The surest sign of the original Don pie is where it came from: our five outlets (Tyrwhitt Road, AMK Hub, Wisma Atria, White Sands, Tiong Bahru Plaza) or our official ordering sites, because we have no franchises and supply no one else. Then check for a golden, flaky crust, chunky chicken and potato, half a hard-boiled egg and a same-day bake.
The seven signs of the original
Tick each sign that is true of the pie in front of you.
All seven? Then you are holding a DonChef pie, made to Chef Don Lim’s recipe in the kitchen he co-founded. Not sure where yours came from? Here is where to get the original Don pie.
Which sign matters most?
Where you bought it matters most. The other six signs describe the pie, and a careful baker anywhere could make a pie with a golden crust, chunky chicken and half an egg. Plenty do, and some of them are very good. What no one else can do is sell you a pie made to Chef Don Lim’s recipe in the DonChef kitchen he co-founded, because we do not supply anyone.
So the first question is simple. Did it come from our flagship at 39 Tyrwhitt Road, from one of our kiosks at AMK Hub, Wisma Atria, White Sands or Tiong Bahru Plaza, or from our official online ordering? If yes, it is ours. If not, it is someone else’s pie, whatever it is called. The full list, with addresses and the official ordering sites, is on where to get the original Don pie, and if you have never ordered online before, there is a walk-through of how to order from Don Pie, step by step.
How do I check the crust?
Look for a golden, flaky crust with a crimped edge that is sealed all the way round. Our pastry dough is made in-house and rolled on a dough sheeter, so the lid should be even, not thick at one side and thin at the other. A slight shine and some blistering on top are normal. A pale, soft lid usually means the pie was underbaked or has been reheated badly.
We do not tell you to look for “shortcrust” or “puff pastry”, because food writers have described our crust both ways and neither label quite fits. Read the golden, flaky crust for the long version.
How do I check the filling?
Cut the pie open and look for chunks you can name, as described in our anatomy of the original Don chicken pie: chicken, potato and vegetables such as peas and carrots, held in a creamy gravy. The chicken should be in pieces, not shreds or mince. The gravy should cling to the filling rather than pool at the bottom.
Is the egg always there?
In our Original Chicken Pie, half a hard-boiled egg sits in the filling. It is our signature and it has been part of Chef Don Lim’s pie for as long as people have written about it, and it is in every DonChef Original Chicken Pie today. If you cut into a personal pie from us and find no egg, please tell the outlet. We would want to know.
Not every pie we make has an egg. Our other pies have their own fillings. The egg test applies to the Original Chicken Pie.
How can I tell if a pie was baked today?
You can tell partly by eye and partly by policy. A pie baked today has a crisp lid that gives slightly when pressed and a base that is cooked through. More reliably, our pies are covered by a strict zero overnight pies policy: we sell them on the day they are baked. If you buy from one of our outlets, the pie was baked that day.
For the best eating, our ordering guidance is to enjoy the pie within about four hours of buying it, or chill it and eat within three days. If you are unsure whether a pie in your fridge is still good, there is a clear guide to the safe limits for keeping a pie in the fridge.
What sizes does the original come in?
The Original Chicken Pie comes in two sizes on our printed menu: Personal, which feeds one, and Whole, which feeds four to six. If you are offered a size we do not make, that is a clue worth noticing.
Why does the label matter?
The label matters because honesty is part of being original. We use no pork and no lard. We are not Halal-certified, because our restaurant serves alcohol and welcomes pets, and we never claim to be. A seller who tells you clearly what is and is not in a pie is a seller you can trust about everything else.
Our ordering FAQ lists nuts, eggs, dairy and gluten among the allergens in our products. If you have an allergy, ask at the counter before you buy.
What if my pie fails a sign?
If your pie came from one of our outlets and fails one of these signs, tell us within two hours of receiving it, with a photo. Our refund and exchange policy covers preparation and quality faults, and we would rather hear about a bad pie than lose a customer quietly.
If your pie did not come from us, it is simply a different pie; our standard for an original Don pie explains why we draw the line at provenance and nowhere else. Judge it on its own merits. We have written about why that matters in Why originals matter, and we will never tell you another baker’s pie is a fake.
