Event: North Shore Pie Co – Taste of New Zealand
Address: Hemingway’s Restaurant, 142 Cumberland Street, Toronto, ON M5R 1A8
When: September 14th
Recently I was invited by On Q Communications to attend the Taste of New Zealand, which was hosted by North Shore Pie Co at Hemingway’s in honour of its rebranding. The event featured some of New Zealand’s classic dishes and drinks from Oyster Bay and Mill Street Brewery.
In 2015, Anthony Spinley opened the first location of North Shore Pie Co. in Roncesvalles and since then, he had quickly built a name for himself and New Zealand in Toronto with his delicious pies! The store was also filled with some of the classic sweet treats such as Lamington’s and Afghan biscuits. In January 2017, he will be opening a flagship location in Etobicoke which will include a wholesale pie kitchen along with a dining area!
After an introduction from On Q Communications and Anthony Spinley, along with the chef who made the pastries herself, the event began with a 3 course meal.
The first course consisted of sausage roll, spinach & cheese and quiches, and out of the three, my favorite was the spinach and cream cheese gem (the very top left). The gem (or I guess I could call it muffin?) was still warm – despite our prolonged photography session – while the cream cheese was gooey in the middle.
The second courses consisted of Steak & Cheese pies (pictured above), Potato top with minced beef (below pic) and Butter chicken pie.
Seriously guys, I couldn’t pick a favorite on this platter as everything was absolutely delicious. The steak and cheese pie was the brand’s hottest seller and I can definitely see why. This pie had 2 layers filled with fresh and tender steak from a local farm. The steak is doused with a flavorful gravy and melted local cheddar cheese. The crust is oh-so-flaky and no filler!! I loved it so much that I had to ask for a second to take home :p.
For something different, North Shore Pie Co. also offer the Butter Chicken pie – which arrived at our table with an incredible fragrant from the Indian spices. The pie itself was filled with tender chicken pieces that was cooked in a delicious & classic Indian curry sauce.
I was quite intrigued with these Afghan cookies that I actually asked for the one on the display, because you know, can’t waste food especially if it is dessert ;). From the look of it, I initially thought the cookie was going to be dry but to my surprised, it was incredibly soft! The cookie wasn’t too sweet either with a slight crispy crunch, I could have eaten a dozen of these.
The last course was Pavlova with fresh fruits from Hemingway’s. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, so I ended up stealing some Lamington’s from my fellow foodie friends (the pink cube shape on my first picture). If you don’t know, a lamington is made from sponge cake coated in a molten chocolate coating and rolled in coconut – and they were delightful.
I would like to express my gratitude to On Q Communications for the invitation and North Shore Pie Co for the absolutely amazing pies! Seriously, I never had a pie this good in my life. Stay tuned for my giveaway as I can’t wait to share a pie from North Shore Pie Co. with you guys!
Disclaimer: While the food & drinks were provided by North Shore Pie Co and the respective vendors. I am not obliged to publish a review on the business. All opinions/thoughts are my own. For more information about my review policy, please click here.