By TR Robertson
Want to enjoy a delicious taste of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the British Isles or Samoa and Fiji? Open now at 1011 S Santa Fe Dr., Ste H, in Vista, is a chance to take home a variety of incredible choices for meals made exactly like you would find in those countries listed. Oscar’s Meat Pies, open since March, offers a great selection of puff pastry pies, rolls and meals that will keep you coming back for more. This unique drop in shop, owned and started by Oscar Dike, with General Manager Jason “Jay” Murray, and three employees (Aaron, Joe and Anna) has steadily been growing in popularity, especially with the phone-in customers, and slowly the word is spreading for drop-in customers.
Oscar and Jay have known one another for over 20 years, first meeting in the world of competitive rugby. Both Oscar and Jay have an extensive background in playing on a variety of different rugby teams at different levels and have played in numerous countries around the world. Oscar is from South Africa and Jay is a New Zealander. After years of tackle rugby, they would later become involved in touch rugby. Meat pies and sausage rolls are a staple at any rugby event and Oscar saw a chance to expand this to venturing out with his own business. Oscar initially sold the product at events, but as the business grew the Aussie Meat Pies, where he first obtained the pies, was not able to handle the amount of product he needed. It was then that he decided to open his own business and make his own pies and other items. Much of his business came from selling the meat pies, sausage rolls and other selections at various events, such as the Vista Scottish Festival and the five week 40th annual Great Dicken’s Christmas Faire at the Cow Palace in Daly City and previously at the Viking Festival. The shop still is involved with a number of events and now is expanding the retail customer side of the business.
Oscar’s offers traditional meat pies and other diverse products to customers which can be warmed up on the spot or sold frozen for customers to take home and eat later. They also FedEx products anywhere and have online orders ready for pickup. General Manager Jay said they use only premium ingredients and the products they make are always fresh. Meat pies are also offered as vegetarian and vegan items. Oscar and Jay said the number one best seller is their Chicken Pot Pie, which also is available as Curry Chicken and Chicken Mushroom. The other meat pies available are Lamb Rosemary, Mince (Ground Beef), Mince and Cheese, Beef and Mushroom, Steak, Steak and Cheese, Steak Jalapeno and Cheese, Steak and Mushroom, Spinach Ricotta, Steak and Kidney and Pepper Steak. One customer, Trevor Provencio, described the pies as “golden and flakey, generously filled with tender pieces and rich and flavorful gravy with savory ingredients”. He said the pies are a
“comforting homemade meal in each bite. They definitely deliver and I highly recommend them”.
We tried the steak pies and found them very tasty and filling and easy to cook for dinner.
The other items on Oscar’s menu include Cornish Pasty for $12, an empanada style puff pastry. For $9 you can purchase either large pork or beef sausage roll. Bangers n’ Mash is available for $13 – sizable sausage with mashed potatoes covered in gravy. Scotch Eggs are $9 – a hard-boiled egg wrapped in a sausage and covered with bread crumbs and deep fried. Sizable Lamb Shanks are $16, and a Lamb Shank meal is $18 which is a Lamb Shank with peas and carrots and mashed potatoes. A Cottage Pie is $12 – a beef meat pie with peas and carrots and a cheesy potato flaky topping. Meals take a little longer to prepare so order online or call in orders encouraged. Apple Turnovers is a dessert pastry offered for $8 and one new item on the menu is a Mac & Cheese Pasty Pie. Possibly added to the menu for the new year will be Durban Chicken Curry & Rice or mashed potatoes and peas and carrots, maybe even a Lamb Curry.
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A pie making machine is on the way for Oscar’s which will speed up the process for pie preparation, especially for the large events Oscar’s services. Currently, all of the pies are hand pressed. The flavorful and wonderful taste will remain the same for all of Oscar’s products. Oscar’s is open for business Monday through Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm. The phone number for the store is 760-509-1720 and the web site for more information is www.oscarsmeatpies.com.
As Jay says, “DON’T BE SHY, BUY A PIE!”
