this one a 7.

Day three begins with much anticipation.  Wagga Wagga finds itself very close geographically to the towns of Junee and Gundagai.  We set off that morning to pay “Rabbs” Warren a visit in Junee.  Now of course, the real “Rabbs” wasn't a around, but these days he is immortalised in Bronze right in the centre of town – That's Gold!  

After a quick stop at the Junee Licorice and Chocolate factory, it's on the road to Gundagai.  Happily singing a tune something about a track winding back in anticipation of another great pie, at a venue recommended by none other than The Pieologist himself, you can imagine my disappointment when The Gundy Pie Cafe is closed on a Sunday morning.  What are these people doing? 

Good reviews abound online for the Gundy Bakery

The heartbreaking image of a closed pie shop

Toddy's mate bought this a couple of days later from the Gundy Pie Shop...

The base is a liiittle concerning, but it has a lot of potential anyway...

 I begrudgingly wind up a few doors down at the standard nameless Gundagai bakery, and revert back to my old favourite, The Pepper Steak, knowing that I am in for disappointment.

That's exactly what I got.  Pastry that wasn't cooked, and had that doughiness I mentioned early, a lack of crispiness on top, and a filling that comes with any standard frozen pie.  

The flavour itself wasn't terrible, so I generously move it to a 5 out of 10, but I could easily have been more harsh.  Ahh, well, it just wasn't to be in Gundagai, but I did manage a squeeze in a visit to The Dog On The Tuckerbox, so I guess the trip wasn't completely wasted.

To sum things up – On the odd chance you find yourself in Wagga Wagga – And I do recommend you plan yourself a trip to the racing carnival, make it your business to stop in at O'Briens Hot Bakery, head out to the track and wash it down with a few schooners and you'll set yourself up for a winning day!