Simon Food Favourites: Vietnamese Pork Roll

08 February 2013

Mr Crackles: Pork Crackling, Rolls and Fries, Darlinghurst (1 Feb 2013)

155 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

http://www.mrcrackles.com.au

Best side of crackling in Sydney?

With the promise of good pork crackling it's a no brainer to visit. Thankfully Chefs Sam and Carlos do a fine job at it. The Salted Crackling ($5) seems reasonably priced for the excellent crunch factor. Four decent-sized shards are easy to share as a side although crackling lovers will probably want to keep it all to themselves. The Crispy Pork Belly with Vietnamese Salad ($10 large) comes in a nice roll with good crackling and tender pork. The combination with salad and mayo makes for an enjoyable meal although I wish the carrot was also pickled like you get in a traditional banh mi with some pickled daikon in the mix too. Seems reasonably priced for the quality considering it's real pork and not the traditional Vietnamese processed pork. French Fries with Rosemary Salt ($4.50) are crisp and tasty as hoped. During my visit they weren't too busy so the test will be how they work under the pump with lots of orders at the same time. Being professional chefs I'm sure they be able to cope and still remain cool, calm and collected as they appeared. There's unfortunately very limited seating against one of the walls so it's more a takeaway shop than for dining in. I'm keen to try their Chilli Cheese Fries, Crackles Chicken Roll and Hot Dog next time.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Excellent pork crackling, Reasonably priced for the quality, Service was friendly and down-to-earth

CONS: Very limited seating so more suited for take away, No parks nearby to sit except for the uncovered Taylor Square corner

MUST TRY: Pork Crackling, Crispy Pork Belly with Vietnamese Salad, Returning to try more of the menu
VERDICT: For a seriously good pork crackling hit on the run I haven't found a better place. Limited but tempting menu which favours the meat lovers.

—

Salted Crackling ($5) — excellent crunch, fair price, nice portion to share between two as a side
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Crispy Pork Belly with Vietnamese Salad ($10 large) — nice roll, good crackling and tender pork, nice salad and mayo
WORTH TRYING :-)

French Fries with Rosemary Salt ($4.50) — crisp and tasty
WORTH TRYING :-)

Bill $19.50 for two sharing

Chefs Sam and Carlos dedicated to making good crackling

Was hoping to try the Tiramisu but had run out :-(

Glorious pork crackling awaits

Only a few seats on the right to sit next to wall bench. Hopefully more bench space can be added to the other wall and a couple of cocktail tables in the middle to help rest your side of crackling, fries and drink while you eat your roll?

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16 March 2012

Taste Test: Bánh Mì - Vietnamese Pork Roll, CBD Sydney (16 Mar 2012)

Four of a kind: Pork Roll

Thanks to Richard Elliot for organising a casual lunch catch up with fellow food bloggers Cats Love Cooking and Cupcakie Dolly to taste test a few Vietnamese Pork Rolls around the Wynyard Park CBD area. The cheapest of the day was from Phuong ($4) in the Hunter Connection. I like how there was a definite layering of 3 types of pork and the ingredients were quite fresh. It's biggest downside was the roll unless you prefer softer texture instead of being crunchy. The best bread rolls of the day for me were Taste Baguette ($6.50) and Red Roll ($6.90). Red Roll is owned by Hong Ha in Mascot which have always been known for their crunchy rolls. The downside of a crunchy roll is it's a lot easier to cut your gums as well. They also added a bit of sauce which made it a bit soggy and drippy so didn't travel the best plus they piled on the chilli. The smallest of all rolls seemed to be the one from Chop Chop ($6.50) which also seemed to be a bit light on the pork filling. So out of the four tried I think value for money Phuong would be my pick if you're on a budget but overall I think I prefer the bread and ingredients combination from Taste. If you could put the ingredients from Phuong into the Taste or Red Roll bread then it would be even better.

My taste test preference:

No. 1 - Taste Baguette ($6.50)

No. 2 - Phuong ($4)

No. 3 - Red Roll ($6.90)

No. 4 - Chop Chop ($6.50)

Chop Chop

36 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000