On a warm sunny day it can be great to walk around Covent Garden. Although at lunchtime it can be so busy with tourist and those working around the area getting their lunch. But you know without them they do not provide you the buzzing atmosphere that you expect from Covent Garden. Sometime I just like to stop and watch the street entertainments. You get so busy with work that many time you do not notice these beautiful things that make a place what it is.
It is nice sometime to be a tourist although you are in the part of town that you visit often. But when you are tourist you will discover things you did not even notice. Then you will stand still to think how little you really know about a country you have resident all your life and call home.
Walking around Covent Garden, I do not often walk on the lower ground of the market. The last time when I visit the lower ground was when I was a little girl. But I thought this particular day I take a look around in which I discovered Battersea Pie Station. It was hidden just right next to the flight of stairs to the lower ground of Covent Garden market.
When you walk in, the place is a different feel to the outside of the shop. Inside it is a sleek white interior with a cafe feeling and you can hear jazz music playing which was playing throughout the pie shop. On each table are laid with knife, fork and napkins. Also there is a range of sauces and a tub of sugar cubes.
Inside is the counter where you can see the range of pies they sell. There are 7 different type of pies – Classic steak & Guinness, Free range chicken & bacon, The Winstone (steak & kidney), Mince beef & onion, Butternut squash & goat cheese, Vegetable Rogan Josh and Game Pie. You can have this served with any of their range of sides – creamy mash, spiced red cabbage, minty garden peas & butter, baked beans, liquor, red wine & herb gravy.
I went for their free range chicken & bacon pie with creamy mash and the red wine & herb gravy. As I decide to eat in, I placed my ordered at the counter and one of the staff brought my food over to my table.
It came on a squeaky white clean plate with Battersea Pie logo engraved on it. The gravy was provided in a small jug, which I love because you can pour as much gravy to your preference.
The pie was baked golden brown with a crispy pastry. I could smell the wonderful fragrance of herbs which had come from the rosemary that was sprinkle on top of the pie and also from the gravy which had red wine and herb. The gravy was not strong on the red wine, you would not really have notice with the strong taste of the herb used in the gravy. So great for those who are not a big fan of the taste of alcohol.
Inside the pie was chunks of chicken and bacon. I was expecting it to be salty with the bacon but to my surprise it was not at all. It was not dry because it had a saucy juice inside and there seem to be vegetable which I suspect it to be leeks. The mash was as the name described a creamy mash with no lumps, which had black pepper. Simple creamy mash that let it go well with the gravy to give it more of a flavour.
For my pie lunch at Battersea Pie Station I spent in total £7.75 to eat in. There are two different price depending if you decide to eat in and takeaway. I believe that the eat in price to be the additional of service charge for the staff to bring you the food and cleaning the mess when you finish.
All the pies cost £4.50 to takeaway and £5.00 to eat in, with the exception of the game pie which cost £5.00 to takeaway and £6.00 to eat in. If you want side then you will need to add that on top of the cost of the pie, which will have both a takeaway and eat in price. The creamy mash I had cost £2.75 to eat in/£2.25 to takeaway.
Overall a satisfying lunch but I doubt it would be my everyday office lunch in spending more than £5.00 with no drink. However, I suppose a treat once or so often.
Battersea Pie Station
Lower Ground Floor
28 The Market
Covent Graden
WC2E 8RA
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