FOBrolls

Following many years of dedicated service to the banh mi industry, N. Lee Bakery — purveyors of fine Vietnamese pork rolls — are starting to lose market share. First there was Roll’d, now FOBrolls is nipping at the heels.

Down the end of Tivoli Arcade you’ll find FOBrolls, which adds a modern take (and puns) to the classic Vietnamese lunch snack. Taking your first bite into a Quack Me Up ($7.50), you’ll be inundated with juicy duck and drippings of sweet, salty flavour. To balance things out, it’s cut with a generous packing of grated carrot, cucumber and coriander.

I think the only way they could improve on it would be to add more meat. But then I discovered that for 50c extra, they’ll do just that. I suppose you could ask for more salad if you were so inclined, but the rolls are already jammed with the stuff.

Also recommended is the What’s Crack-A-Ling (a crispy roast pork concoction, $7.50), and a range of rice paper rolls ($3 each). While the old school ‘pork and pate’ banh mi still wins a place on the menu (Keeping it Real, also $7.50), bear in mind that FOBrolls offers slightly modernised versions of traditional Vietnamese fare, so if you’re looking for the latter you might be disappointed.

However, if you’re after a tasty, cheap lunch FOBrolls will provide. You can even take-away a tub of their home‑made pâté ($5 small/$10 large) so you can play along at home.

FOBrolls
Shop 15, Tivoli Arcade, 235-251 Bourke Street, Melbourne
9663 1935
Mon-Wed 11am-7pm, Thurs – Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm
fobrolls.com.au
facebook.com/FOBrolls