Perth’s pie game is on the rise. Practically every locally loved bakery has at least one iteration of a meat pie on the menu. But dedicated, desirable pie shops that have perfected and elevated the humble pie? Few and far between.
Having eaten one too many subpar pies, chef Richard Overbye (ex-Wildflower) pitched the idea of a takeaway pie shop to friend and ex-coworker Patrick Wallis (ex-Modus Coffee).
Following some initial resistance, Wallis gleefully agreed and the pair opened Angelwood Pies at a hole-in-the-wall Leederville shop in late January.
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SUBSCRIBE NOW“Richard had been searching to do his own thing and originally thought that would be a fine-dining restaurant, but then this idea came to him and it all fell into place very quickly,” Wallis tells Broadsheet. “We realised we had the same vision for a hospitality business, whatever that would look like, in terms of corporate social responsibility, a long-term community element, and bringing the most excellent product and service we could.”
The product in question is pies, informed by Overbye’s sparkling CV, which includes time at Oslo’s three-Michelin-starred Maemo, Melbourne fine diner Amaru, and Perth’s own Restaurant Amuse and Wildflower.
The pair are aware that people rock up to Angelwood with pie preconceptions, but these are nothing like the slightly soggy pies you might have fumbled at football games or impatiently plucked from the servo shelves still slightly frozen. These are gourmet with expertly made pastry and locally sourced ingredients.
“It’s not quite a shortcrust, but it’s incredible,” Wallis tells Broadsheet. “It’s so light but still has taste, it’s very flavourful. We wanted to make sure you could get through a whole pie in one hand with a drink in the other.”
Traditionalists will always find classic mince and chunky steak on the menu, alongside a dozen rotating fillings for those feeling a little more adventurous. Think corned beef, bechamel and mustard (“it tastes just like a roast dinner,” Wallis insists); Keralan barramundi curry inspired by Overbye’s travels through India; and an apricot chicken number that brings ’80s nostalgia in spades.
There are several vegetarian and vegan options, as well as sausage rolls and house-made takes on corner store sweets such as passionfruit musk sticks and vanilla slice.
Coffee beans are from local roasters Modus, where Wallis spent five years. “We’re really focusing on responsibly sourced coffee, so [we’re all about] having the best quality coffee and making sure that it’s good for everyone, including the farmers.”
Beyond coffee there are soft drinks ranging from Bundaberg ginger beer to Mischief Brew’s small-batch natural sodas, and Brownes’s Choc Chill – because what goes better with a pie than a carton of choccy milk?
Angelwood Pies
18b/663 Newcastle Street, Leederville
No phone
Hours:
Mon & Tues closed
Wed to Sun 8am–2pm
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