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Showing posts with label thejunction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thejunction. Show all posts
Saturday, 18 May 2013
At the next junction, turn back for Chicken Pie
Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie Review at The Junction Pub, Harborne
It's always nice to be invited back somewhere. And when that involves being invited back for free pie, there's surely nothing better! And that was the very kind offer made by The Junction Pub in Harborne, Birmingham. Clearly not satisfied with the best pie in Harborne (an ox cheek pie reviewed a few weeks ago), The Junction Pub wanted to be firmly put on the map with the best pies around. So with them boasting about the Chicken, Ham and Leek pie on their new summer menu, who am I to turn down a free invite?!
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| Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie with Fries, Peas, Green Beans and Courgette |
The pie when it came out was golden topped in delicious light puff pastry, a sight to behold. A (seemingly personalised) added touch of an 'x marks the spot' on top of the pie was a very clever addition and well appreciated. Digging through the crisp top layer of puff pastry, the fork was met with large, tender chunks of chicken, succulent pieces of ham and leek. The creamy sauce was slightly thin and runny in parts, but well complimented the chicken. The meat was very plentiful and smothered in delicious creamy sauce. The main downside once again was that I quickly ran out of pastry due to it being just a top crust pie. This left me very filling-heavy, and while a tasty filling it did suffer from the lack of pastry accompaniment. The chicken pieces could have been diced slightly more finely to spread it more evenly through the pie, however all in all the filling was very good and the chicken top notch.
While my preference would be the ox cheek pie I had previously, this chicken pie once again highlights why The Junction Pub is the place to be for a fine dining experience in Harborne. And who knows - if they work on their fully encased pastry recipe, they could be competing for best pie in Birmingham or the UK!
The Junction Pub Chicken, Ham and Leek pie
Score: 5.9/7
Score: 5.9/7
RAS
Harborne Pie Leaderboard:
5.95 - The Junction Pub - Ox Cheek and Red Wine
5.90 - The Junction Pub - Chicken, Ham and Leek
5.75 - The Green Man Pub (Ember Inn) - Steak, Stout, Baby Onion and Pancetta
4.50 - The Proverbial - Steak and Ale
See where these pies ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
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Wednesday, 20 March 2013
At the next Junction take the cheeky ox pie to the right...
Ox Cheek Pie Review from The Junction Pub in Harborne
It may not
feel like it, but winter should be on its way out and spring should truly be
beginning! Which is why I thought I best get a nice winter warmer of a pie from
a local pub before they changed their menu. And with a recommendation of The Junction Pub in Harborne, Birmingham, when out for a meal with my pie friends
Caroline and Justin, I wasn’t going to say no! The research had already been
done and a cheeky pie was on the menu.
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| Ox Cheek Pie Review at The Junction, Harborne |
It must be
pointed out at this point that the busy hustle and bustle of the pub was a
great sign of good quality food and a nice welcoming atmosphere. We just about
managed to find a free table and with a slight vantage point over the kitchen
wall we could see some of the meals being made. It was sadly at this point that
the evening took a slight downturn as, unfortunate to say, before the pie was
even presented onto my table it could be seen that they were in fact making me
not a proper fully encased pie, but instead just a casserole with a puff pastry
top crust. This was disappointing to say the least and would have to be
reflected in the final score, but I’ve had to eat plenty of top crusts in my
time and as they say in show business, the show must go on! So what about the
pie...
I delved through
the nice, golden flaky puff pastry crust and got my first taste of ox cheek.
And it was definitely worth the wait! The meat was deliciously tender and mixed
beautifully with the red wine gravy inside the bowl. Flavoursome and not at all
chewy, the ox cheek was delightful and certainly worth the price, for this was
more on the high end of the cost scale. However as mentioned, the quality of
the meat made it totally worth every penny. The pie was very filling and the
content was packed to capacity, but sadly without it being a fully encased pie it
did leave me wishing what could have been. I certainly was left with a lot of
meat and no pastry to eat it with quite early on, and while the meat was
delicious this pie was screaming out for more pastry! Certainly a recommendation
for the chef there, as this could have been one of the highest ranked pies had
it been fully encased!
All in all,
this pie was at the higher end of the price market, but worth every penny for a
great atmosphere and filling to enjoy. There’s not much I can fault with this
pie in terms of the delicious filling. It’s just a shame they didn’t execute on
the fully encasing pastry to turn this from being one of the best top crusts I’ve
eaten, to one of the best pies I’ve eaten.
The Junction
Ox Cheek and Red Wine Pie
Score: 5.95/7
RAS
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