Tuck Shop: The Great Aussie Bite

July 2, 2008

Looking for food that’s different and delicious? Tuck Shop on 1st Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue is serving authentic Australian street food until 5AM on weekends. You may not know what meat pies, Lamingtons or Vanilla Slice are, but once you try them, your culinary landscape will be forever changed.

Lamingtons ($3.00 each)

2 pieces of airy sponge cake, with jam in between, rolled in chocolate then rolled in coconut. Its like a more chocolaty version of a Hostess Snoball, minus the marshmallow. Decadent and delicious.

Meat Pies ($5.00 each)

I came for dessert but I’ll return for the meat pies. These buttery, flaky beauties are baked fresh daily and come in 10 different varieties.

I recommend the Beef meat pie. It’s savory, spicy and delicious when dipped in ketchup.

I also recommend the Thai Chook (Chicken) Curry meat pie. Equally savory, the tender chicken is immersed in a sauce of spicy chopped green curry leaves. It’s best when covered in Sweet Chile Sauce.

Pork & Sage Roll ($3.00)

The crumbly pork, the flaky crust and the colorful ingredients (carrots and celery) were all pleasing but the aromatic, mellow flavor of the sage wasn’t my cup of tea. Stick to the meat pies.

Vanilla Slice ($3.00)

I was hesitant to put this photo up because it doesn’t do justice to the deliciousness of the Vanilla Slice. If you trust NYC Food Guy at all, you’ll take my word that this is an amazing dessert. Two pieces of pastry puff encasing thick vanilla custard all topped with vanilla icing similar to that of a black and white cookie. The Lamingtons are awesome, the Vanilla Slice is better.

Australian Groceries

Tim Tams, Vegemite, Mint Slice, Cheezels and several other Australian goodies can be found in a small glass display case inside Tuck Shop. You haven’t lived if you’ve never had Tim Tams.