After the recent surge in popularity of Banh Mi it was only a matter of time before it and other variations of Vietnamese street food were franchised to cash in. Roll'd in Randwick is the first such attempt at this and after seeing the place under construction for about a month I was extremely intrigued and hopeful to see what they would bring to the masses.
Fast food in the vain of Guzman y Gomez or Nandos, Roll'd tries to deliver the best of all worlds, a western twist on Viet classics, a nice setting and fast service. Unfortunately it only delivers on one of these promises, and that promise has nothing to do with the food.
I usually go to Hong-Ha or the Vietnamese bakery in Royal Randwick for my Banh Mi needs, they always deliver for roughly $6. I tried the roast pork and crackling (9.50) with extra meat (11.50). It took 10-15 minutes for the order to be made with 13 staff on (I counted while waiting) and when it did come it felt extremely underwhelming. The roll didn't have any pate from what I could tell and minimal salad. The roll itself tasted a day old and cold, something you really notice when you generally get them in warm, bakery fresh buns. I'm glad I got extra meat too, I can't imagine what I would have got if I didn't.
To me, the entire place felt like a cheap bastardisation of a classic Vietnamese eat. This is something I am afraid will ruin the opinions of people unfimiliar with my fabourite lunchtime feed and in general, just feels like a major Pho pas :(
In summary:
- The price point is way too high.
- The ingredients were not fresh.
- The staff were condescending.
- Its going to ruin a lot of peoples opinion of the food. read more