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There’s nothing more Aussie than stuffing a pie down your gob.  In a city like Melbourne the humble pie takes on many forms. Here are a select few to fill your pie hole.

Steak pie at Dinkum Pies

29 Block Place

If you’re looking for a no-frills pie on a cold Melbourne morning, you can’t pass up Dinkum Pies in the Block Arcade. Sandwiched between yuppie cafes and eateries, Dinkums looks more like an outback cafeteria than a fine dining experience. Their motto is, “if it’s brown it’s cooked, if it’s black it’s buggered”. You can’t argue with that logic.

It’s easy to see why the steak pie here took out The Age’s ‘Best Pie’ award for 2010; the pastry is light and flaky and the filling dark and rich. Dinkums uses quality mince too, definitely no trace of those suspicious gristly bits you always hope aren’t cat meat.

A small faded sign in a corner of the shop claims that Dinkums also sells salads, but no-one pays it much attention. To the loyal regulars here, salads are, at best, a waste of stomach space that could be filled with pie. I hesitate to use the phrase ‘true blue’ in any context, but Dinkums is about as Aussie as it gets. A steak pie and sauce for under $3.50? Bonza.

Cost: $3.00

Chicken and leak pie at Commercial Bakery

360 Little Collins Street

Nestled down an alley in Little Collins Street, Commercial Bakery is starting to make a name for itself thanks to great coffee and cheap, quality food. It’s the little brother of the famous Gills Diner (right next door) and is one of the few places left in the city that bakes its own home-made pies.

The beef and burgundy option was definitely tempting, but I eventually settled on the chicken and leek pie. Chicken pies are like deserts: sometimes they are dry and inhospitable and receive less than 10mm rainfall a year, and other times they are lush and full of life. This pie was like an oasis in the mouth. A light, creamy béchamel sauce is enclosed by a beautiful golden brown pastry shell. The chicken itself is juicy and tender, and the leeks provided some welcome crunch. At $7.00, this is probably not an impulse pie, but it’s still good value. It’s the perfect pie to wash down with a cool beer on a summer afternoon.

Cost: $7.00

Chicken parmigiana pie at Aix Creperie

24 Centre Place

Aix is well known for its delicious crepes, but has never really made an impact on the Melbourne pie scene. Pies aren’t really very French, I guess, especially not chicken parmigiana pies. So it was surprising to see just that on the menu at my favourite French eatery. I just had to try it. Of course I was sceptical. What would such a pie even look like? As it turns out, this ‘pie’ is more of a parmigiana lasagne. Layers of crepes are interspersed with juicy chicken breast, tomato, eggplant, spinach and parmesan cheese. All of this is topped with more cheese and a rich Napoli sauce. Although this avant-garde creation may be stretching the definition of ‘pie’, I was happy to see Aix pushing the envelope. If pies are to survive in the fast-paced 21st century, they need to evolve. Has Aix showed us the future of pies? Only time will tell. In the meantime just enjoy it; it’s delicious.

Cost $9.00

Three pies to try before you die, if not sooner.