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Saturday 8 November 2014
Pinch punch, last pie of the month...
Punch Tavern Chicken and Rabbit Pie Reviews
It was Halloween, and Pierateer RAS and TJP headed to the Punch Tavern on London’s Fleet Street to see if this Grade II listed pub can deliver some knock out pies. Nestled within the bright lights and throbbing streets of central London, this well-regarded gastropub promises to serve up freshly-prepared traditional British fare. We had pre-ordered the rabbit and chicken pies before arrival to avoid disappointment, and settled in with a gin and tonic amongst the original 1897 Punch and Judy décor to enjoy our evening.
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| Great to see them pie-moting their top pies! |
Now, I would mention how
delicious the sweet potato wedges were for the starter, but this is Pierate not
Wedgerate so we’ll skip on over to the main course. The first pie – chicken, tarragon,
white wine and wild mushroom – won 3 stars at the Great Taste Awards 2014, so
we knew this was a pie we simply had to try for ourselves. The second pie – rabbit, black pudding, wholegrain mustard, pear and cider - was an unusual filling and therefore again a
pie we had to try.
The little beauties arrived, and boy they looked delicious,
alongside a generous portion of mash, cabbage, green beans and gravy. As
rectangular pies, they were an intriguing departure from the standard circular
shape. However, the condition of the pie is an important section on the Seven Cs, and we did note that both pastry casings had lost some of their structural
integrity and had broken open a bit. The base and sides in places had succumbed
to a mild case of gravy saturation (perhaps this was also a symptom of them
resting on moist cabbage) and had thus become a bit floppy, but the lid
certainly remained crisp and delicious. We must say the pastry was excellent,
especially the lid which was a perfect golden brown colour.
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| Punch Tavern Chicken Pie |
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| Punch Tavern Chicken Pie - cross-sectional view |
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| Punch Tavern Rabbit Pie |
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| Punch Tavern Rabbit Pie - cross-sectional view |
Both pies were packed to the rafters
with mouth-watering content, with only a minimal air gap at the top. You might
think from the outside that these pies are not that large, but inside they are
a meaty tardis. The chicken pie especially seemed to be bursting with meat, the
rabbit pie slightly less so. We noted that the rabbit pie had a larger proportion
of what we call “filler” in between the meat chunks (we like our pies super-meaty).
TJP also noted a small bone in the rabbit meat – not really a big issue at all
(as it just shows this is the unprocessed real deal!), but it does mean we have
to shave off a few points as some people might find this off-putting. In the
chicken pie we loved the bold taste of the tarragon; I could have eaten that
filling all day, especially those wild mushrooms and the crisp flavoursome
pastry lid. The meat seemed high quality and scored well for chewiness.
How does it rate on cheapness? At
£12.50, these aren’t the cheapest pub pies out there, but by no means the most
expensive. When you consider a) the location and b) the generous portions of
mash and veg, we would rate the pie pretty well for cheapness. The Punch Tavern
has every right to be proud of their handmade pies. There’s none of this
centralised pie factory nonsense - we’re delighted to hear they craft each and
every one of them themselves.
Punch Tavern chicken, tarragon, white wine and wild mushroom pie
Colour - 6.1 Condition - 5.5 Content - 6.5 Capacity - 5.8 Chewiness - 6.3 Consistency - 6.2 Cheapness - 5.75
Score: 6.02/7
TJP and RAS
Punch Tavern rabbit, black pudding, wholegrain mustard, pear and cider
Colour - 6.1 Condition - 5.5 Content - 6.0 Capacity - 5.8 Chewiness - 6.3 Consistency - 6.0 Cheapness - 5.75
Score: 5.92/7
TJP and RAS
TJP and RAS
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