Alecia W.
Yelp
When I think 'vegan', the terms 'delicious', 'awesome' and 'moreish' generally don't spring to mind. Funky Pies might just be able to sway me on that one after a recent taste test of one of their meat, dairy and animal product-free baked meals. This unassuming little shop seems a bit out of place amongst Bondi's trendy cafés and attractive crowd, with just a small door and plain sign advertising its goods.
They have a bunch of different savoury pie fillings, like the No Wurry Curry with lentils and chickpeas in a coconut sauce and the Chilli-non-Carne made of mushroom nuggets, kidney beans, bits of green capsicum and spicy tomato salsa. I went for the Funky Chunky. As a total meat lover and having tried vegan (that is, butterless) pastry before and vowed to never do so again - it tasted as close to cardboard as I'll ever get - I approached my pie with great apprehension.
What a pleasant surprise it was. The shiitake mushrooms filling had been processed to look like large chunks of beef and, though a little spongy, really did mimic that soft, easy-to-chew texture of slow-cooked meat, while the gravy it was smothered in had a bit of earthy, mushroom flavour but overall carried off a rich, meaty taste. That was topped with a layer of mashed potato, which wasn't as creamy as usual due to the lack of butter but still added a nice contrast to the richness of the 'meat'. The pastry was definitely fattening - indicated by the immense amount of oil that leaked onto my takeaway brown paper bag - but was super flaky and light nonetheless.
They also serve fairtrade, organic coffee, serve their products on biodegradable packaging, and have a range of gluten-free pies for flourphobes - an ethical approach that makes everything taste that little bit better.