Soonta has 3 stores within the Adelaide CBD and is one of the better known Vietnamese takeaway joints in Adelaide. I’ve eaten at their Rundle Place store before and wasn’t very impressed, however, I thought I’d give their James Place store a go to see how they fare.

Their menu is simple and straight forward with a selection of Vietnamese rolls, salad bowls, noodle bowls, cold rolls and spring rolls to choose from. Their offerings are very familiar as many of their competitors are selling the same products.

For lunch, I ordered the Roast Pork Roll. There were already half a dozen pre-cut bread rolls behind the counter with the vegetables already put in them. I know this is done to save time, but I prefer my bread rolls to be freshly made. Anyhow, the roast pork was added to the roll and everything was ready.

The roast pork tasted a bit bland and was provided in generous amounts. The meat was tender and succulent, and surprisingly lean. There were good proportions of meat and crunchy skin. The pickled carrot was sweet and tangy, while the egg mayonnaise provided good balance. The coriander was fresh while the cucumber added a nice crunchy texture. They used a chilli paste in the roll which wasn’t quite the same as fresh chilli. I detected notes of sourness in the paste. The bread was nice and crusty, and of a decent size. I thought they were a bit conservative with the vegetables but otherwise, the roll wasn’t too bad.

The staff were friendly and the service was fast and efficient. The cost of the roll was $6.30, which is slightly higher than average. There seems to be inconsistencies with the quality of roast pork wherever you go. Some days are bad and some days are good. It just so happens I caught them on a good day.

WHERE: 16 James Pl, Adelaide