Lee Lee Hot Bread — Restaurant in Melbourne

On the devastating, KILLER banh-mi strip that is Victoria Street Richmond. My second foray. This time only went to one place. (The first time I had three rolls in a row from three different places and slept poorly that night.) Lee Lee made the top three of TimeOut. It’s also renowned as one of the cheapest. I went at 3:30pm so can forgive the SLIGHT stale edge to the roll which only affected the first bite. The bread was the classic soft-on-the-inside flakey-on-the-outside. Not my absolute favourite style but still excellent. The first of the two I ate was the soft meatballs in tomato sauce - xiu mai - and it was SENSATIONAL. The flavour balance was perfect. It smelt beautiful. It tasted better. Oh yeah. After that the cold cuts were just ok but still great. Got better as I ate it. Really great flavour balance again, crisp, fresh and yummy. Not as pate-forward as some of my favourite ones, and the bread is not as rock star as some. $16 for the two rolls. Overall an absolute pleasure, and I invite all and sundry to celebrate this old-school legendary banh mi purveyor of the...

Tucked into Richmond’s vibrant food strip, Lee Lee Bakery (aka Lee Lee Hot Bread) is a must-visit for authentic, generously sized bánh mì. I recently stopped by for lunch and had their crispy bánh mì roll, which was stuffed full to the brim with tender roast pork, crackling, crisp pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, and a satisfying smear of pâté and mayo.

The roll had a fantastic texture, crispy on the outside, soft inside, and the vibrant carrot and cucumber came through with just the right tang. Lee Lee’s version stood out from the crowd with its perfect balance of flavours, and its reputation as one of the city’s best speaks for itself.

Expect a bustling lunch vibe, this place gets busy, and ling lines at lunch time, but turnover is quick and staff work efficiently. There’s no seating inside, but the takeaway experience is top-notch.

If you're in Richmond and craving classic Vietnamese street-style bánh mì that’s generously filled and perfectly seasoned, Lee Lee Bakery is definitely...

A longstanding bakery for a reason. Although I do like their meats by itself (meatballs, etc), I’m not a fan of their banh mi. Their sweets and packed boxes like rice paper rolls, banh cuon / rice noodle rolls, rice packs, etc are much tastier imo.

BANH MI REVIEW

No ratings. Their banh mi just isn’t my go-to style so it wouldn’t be a fair score.

Filling: Carrots, daikon, cucumber, lettuce, coriander, spring onion chopped, fried shallots

Good amount of meat and vegetables. Spicy chilli. The fried shallots were a little chewy.

Crispy Pork $11.00: Nice balance of fat and meat. Crackling was half crunchy half stale/tough. Had to be careful eating it. The meat itself was ok but with everything else it just didn’t harmonise.

Grilled Chicken $9.00: Sweet curry style grilled chicken. Not my favourite type for banh mi.

Pate & Bo: Light flavour and spread. Bread: Thick roll with a slight crunch but overall quite a soft bouncy bread. Service: Friendly. Card surcharge:...