24 hour pork rolls
Vietnamese pork roll (banh mi thit): school kids munch on them, footballers are spotted grabbing one for a snack, old people chew slowly and carefully (the crisp bread rolls don’t mix easily with dentures). Even food bloggers love them, Marrickville, Mascot, you can get them just about anywhere in Sydney.
Are they the ultimate in fusion? French influence in crispy, crunchy bread, pate, mayo combined with Vietnamese ingredients, meat, chilli and fish sauce or maggi.
Last night, I bought two pork rolls in Cabramatta at Viet Hoa hot bread shop for dinner. I reckon they sell one of the best pork rolls in Sydney. I love Viet Hoa because they’re open late, I’ve driven past at midnight and they’re still serving customers. And it seems like the same old lady is there 24 hours, which means the rolls are made consistently good!
Watch the noodlies, sydney food blog featured video above to see my banh mi thit being made. Fresh bread, pate, mayo, three types of meat, vegetables and chill and sauce.
I remember when they were $1.50 (many, many years ago)… last night they were $4… it’s still pretty good value, what sort of sandwich would you get for $4 these days. Pork rolls use fresh bread, 10 different ingredients and made to order, can’t argue with that!
noodlies Sydney food blogs loves a good banh mi thit!
Viet Hoa Hot Bread
John Street (Hill street end)
Cabramatta
Pork rolls make the best quick work lunches – A normal sandwich from the sandwich bar costs me around $7, so for $4 you can't go wrong!
Wow, from $1.50 to $4! But looks like it's worth it.
I love these to death. I had my first one about 8 years ago and craved them when I moved away from Sydney for three years. Sadly I don't know of a place in Parramatta (yet) that makes them. Do you?
they sounds great. i must try. how do they compare to say Hong Ha in Mascot i wonder?
Hi Missklicious & lateraleating, it was $1.50 many years ago and has been gradually going up.. but can't really complain because it's really very good value.
Hey MelbaToast, I'm sure there would be a good pork roll place in Parra, but I don't really know sorry
Hi Simon, I haven't been to Hong Ha, but I know you and many other bloggers as well as the long lines outside the place means it's good quality banh mi thit.
But I still reckon Viet Hoa is up there because they have so much competition in Cabra
You have to try the pork rolls across Cabra station!
NO JOKE!
It's the bakery closest to the newsagency and I think it's either the sweet chili sauce or the bread, but the pork roll there is divine. You should really try the chicken roll though..that's probably the most famous flavour there
yep, it's not a bad place Anonymous, but you can't really go wrong because all of them are pretty good in Cabra
LOL..not wearing a glove during the making and ants running on the food in the video…I hope everyone is still ok aftering eat it.
Be wary of the pork roll buns in Hornsby; they gave my family and I food poisoning
i've been to this place a few times… at very weird hours….. early in the morning… 2am…. 3am…… and bought pork rolls… it tasted great…
but then again…. after a night drinking…. anything u eat seems to taste great hahaha
I really want a Bahn mi like I get in Vietnam. The cold processed pork meats in Australia are just not as good.
^ I agree with messy fish.. I can’t find any head cheese or pate exactly like, or just *as* good as the viet stuff.
Also the bread! firstly it is far more sensibly sized and shaped in viet nam, perfect crust to inside ratio.. is it me or does anyone else find australian -french/vietnamese bread is just.. too bready and far too much inside, plus the rolls are wider and just not as easy to eat.
I usually frequent top ryde another poster reccomended, usualy they are pretty good for aus banh mi. However if you go later in the afternoon the bread becomes chewy and that aussie squishy sandwhich loafy which really ruins it for me.
The best banh mi I’ve had in australia is a hot bread place right at the end of the main street in marrickville very close to a chicken shop .. For me it’s also about the chilli paste which you get on all banh mi in viet nam.
now if only I could import some of that lye from those trees on coola cham, maybe I could make my own cao lau at home too!
I desperately want to find a recipe for the baguette in Hoi An, which to me was my favourite above saigon bread.. its just so crunchy but without the excessive flaking of the wider aus baguette and the right inside/crust ratio that is perfect for filling!
Does anyone know the secret? I’ve heard that it’s rice flour, but the banh didn’t seem rice floury in Hoi An, just ever lastingly crispy even when its raining and muggy. I don’t know how they do it, but they sure do.
I’m a bit of a hobby baker, if I work out a recipe/solution to the textural issues I’ll post back in case anyone else is wondering. I’m sure a combination of either imported wheat or the right rice to grind to flour and maybe the right fats must give you something similar! Of course the shape thing can be solved by rolling less dough tighter in the shaping process to give that drool inducing perfect narrow torpedo shaped baguette!
Oh how I miss viet nam!