One of my favourite meals most definitely has to be a nice meaty Pie, with creamy buttery Mash, and lashings of gorgeous Gravy. It just so happens that the fabulous people over at Shooters Sports Bar kindly invited me down to try one of their Rugby themed Pies.
Once me and Jamie had found their wonderfully quirky restaurant, we headed in. Once inside, Jamie went to find a member of staff. A nice woman with a lovely American accent told him she had found us a table in a nice quiet spot upstairs. Once we had found our way upstairs and she had shown us to our table, she left us to look over the menu.
The way Shooters Rugby World Cup menu works is, each World Cup nation has been given a Pie using ingredients from that country,or is based on a dish from that country. For instance, England is the classic Steak and Kidney, or India is Buttered Chicken. They even have a little money saving deal. If you pick a Pie and a drink from the same country, it’ll only cost you £8, bargain!
Every Pie is served with either Chips or Mash and Mushy Peas and Gravy if you want it
After looking at the menu for a little while, Jamie settled on China which was Hoisin Duck with Chips, and Mushy Peas, and I settled on Tonga, which is Wild Boar and Apple, with Mash, Mushy Peas, and Gravy. Unfortunately do to a little kitchen mix up, I ended up with Jamie’s Chips, and he ended up with my Mash, ah well!
The pastry of my Pie was incredibly crispy around the top and sides, and soft and chewy on the bottom. I’m not sure why it was so crispy, the only conclusion I came to was that it had something to do with Tonga, I’m not sure what though. The filling was basically a whole load of juicy Pork Sausages. They were so nice and succulent. They did have an overpowering taste of Sage. I don’t mind Sage but it’s not my most favourite of tastes. I get the pairing of the flavours but I think it needs toning down as I could barely taste the meat. It was supposed to have Apple in there too, but god knows where as I never tasted it. If they toned down the Sage, and increased the Apple, it would be a wonderful Pie.
The Chips were perfect. Lightly crispy on the outside, and fluffy and soft in the inside. The only thing it needed was more seasoning, but I do like a salty Chip.
The Mushy Peas were quite nice, but they for some reason had a sour vinegary aftertaste. I’m not entirely sure why, but I really liked them.
The Gravy was too thin for me. I prefer a nice thick Gravy. It tasted gorgeous but it needed to be thicker and just a touch more seasoning.
I did try a little of Jamie’s and it wasn’t what I was expecting. The Duck was succulent but we were both expecting a runny Hoisin Sauce Gravy, but it was extremely thick, more like the Sauce inside a Chicken Pie, and you could only just taste the Hoisin Sauce flavour.
The Mash was really nice, but it needed more Butter in my opinion
We both had a Pepsi with our meals as I have a little rule about drinking Alcohol during the day.
I really liked the atmosphere of the Bar. I can’t stand Sport, but in Shooters beautiful surroundings, I get the appeal. The only thing I would change about their restaurant is it needs more light. We were both sat in complete darkness. God knows what the next table thought of us using our phones torches to take pictures, haha!
If you’re hungry and you’re in Leeds, I highly recommend you check out Shooters Sports Bar. If you would like to find out more about Shooters Sports Bar, or book a table, you can find everything here.
I had a wonderful time, and left with an extremely full tummy, so thank you very much for having both me, and Jamie.
What’s your favourite Pie? Where can I find it? Please let me know in the comments.
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Luke x
Best pie I ever had was at the Humble Pie n Mash Shop in Whitby – nothing since has come close!
Ohh I’ll have to check it out