Who ate all the pies?

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 27 January 2008 19:31:18

There now follows a commercial:

About six months ago, one of the lads in our youth group - we'll call him Sam, because that's his name - started raving about Urban Pie. It took me a while to find it, but now it's become quite a regular haunt. It's a new eatery in Birmingham, on the side of the Bullring, and as the name implies it's all about pies; or, as their blurb puts is, "gourmet handmade pies, deep filled with the finest ingredients". There are a vast array of pies available there, ranging from the traditional (steak and kidney) to the slightly-less-traditional (chicken balti) and all available with mash, gravy, beans, peas - garden or mushy - or any combination of the above that takes your fancy.

The style of the place is quite fast-food oriented; counter service, disposable packaging, plastic cutlery, breakfast bar style seating, takeaway available etc. But then, its genius is in its simplicity - as one of my friends summed it up the other day, "the bottom line is, you're getting pie in a box". Yep, it comes in a box (tough enough to hold the gravy), the corners of which can then be opened out to create a sort of big plate (which somehow manages to hold the gravy in, even though you think it won't).

Perhaps the best part of the set-up, however, is happy hour. After 5.00 until closing, all the pies are half price. This has been a very useful thing to know on evenings when I've been going to something in town and haven't seen much point going home from work only to turn round and come back into town again. It's also cheaper and tastier - although probably no healthier - than McDonald's.

Well, Urban Pie came to my rescue on Friday evening in one such event, and today a group of us headed over there for lunch after church. It was good; in fact it was very good. Just like Sam from the youth group, I am now heartily endorsing Urban Pie to you, especially if you're in Birmingham and fancy an early evening cheap pie and a cheap pint (beer is also half price after 5). I know for my regular readers that very few of you are likely to find yourself in this predicament often, but if the situation ever arises, tell them Sam sent you. It will mean nothing to them, but I'd just love the idea that they'd keep getting people coming in saying "Sam sent me" and have no idea who Sam is or why he's sent you. And then smile to yourself as you enjoy your pie.