Long’s Kitchen is a small Chinese and Vietnamese eatery located on Flinders Street in the city. Only open for lunch during the week, the bain marie on one side of the cash register is dedicated to your typical Chinese takeaway dishes. The other side of the register holds all the ingredients that make up the Vietnamese rolls.

The decor here is very basic with two of the main walls painted blue. The place is furnished with standard cafe style tables and chairs, with the odd Chinese lantern hanging from the ceiling to make it more traditional. Take away seems to be the popular choice, although there are a dozen seats inside if you choose to dine in.

For lunch, I ordered a Roast Pork Roll. The roll was freshly made on the spot, but from the moment they added Srichacha chilli sauce into my roll, I knew it was going to be far from authentic.

The roast pork was lean, tender and succulent, however, the meat was bland and the crunchy skin was notably absent. The coriander was fresh and the cucumber provided a nice crunchy texture. The pickled daikon and carrot weren’t sweet and tangy enough, and I frown at the fact that lettuce was included in my roll. The fresh chilli added nice bite, however key ingredients such as the pate and egg mayonnaise were missing. The bread roll was nice and crusty, and of an adequate size.

What is it with places that don’t clearly advertise their pricing? Prior to purchasing my Roast Pork Roll, I was told the cost was $5.20, yet when I received my change, it turned out to be $5.40. Clearly, a communication problem, but the omission of pricing allows some businesses to make up the cost on the spot.

The Roast Pork Roll just wasn’t very good. Some of the key ingredients were missing or not prepared properly, and there was too much deviation from what an authentic Vietnamese roast pork roll should be.

WHERE: 98 Flinders St, Adelaide