I ventured north in the depths of winter in an attempt to escape the cold and misery. And while there I took the opportunity to try out what passes for a pie in the sunshine state.

Some research under my belt, I set off with my companion to Jocelyn’s Provisions in Brisbane City for a beefy brekkie. Before me were primarily sweets and treats but also a few gourmet pies and pastries from which to choose. The Beef and Red Wine Pie ($11) caught my eye and I promptly snapped it up along with a cappucino. My veg-inclined companion snacked on a ‘greens frittata’. There wasn’t any seating in the store, nor was the city traffic a particularly appealling view, so we took a small walk to the shores of the Brisbane River for something more atmospheric.

Ah, the pie was quite a sight–the pastry a beautiful brown, burnished caramel colour, promising the desired combination of flaky bite and rich buttery goodness, adorned with poppy seeds for a bit of extra fun. And it was indeed rich, decadent, buttery–a most delicious pastry. My bouche amused, I went in for the main event.

The filling was thick chunky steak, which was tender and moist. There was almost no gravy for the pie, instead it seemed more like a glaze coating the meat. A long-ish walk for this pie meant I almost forgot to take an ‘in-progress’ photo, too busy wolfing it down. The meat was complemented by a medley of vegetables–peas, potatoes, carrot, onion, perhaps some tomato–as well as a hint of wine in the background to round it all out, seasoned to perfection. It was very much like a rich stew, with a depth of flavour but without being cloying. A most welcome hearty and filling breakfast. Yum.

I am advised the ‘greens frittata’ was ‘totally standard’ (not in a ‘bad’ way, just nothing special).

Jocelyn’s Provisions has a number of outlets in the Brisbane area, providing upmarket patisserie offerings to please the sweet and savoury-toothed alike. Worth a visit.