BunLee Bun & Brew — Restaurant in Gold Coast City

I TRULY wanted to enjoy BunLee Bun & Brea food especially considering their great location and accommodating attitude toward our plant-based vegan preferences. However, my experience yesterday (5pm) with their food was incredibly disappointing. Despite the pleasant conversation I had with the staff girl over the phone, the actual dishes fell short of expectations, leaving us unsatisfied.

First and foremost, the bread in the banh-mi was stale, which significantly affected the overall taste and enjoyment of the sandwich - which also looked smaller than on the website. The spring rolls were devoid of flavor, with super hard rice paper resembling nothing more than cardboard. The bao lacked any discernible taste, it had no cilantro (my fav), and the buns were overly sweet.

To add insult to injury, the portion sizes were small, leaving us still hungry even after spending nearly $60 on two Tofu Baguettes with extra avocado, two Tofu Spring rolls, and two Tofu bao with extra avocado. While the service was friendly and quick, and the vegetables used were fresh, the overall experience was a disappointment. Unfortunately, the lackluster flavors, unappetizing textures and high prices make it a "never...

I have a banh mi down in Melbourne nearly every week and would consider myself a pretty big fan, so I was excited to have one for lunch while in Burleigh.

BunLee is a more modern take on a traditional Vietnamese bakery, and that’s evident in the prices being upwards of $12, compared to the $9-11 I would usually expect.

The baguette was both crunchy and fluffy, and I loved how much sauce and mayo was used.

The fillings were a bit light on, and the roll wasn’t bursting at the seams like it usually would be, which is a bit disappointing given the price. However, the lemongrass tofu was full of flavour and there was a nice amount of chilli. Would have loved to see some spring onions and/or fried shallots included though.

Cold brew was okay. Not super strong and a bit watery.

Not the best value (somewhat expected in the heart of Burleigh), but really delicious!...

As a Melbournian holidaying in Burleigh over Summer I can confidently say that Bun Lee is the closest I’ve found to traditional Vietnamese Bahn Mi and Vermecelli Noodle Bowls back home! Their roast pork rolls with house made patè are elite and you can’t go past their Cold drip coffee on tap!

You can really tell a lot of heart and soul has gone into refining this menu, there’s something for everyone- even their marinated tofu is a delicious flavour punch!

Staff seem so friendly and up for a chat, and if Ligia is working you know the tunes will be pumping!

The perfect lunch time snack whilst visiting beautiful Burleigh!...