1215 Railroad Avenue, Bellingham, WA
360-306-8805
After being on my list for over a year, we finally made a quick detour to downtown Bellingham and gave Man Pies a try.
The menu was pretty limited. With only Octopus (CW's new nickname), Buddha Girl and myself, we ate a good portion of their main offerings.
The Braised Chicken Pie was pretty much a chicken pot pie with chicken gravy. Starting with the crust...it was perfect. The crust had a nice crumble and it was neither heavy nor doughy. The thickness of the crust was just right. The filling had chicken, celery, carrots, peas, pepper and a hint of nutmeg. All ingredients were prepared to the point that when served, no texture was lost.
The Spicy Pork & Beans Pie (to me, it was more like a BBQ pulled pork pie), had a nice tangy filling. Although not very strong in any particular flavor, the overall pie was well balanced.
Honestly, by this point, it was really hard to appreciate any food. Man Pies was meant to be a snack-stop since we've already had dim-sum only a few hours earlier. With Octopus and Buddha Girl being non-beef-eaters, I had no help with this pie. I was pretty much at my limit and I really couldn't go any further.
After a pie each, Octopus and Buddha Girl shared a Strawberry Shortcake. To me, the biscuit was a bit too hard, but the ladies seemed to enjoy it very much. It was a simple dessert with fresh strawberries and not-so-sweet cream. The girls polished this pretty easily. I, on the other hand, needed a nap.
With reasonable prices and quality ingredients, we'd recommend to give this a try...we even came back a week later for more!
The daily special was a Braised Beef Pie Topped With Mashed Potatoes,
quite similar to a Shepherd's pie. Just like the other two pies, the
meat and vegetables maintained its textures. The overall flavour was
good, but my preference still leaned towards the pastry crusts.
Honestly, by this point, it was really hard to appreciate any food. Man Pies was meant to be a snack-stop since we've already had dim-sum only a few hours earlier. With Octopus and Buddha Girl being non-beef-eaters, I had no help with this pie. I was pretty much at my limit and I really couldn't go any further.
I had the braised beef pie a couple of months ago, but from their farmer's market stall just down the street, instead of at the store. Maybe that's why I felt it was just ok but not *great* compared to your experience.
ReplyDeleteIf you go to the farmer's market, try Danielle's BBQ stall. The pulled pork sandwiches (they have at least 6 different kinds) with several different serve-yourself sauces, is a winner. The meat skewers at the Thai House stall are good too, big & meaty for only $1.50 each :-D
We'll have to head down for the farmer's market. From the pies that we did try, I do prefer the pulled pork, chicken and even the vegetarian.
DeleteThe pies at the store are served warm and the gravy does make it better. Not sure how it's served at the farmers market though.