Modern Bakery certainly lives up to its name!  The last time I walked down Ponsonby road the bakery wasn’t there at all.

Despite being late for a meeting, double parked, and on my way back from lunch, I nipped in to see if the brand ethos suggested by the store name extended to management’s approach to pie making.

After parting with $4.50 I found myself face to face with their finest ‘gourmet’ Pepper Steak pie.

Modern Bakery's Pepper Steak Pie

The presentation could not be faulted – with the owners going for the traditional brown paper bag for packaging.  The pie itself was good.  Initially I felt that the baker was too economic with his (or her) use of the pepper grinder, but she (or he) won me over in the end.

I certainly knew that it was pepper steak by the time I hit the last bit of crust!

SIDENOTE: What does the term gourmet mean when it comes to pies?  Better ingredients? More pastry? A light brushing of olive oil, with sprinkles of parsley and parmesan before being gently popped in the oven?  I wonder if Consumer magazine has come up with any hard and fast standards on this contentious issue.

Let’s face it, there is little agreement amongst pie aficionado’s about the right way to make pies in general, let alone amongst those of us who find ourselves gravitating towards the Pepper Steak section of our local pie warmer.  One thing that I think we all agree on, is that there should be a fair proportion of chunks in our pepper steak pies.

The steak in this pie was more shredded than chunky, with few if any chunks of steak.  On the whole this was not a bad thing, but don’t say you haven’t been warned if you prefer a chunky pepper steak pie to go with your Thickshake for morning tea.

Note the distinct lack of chunks: is this perhaps a Pepper-Mince pie?

Price: $4.50 (“gourmet”)
Rating: Turn the pie warmer up to 3.
Store: Modern Bakery on Ponsonby Road, Auckland.
Baked: The pie was made on the premises.

Reviewed by Convenience Food Critic – Sterling Pace

Tags: gourmet pies, pepper steak