Pork Roll Round Up ~ Vietnamese banh mi - Newtown and Enmore

Newtown and Enmore are the locations for this pork roll round up, with a mix of older style hot bread stores and new fangled fusion types muscling in.

[Updated October 2015]

King Street and Enmore Road have a number of pork roll joints to be added to our try out across suburbs.

We tried them all out using a simple set of rules:
1. Ask for a pork roll and only a pork roll. No chicken, meatball, fusion or 'specials'.
2. Different types of pork are allowed, including pulled or roast pork if that's all they do.
3. If asked for chilli say yes.
4. No variations, even if it means tomato or loads of lettuce added.

Starting at the top of King Street...

Queen Rolls and Juice
A newer store open long hours and close to the Uni, so poor students can get a filling pork sandwich for a few bucks.



They love a pile of grated carrot at this place, there really is some meat hidden under all that orange shred. Rolls are $4.00.



Queen Roll and Juice Bar is at 1/18 King Street. Ph: 02 8304 7699.



D'Juice (Closed)
Formerly a froyo bar, this now juice bar also sells the cheapest pork roll around the area. At $3.50, you also get what you pay for.



While the bun is crisp the insides are a mix of standard pressed pork and lots and lots of shredded carrot. Throw on a hearty sprinkle of crisp fried garlic pieces and a slug of sweet chilli sauce and you have probably a close approximation of a Vietnamese style pork roll.



D'Juice is at 85 King Street, Newtown (now closed)



Vui Va Say (Closed, look for them as the food truck Mama Linhs)
We break the 'no fusion' rule here after seeing queues forming for their rolls.



This bar by night has sells pork and beef rolls from a cart out the front, along with rice paper rolls and noodle bowls. The pork roll is generous with a pile of lemongrass flavoured swine filling the roll. The flavours are wonderful and well worth the $6 asked for this fusion roll. Yeh, we are breaking our own rules here but this is one great lunch.



Vui Va Say is at 127 King Street Newtown. Ph: 9517 2446



Rose Sunrise Bakery
Now tucked up just inside the ramp leading up to the fitness centre, Rose Sunrise was once a fixture at the front of Newtown train station. It still serves up cakes and does a good roll.



The roast pork on this roll is particularly good, as is the pickled radish. They add a little bit of hoisin sauce as well. Convenient to grab before you jump on the train at Newtown station (pork roll shot in situ).



Rose Sunrise Bakery is at 324 King Street, inside the Newtown Centre.

Enmore

Allan's Cake Hot Bread
At the bottom end of Enmore, one of the last older style bakeries is still hanging in there. True to the Newtown spirit, they offer a vegan roll along with the usual pork offerings.



Good tri layer of pork in a softer style bun, nice dash of red onions.$3.70, take away and eat in Australia Street watching the King Street life pass by.



Allan's Cake Hot Bread is at 49 Enmore Road. Phone 9517 9108.

Great Aunty Three
Again we break the 'no fusion' rule to try this place. Such rebels, aren't we.



Lemongrass Pork Roll from Great Aunty Three, Enmore, about $6. They don't serve a classic banh mi, instead offer a selection of 'gourmet' style rolls. Good Vietnamese coffee and a hearty pho on offer on weekends.



Great Aunty Three is at 115 Enmore Road. Phone (02) 9519 2886, look for the little tables and chairs out the front of the store.



Le Bake
A hybrid bread bakery and cafe with a wide range of baked loaves and sweets.



$4.50 for a pork roll. The roll from Le Bake was less than crunchy (odd coming from a bakery) and the fillings were standard. Tomato and lettuce were also added in making it more of a salad roll. You can eat inside or at one of the tables outside and watch the world go by, a bit of a bonus.



Le Bake is at 197 Enmore Road.

Enmore Delicious Rolls
One of our favourites for a bo kho, pho or a pork roll. Even Shawn's Dad loves it.



Pork Roll $5.00, special for $8.00 with a large juice. The roll here had a generous serve of char sui style roast pork which gave a nice sweet edge. Two strips of pickled radish gets two thumbs up from us.



Enmore Delicious Rolls is at 207 Enmore Road. Phone 9557 9032.



University of Sydney

Far down at the end of City Road is the University of Sydney, so we included it in this round up. Taste Baguette has two locations at the University on the Camperdown side of the campus. The pork roll store Bun Me (on City Rd, near the Student Centre) closed this year. Shame, they made a good roll.

Law School Building

The queues are long for this outlet inside the Law School building, mainly as it is one of the only places to eat around this part of the campus.



At $7.50, this is a pricey roll especially for a student. The pickled carrot and radish were good and the rolls here are especially crispy, roof of the mouth scratchy.



Taste Baguette is inside the Law Building Annexe, long queues at lunchtime. Also available as an eat in item at the cafe next door.



Charles Perkins Centre Precinct

A Taste Baguette cafe has opened in the grounds behind the RPA and just outside the gleaming new Charles Perkins Centre.



For $7.50, I would have expected a neater package. Mostly filled with lettuce, this roll was a little disappointing for the price paid. The meat is a pork terrine, but only just enough inside for a small taste.



Taste Baguette is in the shiny new Cafe building in the Charles Perkins Centre Precinct. Access through the University or from RPA Hospital.



New additions:

Delish Pork Roll and Juice Bar

Opening where the purple fronted froyo bar Mooberry once resided, this offshoot of one of our Marrickville favourites is a welcome sight along King Street.

When you specialise in pork rolls, there is a certain expectation they are gonna be good. Delish makes sure they are. Although there's a sneaky bit of lettuce in the salad, the pork and pate mix is sound and the rolls crisp. A good lunch option for King St at around $4.50 for the basic pork roll.

Delish Pork Roll and Juice Bar is at 160 King St, Newtown.

Beloli Cafe

Underneath the apartments on the corner of Missenden Rd and Carillion Ave is a small cafe with a side serve of Vietnamese.

Look out for the 'Vietnamese Corner' sign at this tiny cafe. They have a selection of fresh rolls and pho, as well as pork rolls for $6. These rolls are filled with roasted pork and a good balance of pickled carrot and pate/mayo. Extra points for a crispy roll.

Beloli Cafe is at Shop 5/155 Missenden Rd, Newtown. Open 6.30am - 4.00pm.

Cafe Paris on King

While the resemblance to a Parisian cafe is minimal, the Vietnamese food served here is a great option for on the edge of Newtown / St Peters folks.

Pork Roll, $5.50. There's a balance and a generosity to this roll. The salad mix is not too heavy on the orange shred and plenty of coriander. With a carefully selected for crunch bread roll and good looking pate, this roll is a welcome addition to the offerings on this end of King.

Also serves up beef or chicken pho and soft rice paper rolls. Cafe Paris on King is at 615 King St, right down the St Peters end of the road.

Are there any we have missed? Leave a comment and we will add it in to the list.