A trio of friends are hoping to fuse their love of the East End pie tradition with flavours from around the world, through the launch of their new restaurant.
Former estate agent Sonny Sanger, 32, opened Pie Republic, in Upton Lane, Forest Gate, earlier this month with Shaidul Hussain, 32, and Siraj Patel, 35.
A big fan of pie and mash, the former St Bonaventure’s School pupil saw his favourite shop on Green Street close down a number of years ago, so wanted to do something about it.
“There’s a market for pie shops here, but we wanted to bring it into the modern-day,” he said.
“We thought ‘Why not have a go at making home-made pies, but with flavours that reflect the area?’
“We’ve got a real mix of backgrounds and cultures in Newham, so we’ve got Indian flavours, Caribbean flavours, eastern European flavours.”
With pies including the Royal Victoria – British chicken and creamy mushrooms – and the Hakka – New Zealand lamb and vegetables – alongside other classic meals, Sonny is enjoying the move into the food industry.
“We’ve got some great feedback from customers so far, people have told us they feel like they’re in Shoreditch – it really stands out on Upton Lane,” he added.
“I just want to make people happy at the end of the day.
Before it used to be about handing people the keys to their new homes, now it’s about making sure people enjoy good food and are happy at the end of their meal.”
Visit facebook.com/pierepublic.
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