17 July 2014

Pork Roll Round Up ~ Vietnamese banh mi - Glebe, Broadway, Ultimo and Pyrmont

We head out on a pork roll trek from Glebe Point to Pyrmont Point and round up all the Vietnamese banh mi we can find along the way.

[Updated September 2015]

Along each of these grand streets lies a number of hot bread stores and newer sandwich shops selling pork rolls to the masses. We trekked along Glebe Point Road and cut across Broadway to Harris Street all the way down to Pyrmont to find them all.

We tried them all out using a simple set of rules:
1. Ask for a pork roll and only a pork roll. No chicken, meatball, fusion or 'specials'.
2. Different types of pork are allowed, including pulled or roast pork if that's all they do.
3. If asked for chilli say yes.
4. No variations, even if it means tomato or loads of lettuce added.

Glebe

Lai's Family Hot Bread
Starting at the top of the hill on Glebe Point Road opposite the Glebe library.



Lai's is a hot bread bakery that does also does cakes, pies and pork rolls. The standard Vietnamese sandwich is $4.50. Great shredded roast pork, crisp outside fluffy inside bun and a nice chilli warmth.



Lai's Family French Hot Bread is at Shop 2/315 Glebe Point Rd. Phone 9660 9989.

Lai's Family French Hot Bread on Urbanspoon

La Banette

A little bit of Paris in Glebe, this small patisserie have a wonderful cake selection (their lemon meringue cake is fantastic), hot breads, quiches and pies. They also have another store in Avalon.



The pork sandwich here is a newer addition to their savoury selection. It is made with a pulled pork mix, topped with the usual cucumber, carrot and coriander with the flavours of fish sauce, perhaps soy and chilli thrown on top. It's probably the most beautifully presented take away pork roll you will find in Sydney, it comes elegantly wrapped in paper inside a cake box. It also has a more elegant price at $8.00.



La Banette Pâtisserie is at 18 Glebe Point Rd. Ph 8095 9688

La Banette Pâtisserie on Urbanspoon

Little Devil Cakes and Bakery

We love Little Devil on Broadway for a quick lunch roll or office birthday cake.



The pork roll here has just about everything right, good salad balance, tasty meat and pate. Some might think the roll itself is on the smaller side, but we like a smaller option sometimes. $4.50 for a sandwich here. They also have chicken, salad only and meatball options, with rice paper rolls on the counter as well.



Little Devil Cakes and Bakery is at 231 Broadway, phone 9571 9199

Little Devil Cakes & Bakery on Urbanspoon

Broadway Living Juice, Broadway Shopping Centre

Above Rebel Sport near the mysterious elevator to nowhere in Broadway Shopping Centre is a juice, pho and pork roll kiosk.



$4.50 for a pork roll with everything. A good option for a shopping snack, it is a little light on salads and fillings but a much better choice then the usual shopping centre fare.

Broadway Living Juice is on Level 1, Broadway Shopping Centre, near the Broadway Health Care centre.

Living Juice on Urbanspoon

Lotus Story

This Vietnamese eatery has only been open a few months. A large and light space, they offer pho and soups, vermicelli (bun) dishes, rice rolls and a range of baguettes. You can also have a glass of beer or wine with your meal.



From their range of baguettes is the Lotus Story Classic. Mixed ham, pate, house soy and salads. The baguette is super crisp, a thin style that works well. At $8.50 for take away ($10 to eat in) this one also falls into the more elegant range of the banh mi spectrum.



Lotus Story is at 1-3 Smail Street Ultimo. Phone 02 9764 3362.

Lotus Story Ultimo on Urbanspoon

Ultimo

Papa Roll

Is this Ultimo or Chippendale? Either way we will throw this one in and probably repeat it in another roundup. One half of the marriage of Vietnamese eateries of Pho Mumum and Papa Roll.




Pork Roll from Pappa Roll on Broadway, $5 for a roll and a can of drink, a pretty good lunch time deal. Bun was a little soft, lots of lettuce and you will be asked what type of sauce you want, soy, chilli, sweet chilli or mayo. Popular with hi-vis clad workers.



Papa Roll Bread Bar is at Shop 1 & 2/ 8-14 Broadway. Ph 02 9280 1838

Papa Roll on Urbanspoon

Bread Rolls on Harris

Just across from the TAFE (one of it's specialisations is hospitality and the well regarded The Apprentice restaurant) and the beautiful Sydney Technical College building near Ultimo Road.



Banh mi from Rolls on Harris, Ultimo ~ Sydney. Good balance of fixins. Pate was excellent and not too heavy on the carrot.



Bread Rolls on Harris is at Shop 3/646 Harris Street Ultimo. Ph 0479 028 028.

Bread Rolls on Harris on Urbanspoon

Pyrmont 

Banh Mi Co

Right down Harris Street near the bottom of the point is the newish Banh Mi Co.



Love the little piggy stamp marking this one a pork roll. While on the pricier side at $6, it is still a good lunch option. The pate had a good flavour and always love a large stick of cucumber to break up the heat of the fresh chilli.



Banh Mi Co is at 76 Harris Street Pyrmont. Ph 02 9518 7907

Banh Mi Co on Urbanspoon

New additions:

VR Sandwich & Juice

Smack bang on the corner of Glebe Point RD and Parramata Rd is a new hole in the wall cafe with pork, chicken and breakfast rolls as well as coffee and fresh spring rolls.


The VR stands for Vietnamese Rolls, and these guys do a good roll. The roast pork inside is warm, adding an extra level of comfort to an otherwise nicely standard roll. At $5 it's a good city price and they offer a 'Buy 6 get 1 free' incentive card. I think I'll be filling that up pretty quickly.


VR Sandwich & Juice is at 6/281-285 Broadway, under University House, Glebe.

Let us know if anything new pops up or if we have missed any and we will try them and add them to the roundup.

We love a pork roll, oh yes we do.

5 comments:

  1. Have you tried Marrickville Pork Roll on Illawarra Rd near Marrickville Rd? They make and excellent pork roll - well worth checking out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, we certainly have. We did a blog post on it here:http://www.streetfood.com.au/2010/06/marrickville-pork-roll-four-seasons.html
      We hope to do a Marrickville and surrounds round up as part of this series.

      Delete
  2. Have you eaten pork rolls at Cabramatta? You'll be spoilt for choice. Cabramatta is the Mecca of pork rolls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that will be the subject of future round ups. It's been quite well covered in other blogs, so we are also trying to get out and find some in places you wouldn't expect.

      Delete

Thanks for your comment joy - please keep your musings happy - if you want to complain about a restaurant please do it on a restaurant review site (or your own blog) - we're all about celebrating cultural diversity and the great eats that come along with it :-)

Our ethics: We pay for all our own meals and travel (though sometimes Mum shouts us).