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