Marrickville Pork Roll: Vietnamese, Marrickville (28 May 2010)

236a Illawarra Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Blink and you'll miss it

Possibly the smallest shop in Marrickville yet one of the busiest is this simple Pork Roll shop. Perhaps in need of a good renovation but it's old world charm attracts plenty of loyal customers who are happy to queue. Only six menu items of very cheap rolls which are filled to the brim. The Chicken Roll ($4) and Pork Roll ($3.50) are probably the most popular orders like Hong Ha Hot Bread in Mascot. If you're looking for a cheap lunch then look no further.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Very cheap, Tasty ingredients, Specialise in only a few items, Open 7 days

CONS: Long queues when lunch time, No seating, Take away only

MUST TRY: Pork Roll

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Pork Roll ($3.50)

Chicken Roll ($4)

A well stocked ingredients counter

6 items on the menu at prices that will keep your wallet happy

Opening hours

Number should actually be 236a I believe

Open 7 days

Smallest shop on the block, if not Marrickville


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Charcoal Chicken: Hot Chicken Roll and Salads, Rose Bay (7 Feb 2010)

732 New South Head Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029

Big, Cheap, Tasty and Messy

If you've got quite an appetite and in need of some major protein intact then check out the Hot Chicken Roll ($6.90) at this ubiquitously named Charcoal Chicken shop which is one of their popular orders. It's very simple and comes with lots of freshly cooked charcoal chicken, tomato, lettuce and a tastier than normal mayonnaise. Be careful of the dripping mayonnaise due to the heat of the chicken making it runny — ask to have it cut in half to make it easier to pick up and eat. They also sell lots of fresh looking salads and today I try the wonton salad which comes with a sweet chilli sauce and the chicken and avocado salad which is nice as well. There's also serve Thai food and in the fridge you can find a few different Thai desserts. Nom Nom Nibblies suggests trying the satay hot chips which I'll have to try and remember for next time. If you're looking for a nice quiet picnic spot to enjoy your meal then head to Laings Point Reserve up towards Watsons Bay.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Cheap, Tasty, Good choice of salads, Thai desserts in fridge

CONS: Hot chicken roll very messy (watch out for major drippage)

MUST TRY: Satay hot chips

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Salads on display

Hot Chicken Roll with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise $6.90

Wonton Salad, Chicken and Avocado Salad $8.90 (medium)

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Hong Ha Hot Bread: Chicken and Pork Rolls, Mascot (5 July 2009)

1151 Botany Road, Mascot NSW 2020
http://www.redroll.com.au

Cheap, Tasty & Crunchy Rolls

A recent food blog about Big Georges Cafe by Here Comes The Food inspired me to try and check it out for a lazy Sunday lunch but unfortunately soon realised while driving by that it wasn't open on Sundays — I'll have to try on a Saturday next time. So my trusty backup plan for a decent bánh mì was the famous and hugely popular Hong Ha shop which makes very cheap and yummy chicken rolls and pork rolls amongst other variations.

I'm sure every bánh mì fan has tried or at least heard of this place which now franchises under the Red Roll banner in a few locations around Sydney. Their bread rolls have a great 'signature' outer shell crunch factor while still being soft inside. The tasty large springs rolls are very crispy although they are very oily too — napkins, napkins, napkins.

Unfortunately they have been served a few penalty notices earlier this year from the NSW Food Authority but this obviously hasn't kept the long lunchtime queues away and hopefully everything has been corrected back of house since then.

Where do you get your favourite bánh mì?

The Rolls

Pork Roll: 3 slices of pork, pate, shallots, cucumber, onion, marinated grated carrot, mayonnaise, coriander, special sauce, seasoning and chilli on a crunchy bread roll $4

Chicken Roll: Chicken breast, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, marinated grated carrot, mayonnaise, coriander, special sauce, seasoning and chilli on a crunchy bread roll $4

Spring rolls $1.50 each. Oil factor not so healthy!

The Menu

The Counter

The Queue

The Name

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