In my quest to find Adelaide’s best Vietnamese Roast Pork Roll, I find myself at CJ’s Kitchen, which is a small deli on Sturt Road in Warradale. There are 5 types of Vietnamese roll fillings, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches on offer.

CJ’s Kitchen has the look and feel of a small deli. There are two seats inside and another two outside. I thought it was bit dark inside, however, on the outside, you’re exposed to the busy Sturt Road traffic.

For lunch, I ordered the Roast Pork Roll. It was made on the spot and I thought it was interesting how the roll was cut from the top. The positive aspect of this is the filling doesn’t fall out, however, because of it’s smaller depth, you actually get less filling.

The roast pork was in two containers, the meat in one and the pork rind in the other. In some ways, this is a great way to remove the fat component from the roast pork. The pork was lean but a little on the bland side, and the crunchy pork skin was way too hard.

The pickled carrot wasn’t sweet and tangy, and the inclusion of mayonnaise just didn’t work with any of the other ingredients. The coriander was fresh and the cucumber added a nice crunchy texture. The roll was nice and crusty, and was of a decent size.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing was reasonable. The cost of the Roast Pork Roll was $4.80, which is fantastic price, however, the roll was far from authentic. The roast pork wasn’t well marinated, there was no pate or egg mayonnaise, the pickles weren’t made correctly and it really needed some fresh chilli to spice things up.

The Roast Pork Rolls here are cheap, but you get what you pay for.

WHERE: 104-106B Sturt Rd, Warradale