SeeFoon finds Love at First Bite
Foo Hoong Ming or known as Ming for short, grew up in Ipoh and always had a hankering for pies. His favourite pie was the chicken pie from the iconic Beacon Point and when Beacon Point hung up their apron for good, it was truly saddening for him. Searching throughout Ipoh for that inimitable taste, he found that he had yet to eat a pie in Ipoh that could compare.
He then decided to take up the challenge and replicate the nostalgic taste of his youth and started Pies Are Square. With his sister and encouraged by his mother Fay Eu Foo, he began making pies from their home in Jalan Keliling.
Some of you may be wondering why their pies are square, if you thought it was because they are hipsters trying to make something trendy you would only be half right. The main reason is for zero pastry wastage as puff pastry cannot be re-rolled without losing its light and fluffy texture. Trimming off the corners to make round pies creates a lot of wastage. Plus, you’ll love the extra crispy corners!
Currently they sell two types of pies: a 3-cheese, mushroom and spinach pie and a creamy roast chicken pie. RM7 for 1; RM40 for 6; RM75 for 12.
Having tasted both pies, I can quite see that they’ll be my next go-to quick heat up meal and for filling up my freezer. There are few culinary joys equal to biting into the still-warm crust of a puff pastry pie. The way those crisp yet airy layers shatter into crumbs always makes me giddy with wonder: How can butter be so light and feathery? How can air be this rich and crunchy? They are generous with their filling too, gentle on their seasonings and remaining moist when reheated.
They also make sausage rolls, a 10-inch sausage roll cut into minis priced at RM10 for a set of 8 minis (special price for month of May, come June the price will go up to RM12).
The sausage stuffing is all homemade from scratch, gently seasoned and again generously filled. Unlike other sausage rolls I’ve tried, there is actually more meat than crust, quite a departure from the usual run-of-the-mill sausage rolls we get. I made a mental note to order these when I have friends over for drinks.
Then surprise, surprise, Ming’s sister makes yummilicious cinnamon rolls, oozing brown cinnamon sauce that lines the inside of the rolls, topped by a cream cheese icing sugar that you can drizzle on yourself.
Cinnamon rolls are RM6 for 1; RM23 for 4; RM69 for 12.
They serve on the weekends with no minimum order, requiring a minimum one day notice in advance.
They also serve on the weekdays; however there is a minimum order of 12 pies (any kind of pie), 12 cinnamon rolls or 4 sets of sausage rolls.
Just for information, the pies should be reheated at roughly 180 celsius for 5-10 minutes in an oven (using a microwave would result in soggy pastry).
The cinnamon rolls should be microwaved at low-medium for a couple of minutes. The cream cheese icing is packed in a separate container so it isn’t messy.
For more information and inquiries:
Instagram: pies_are_square
Facebook: pies are square
WhatsApp: +6055412038 (the landline can be reached through WhatsApp as long as you save the number with the +6)
Orders can be made through the link below or via the Pies Are Square FB page. https://wa.me/message/27FXCONCGCDEM1
Pickup from: Jalan Keliling, Taman Canning (full address to be provided once orders are finalised)