Craving for a Vietnamese Roast Pork Roll, I once again turn to the Banh Mi Locator smartphone application. It directs me to the Sanctuary Tea House which is located inside the Westfield Marion Shopping Centre. It’s not inside the food court, but on the ground level directly under it.

As their name suggests, they have a decent selection of organic teas, as well as boutique organic coffee and cold beverages. As far as food goes, they have some basic brunch options, Vietnamese rolls and a selection of sweets.

For a place inside a shopping centre, it’s not a bad setup. There’s a see through partition on one side of the room that separates the dining space. Being a shop located on the edge of the shopping centre, there is plenty of natural light that flows through it’s frontage.

For lunch, I ordered the Roast Pork Roll. The roll was made on the spot and ready within 5 minutes of ordering. The roast pork was of a decent quality and there was a good proportion of crunchy skin to meat. The only issue I had, was the meat was conservatively applied. The carrot wasn’t sweet and tangy, and I’m not going to comment on what I think about lettuce inside my Vietnamese roll. The cucumber did add a nice crunchy texture, and the red onion, a nice natural sweetness. The chilli was supposed to add a bit of excitement, but I just didn’t taste it. The roll itself, was a let down. It was cold and didn’t taste fresh.

The staff were friendly and the service was fast and efficient. The atmosphere was relaxed, but as far as the pricing of the Vietnamese rolls goes, I thought it was overpriced. The cost of the Roast Pork Roll was $8 which is more than I’ve ever paid for one in my life. Of course, you should take into consideration the rents at a shopping centre which certainly isn’t cheap. Having said that, it was far from an authentic Vietnamese roll.

WHERE: Shop 1070A, 297 Diagonal Rd, Oaklands Park