When you look around a restaurant to get inspiration for what to order and you can see that almost every table has the same dish, you might as well go with the flow. Walk into Tan Viet Noodle House as we did on a late Sunday afternoon, though I’ve heard there are always 20-30 minute queues during peak hour, and you will find yourself at Sydney’s perennial favourite crispy-skin chicken haunt. Though it is late in the afternoon, the restaurant is still packed and we quickly order as we’re famished.

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When I posted about Hong Ha Hot Bread; Jimmy, one of our readers, recommended Big Georges Cafe just a little bit up the road and since he claimed they were better than Hong Ha I just had to give them a go! The problem is I do not go to Botany Rd that often so it took me quite a while to try out this place (about 3 months haha). Thanks to Jimmy, I have discovered a truly more flavoursome chicken roll than Hong Ha! When I first saw the outside I was thinking “Is this the wrong place?” cos I thought it looked more like a Western style cafe with burgers and roasts etc, instead of Vietnamese rolls.

I was rest assured when I saw this little whiteboard with Vietnamese rolls on it… and of course the shelves of crispy rolls and serving station of ingredients.

After confusing the Bánh mì Lady, as we were ordering 4 rolls for 3 people (I was having 2 for research of course!), we could tell straight away as she was making that they were tasty Though the service time was considerably longer than at Hong Ha, the taste will be the real test of *insert sombre piano score* which Bánh mì remains supreme!

Vietnamese Pork Roll ($4.50)

These rolls were packed to near-exploding so they are very generous portions for what we pay. I also like how they have a block of the cucumber and radish instead of a little slice as this way you get a nice crunch and more flavour. The pork used here is also different to the one at Hong Ha, being leaner so there wasnt that fatty piece so lost in flavour. Also the mayonnaise/lard isn’t as strong so not as flavoursome as Hong Ha.

Vietnamese Chicken Roll ($5)

Wow… not only did these explode from the bread roll but each bite carried a flavour explosion in the mouth! The chicken they used were actually bbq chicken so there was the sweet and tasty roasted aroma and the addition of grilled onions definitely wins over the raw onions used at Hong Ha.

Overall the chicken roll at Big Georges Cafe is the winner easily and I will definitely coming back here for the chicken rolls but for the pork I might need to do a bit more comparison as I am still leaning towards Hong Ha for the pork. Big Georges Cafe has also got the pork + chicken which I want to give a go but then again I would prefer to buy a pork AND a chicken hee hee.

Other Bánh mì times:

Hong Ha Hot Bread – Mascot, Sydney

Big Georges Cafe

414 Botany Road

Alexandria

Ph: (02) 9319 2653

FFichiban

Hello all!

Welcome to our new home (yay!), sorry about the mess but we still need to finalize the details with a team meeting haha. But anyhoo, to kick off the new site I decided to start off with some light posting before I dig into my Taiwanese travels. I hate flying, all the tight uncomfortable seats, smelly airplane smell, crying babies and the horrific airplane “food” is certainly not my cup of tea but one thing I love is going to Sydney airport because it usually meant a stop off at Hong Ha Hot Bread. This is a cozy little bakery that has become renowned for their Vietnamese rolls or Bánh mì and if you come at the wrong times you can end up queuing up for quite some time even with their 5-6 servers who are all very speedy and efficient and probably win any Bánh mì making competitions.

Even though it says cakes, pies, pastries, sponges, I think most people are here for the rolls!

Look at the cart full of freshly baked Vietnamese baguettes mmmmm

New Red Roll store in Winter Garden Plaza

Pork ingredients to make the delicious Pork rolls

Chicken ingredients

Here Comes the Food

Chicken Spring Roll ($1.40)

Their chicken spring rolls are another item which I sometimes indulge on when I am there. They are very oily though so beware for the cholesterol-conscious. The oiliness does give it a great crunch and flaky exterior which is balanced by the soft filling of chicken mince and some veges.

Vietnamese Pork roll w/ cheese ($5)

The spring rolls are pretty good but this is what we came here for! These rolls are bursting with flavour with a great contrast in texture and flavours. The crispy, crunchy roll has a soft fluffy interior while the other ingredients of 3 different types of pork slices, creamy pork pate/lard, carrot, onions, a sprig of coriander, spring onion, slice of cucumber and cheese all meld together to form the perfect concoction of instant gratification. A perfect snack for any time of the day or as a meal, anytime it leaves a feeling a satisfaction.

Vietnamese Pork roll w/ cheese

I find it hard to take appealing of half-eaten food so I apologize for these ones haha. Trust me in saying that they are much more tasty than what they look like in this photo. The highlight for me about these rolls are the 3 smooth and tender slices of pork with just enough fat on them so they are full of flavour but not too much to give it that ever greasy feeling, mixed with the creamy mayonnaise-like sauce and pate.

Vietnamese Pork roll ($4)

Another winning factor about Hong Ha Bánh mì is their beautifully crispy baguette bread which creates a melodic crunch with each bite.

Next time I shall cut it in half to create a more photogenic roll -__- but this time I must have been too hungry and started wolfing it down before the photos.

MMmmm 2 rolls each seems a bit much? Nahhhhh nyum nyum nyum!

Note: Right now I am very wtg at the codes of Word Press cos I am HTML n00b so please bear with me while I learn kthx haha -__-”

Hong Ha Hot Bread

1151 Botany Rd

Mascot, 2020

Ph: (02) 9667 2069

FFichiban