Pie in the Sky, Olinda by Bureaucrat

One of the places that I really, really missed, while I was dragooned in the grey Gulag that is London, was doing my regular trips to Mt Dandenong. I love Mt D, as it has all the things that I like up there - beautiful mountain scenery, great food, great massages, great homeware and kitchen/food shops, and great little villagey markets. It's my little piece of heaven.


Pasty with mash and peas

Almost everytime that I drive up to Mt D is to have lunch at Pie in the Sky. I have loved Pie in the Sky ever since I was a daggy teenager with braces. For those who haven't heard of Pie in the Sky, it serves award winning pies. Even after about 15 years of going to this place, I still have no idea who awarded them those awards. All I know is that the pies taste good, and their chips are really, really good.


A very important bit of info is to get their early. There is always a long line. If you can't wait for a table, you can get the pies (hot or cold) as takeaway. Usually when the Lawyer and I go, we make a point of arriving at Pie in the Sky before 12pm. That way, we always get a table, and can lord it over the punters that arrive during the peak time. Once 12pm comes, all the pensioners, families, day-trippers, and what Beaker refers to as the 'hill billies', descend upon the place. This is regardless of which day you go.

Unfortunately, on the day we went, we got their after 12pm. Naturally, the place was at full capacity, and we had to wait about 20 minutes for a table.

Once seated, we ordered a pasty for Beaker (see first pic). An impressive size, filled with chunks of beef and chunky root vegs. She opted for mash potatoes, gravy and peas with the pasty.


...sausage roll for Bubba Chuck, who wolfed down 3/4 of the roll. We all tried the remaining sausage roll, and I have to say, I'm not a fan of sausage rolls, but this tasted pretty good. A nice savoury flavour (no wierd bits of gristle), and I liked the toasted sesame seeds on top.


...a steak and mushroom pie for me. Lovely, richly flavoured filling. Wonderfully warming food on a cold day.


...and a baked potato for Mother Hen. A huge potato, that was properly cooked through (I hate baked potatoes when they still a bit hard/uncooked in the middle). While it was a rather plain potato (it was topped with a coleslaw mix and lots of sour cream - Mother Hen didn't want the bacon bits on it), it was surprisingly tasty, which was mainly due to the garlic butter.



Verdict
Food - 9
Ambience - 9
Service - 8
Price - 7 (if you dine in, I'd say this place is mid-priced. If you get it takeaway, I'd say this place is a cheap eats.)

Overall
I love Pie in the Sky. It is more expensive to dine at the restaurant (it's much cheaper to get the pies takeaway. The only downside of doing that is that there aren't many public seating available for you to sit down and eat your pies), but I always do so, because I just love this place so much.

There are about 15 pies to choose from, and there are also other main dishes, including salads, quiches, baked potatoes, and schnitzels.

They also have a range of desserts (mostly different types of cakes and slices) and also afternoon tea.

Address
Pie in the Sky
43 Olinda-Monbulk Rd
Olinda 3788
Tel: (03) 9751 2128