Is there anything better than pie?  Tender, flaky crusts filled with… meat?

Well, in the U.S., we usually limit our pies to sweet offerings, unless we’re talking pot pie or shepherd’s pie.  However, the Aussie’s have their savory pie game down, and lucky for us in SoCal, we have a transplant from the land down under to show us the ways of the Aussie meat pie.

You may remember my first post from Pie-Not, but this time I dug into more than a few items and I can’t wait to work my way through the rest of the menu!

The tiny storefront conceals all kinds of wonderful surprises inside, but I should mention that I totally dig the rustic feel.

Remember this lovely display case?  It was a tough decision, but I was totally excited to pick out some new items with my new bloggy friend, Mike from Eating My Way Through OC.  Check out his blog post for his thoughts!

Now, to our yummy selections!

This was a Chef Special that I left to the pork eaters in the group, but it looked adorable, yes?

Oh. My. Goodness.  Imagine the most amazing chicken pot pie you have ever eaten, pump up the flavors, and then Aussie-fy it (meaning you pick it up like a hamburger to eat it).  Check out how lovely the inside looks.  Yum yum!

One of the fun features of the menu are their pastries!  They look a little bit like Argentinian empanadas and this one is inspired by Indian flavors, but before I get too mixed up, let’s just say that this American thinks it has a rightful place on the Australian menu.

Really, don’t you just want to dig in?

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Hey meat eaters!  This one is for you, hands down.  Sometimes I get weighed down by heavy meats, but this was so not the case.  The meat was ultra tender and perfect.  Even though the sauce was earthy and homey, I did not feel like it overpowered the meat, which is sometimes the case.  Totally recommending this too!

We ordered yet another beautiful pastry, which I adored.  One of my favorite childhood breakfast foods was a spinach & cheese croissant from a now-closed bakery… and this brought back all the memories!  Even though this is not a croissant, I thought that the crust was perfect for the spinach filling mixed with the walnuts and nutty Gruyere, to make it even heartier.

Lastly, I had to indulge my vegetarian tastebuds and order a vegetarian pie.  Just like the description says, it is inspired by French ratatouille, and with the addition of the cheesy goodness, it was absolutely heavenly.  Is it too repetitive to say that each one of these is my favorite?  But really, it is!

Then, it was time for desserts!

I had never eaten an ANZAC biscuit, but I was eager to try it.  Absolutely amazing!  And with the oatmeal and coconut combo, it technically qualifies as dessert, right?  Right?

I had this on my list trip… but goodness, I couldn’t help but order it again.  Absolutely fantastic, and worth ordering on every return trip.

We had to round out our trio of desserts with this patriotic bit of Aussie sweetness.  Yum!

Now having conquered my way through about a third of the menu, I can’t wait to try more and more.  Oh, and I’ll have to remember to say hello to the unofficial mascots of Pie-Not on the next trip.  I did not mention them before, but they deserved a little shout-out.  🙂

This time, I was delighted to try out not just a few pies, but also a handful of their wonderful pastries.  All winners in my book!

Pie-Not The Aussie Style Bakery
270 East 17th Street #17
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 650-7437
pienot.com