Categories
Vietnamese

Love Mi – Burwood NSW Restaurant Review

I saw and smelled one of my juniors eating the most seductive banh mi ever on a recent night shift, and couldn’t make my way home without getting one myself.

I stopped at Burwood banh mi spot Love Mi, a place I had seen before on social media but never eaten at, parked precipitously on the street (arriving at 8:45AM, the parking becomes ticketed after 9AM Monday to Saturday), and waited 8 minutes for two rolls, returning to my car at 8:56AM, 4 minutes before a potential parking ranger could fined me.

I had a banh mi thit ($8.80), a classic cold sliced pork roll, and a nem nuong banh mi ($11.80).

The banh mi thit ($8.80) did not meet my expectations for taste, moistness, and price. Though extremely well packaged wrapped in paper and enclosed in a cardboard box, it felt dry on the inside, with an inadequate volume of salad, nor amount of Vietnamese mayo or pate to create that wonderful moist and fatty texture. It’s not the worst pork roll I’ve ever had (hello Northmead NSW), but doesn’t rank anywhere near the best.

The nem nuon banh mi ($11.80) was a stronger showing, owing to the significantly jucier and more flavourful warm nem nuong, which meant that the smaller amount of salad filling at Love Mi was less damaging.

Overall I’ve definitely had better for cheaper (including at the corner of Burwood Road and Park Ave for $2.40 in the late 90s). My partner and I finished both of Love Mi’s rolls, but they didn’t quite hit the spot. I wonder if they spent less effort on packaging they could spend more on the food itself. I don’t have any plans to return.

Love Mi Burwood
Shop 2/2a Elsie St, Burwood NSW 2134
0466 183 338

Categories
Vietnamese

Mê Bánh Mì – Ashfield NSW Restaurant Review

These were the first banhs mi I had in the local area after moving to the Inner West. They were good, but I don’t know that I would say that they are as affordable as the headline on the website suggests.

The crispy pork roll ($11) was good, but $11. It had a good density of fillings when felt in the hand.

The BBQ pork roll ($10) had a unique and pleasant flavour that I’m having difficulty recalling whilst writing this. Worth a try, I think, but at $10-11 a roll I’m going to walking up the street to one of the multitude of other banh mi shops next time.

Me Banh Mi Ashfield
Shop 2/250 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield NSW 2131

Categories
Bakery Vietnamese

Bánh Mì Bảy Ngộ – Bankstown NSW Restaurant Review

I was on a banh mi kick recently, and Banh Mi Bay Ngo, very close to Nam Fong Hot Bread, was a natural option for a pre-work meal.

Like its nearby competitor, Banh Mi Bay Ngo’s traditional pork roll ($6.50) was packed with cold sliced meats at a very competitive price. I’d say that in comparison with Nam Fong, this particular roll had a greater and attractive crispiness to its pickled vegetables, which provide for nice intra-bite textural variation. Please note that the roll did not come wiht the grill marks – the bread was heated up in a sandwich press prior to consumption – a technique I learned from the SRMO who keeps making me feel jealous every time he has a banh mi at work.

The nem chua pork roll ($6.50) was less attractive to me, owing to the physically smaller quantity of meat, without much extra in terms of flavour. Still a good roll, but doesn’t beat the classic in my opinion.

Overall, both were good, and I can’t recommend either Banh Mi Bay Ngo or Nam Fong over the other.

Bánh Mì Bảy Ngộ
49 Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstown NSW 2200
(02) 9709 8106

Categories
Bakery Vietnamese

Nhu Y King’s Hot Bread – Ermington NSW Restaurant Review

Nhu Y King’s banh mis with double meat kept me going through never ending weekend ward rounds on the aged care inpatient team, and I thank them for that.

The size and price ratio was good, as was their 7-day opening schedule, something that XCel Roll could not compete with.

(I should note that as of 2024 the size and quality at XCel Roll Auburn has dropped off significantly, which is a shame, because they used to hold the crown. I don’t know if XCell Roll Parramatta has suffered the same drop in quality, as I’ve not been back in some time.)

Nhu Y King’s Hot Bread
23 Betty Cuthbert Ave, Ermington NSW 2115

Categories
Bakery Vietnamese

Hong Phat – Campsie NSW Restaurant Review

This above pictured pork roll ($7) was not bad, with all the requisite components of Vietnamese mayonnaise and pate, with an extra sour liquidy sauce that I had never had before. The bread was good, crusty but not cutting of the mouth. It’s a solid option if you’re on the same street, but there is a certain lack of advanced alternatives like crackling pork that might mean a trip up the road to Dulwich Hill Pork Roll might be on the cards if you’re already in the car anyway.

Hong Phat Bakery
174 Beamish St, Campsie NSW 2194
(02) 9787 3609