The best way to describe this place: refreshingly satisfying.
Roll'd does Vietnamese food about as good as my mum's authentic stuff, and ever since my mum decided that at 28 years of age I'm now too old for her to pack my lunch for work, this place has become a regular spot for me whenever I need to get my Viet on. The soft shell crab and avocado soldiers and lemongrass beef bun makes a terrific and *affordable* combination. (I starred *affordable* because they recently raised the prices and surreptitiously so, otherwise I'd have given them 5 stars. I guess they are learning from the bankers, accountants, lawyers and vultures that surround them on Collins st... Why, back in my day, soldiers used to cost only $2.90...)
All jokes aside, this place is remarkable because of how efficiently it is run. Despite the seemingly overnight 10% price rise, the crowds continue to beat down the door like a bunch of crack addicts at 2am and there's never a long wait. You can also get iced lemon tea for $1.50 with a meal so you'll get a decent feed for under $10 which is ridic for this part of town and hugely redeeming. And like I said before, it's refreshingly satisfying.
There's been enough written about the massive line by other yelpers already but whenever I'm passing by this joint, I always think of a random combination of the following four thoughts.
1. "I wish I thought of this business."
2. "I wish I could invest in this business."
3. "Oh crap, I'm now at the front of the line and there's a YUGE line behind me and now I'm under so much pressure so I better place my order quick! What to do, what to do...? Ummm.... lemongrass beef please!"
4. "I can't believe they got away with putting a sweat-shop right in the middle of town."
Yeah that's right, if you walk past before 11am when they open you'll see a whole bunch of Vietnamese people inside diligently rolling away those soldiers full on sweat-shop styles. Ahh, takes me right back to my childhood!
Finally, I'm going to make a declaration that I will eat at this place every day between April 25th - 30th for every year this place remains open. You see, the city will be full of ANZACs on the 25th and April 30th marks the anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War, so surely there cannot be a more appropriate time of the year to eat a Vietnamese soldier.... (I'm allowed to make these jokes because I'm Vietnamese) read more