With a penchant for modern and bright spaces, I have to admit that entering more ‘rustic’ eateries serving regional cuisine is somewhat out of my comfort zone. But it’s almost always that these places serve up traditional dishes from that country’s cuisine that are unfailing tasty because they deliver the traditional flavours without catering to Western palates. So thankfully, we’ve been able to spoil our taste buds and keep our pockets a tad more padded through word-of-mouth from braver friends and reviews online. This Happy Snack Cafe House is one such example.
Happy Snack Cafe House offers a variety of foods from cold drinks like soursop smoothies to sam bo luong as well as hearty favourites like bò kho, bun thit nuong and bánh cuốn. We’re keen to return to try these (but D’s mother makes for some mean competition…) but we’re here for the bánh mì thit today.
The Pork Roll ($5.00) comes in a crusty bread roll packed with the usual pork sausage, coriander, cucumber and pickled carrots. It also comes with pickled daikon, which is a welcome addition that isn’t always included elsewhere.
There’s a decent amount of meat throughout the roll, with the pickled carrot and daikon delivering a notable tanginess. We’d have enjoyed more carrot, but the generous size of the bread roll along with the overall flavour brought together with the pate, homemade mayonnaise and Maggi seasoning sauce, give the roll that delectable bánh mì thit flavour with which we’re familiar and enjoy. It does also have shredded lettuce, which we’re still not completely sold upon, but its flavour was so mellow we don’t mind too much.
Happy Snack Cafe House is located at 104 The Crescent, Homebush West NSW 2140.