Egg and bacon rolls

Do you call it a sarnie or a sambo? Tomato or barbeque sauce? Fancy bread or old-school refined white stuff? A quick Twitter poll conducted earlier today shows that Sydney-siders..or at least the ones using social media, feel quite strongly about what makes a good egg and bacon roll and where to get one.

Breaking it down: anatomy of a good egg (and bacon roll)

The elements are simple; bread, egg, bacon, sauce - but it's how it's done that makes a world of difference...

-The egg: Must be soft on the inside, but not so runny that it oozes all over your hands when you take a bite. (Eating With Hands 101)

- The bacon: Smallgoods are the new black. Given the popularity of good quality smoked goods in Sydney, there's no excuse for bad bacon. There should be a healthy amount of fat on the bacon in order to keep the entire production from being dry, so no extra lean bits here. Rinds can be an issue, so if they're left on, they should be crisp enough to crunch, not rubbery.

- The bread: It doesn't have to be fancy. In fact, some of the best examples of this hangover breakfast of champions, can be seen on old-fashioned bread rolls with super refined, fluffy, white centres.

-The sauce: Are you a tomato or barbeque person? Is caramelised onion and tomato chutney taking it too far? There are an overwhelming amount of people who prefer the barbeque sauce option, reasoning that the smokiness lends itself better to the meaty bacony goodness and I, for one, tend to be one of them. Either way, there's a fine line between not enough (dry) and too much (squishy) to tread when considering how much sauce should be on the roll.

- Additionals: Cheese, chorizo or other kinds of sausage are perfectly acceptable. But salad? I don't think so, Tim.

Sorting the amateurs from the professionals, here's a list of pork and egg purveyors:

The markets: Week in, week out, these weekenders know how to conduct a proper fry up.

Everleigh Farmers Markets
243 Wilson St
Darlington NSW 2010
(02) 9209 4220

Make a bee-line straight for the Eumundi Smokehouse. They rock the classic egg and bacon roll with plenty of Eumundi smoked bacon and homemade BBQ sauce to keep hungover punters happy and there are also chorizo rolls with tomato and basil salsa, if you feel like shaking it up.

Sydney Sustainable Markets
Taylor Square, Oxford Street (at corner Flinders & Bourke Streets)
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Good Living writer Carli Ratcliff swears by the Farmfresh Organic Breaky Barn stand for their sourdough bacon egg sandwiches. Such a glowing endorsement is enough, but what makes these great are the glowing orange-yolked organic eggs and the myriad of sauce options you can choose from. The pork and fennel baguette is also a winner.



Honorable mentions: Orange grove organic markets, Kings Cross markets.


Monday to Friday


...because hangovers don't just happen on weekends.


Varga Bar
10 Wilson Street
Newtown, New South Wales 2042
0424 617 944

Firstly, you have to love a place where you can text through your order the second you roll out of bed...only to walk up to the cafe and have your breakfast waiting for you. Secondly, about these egg and bacon rolls. They're BIY (build it yourself). Start with the basics, or add spiced pear chutney, avocado, extra bacon, chilli pumpkin or mushrooms if you dare.


Malena Cafe
2/32 Perouse Rd
Randwick New South Wales 2031
(02) 9398 4871

Elmer can do no wrong when it comes to cooking eggs. Fried, scrambled, poached, they're always perfect and the egg and bacon roll here is no exception. Favoured by Eastern suburbs chefs and restauteurs alike, it's a great little place to pull up a pew, grab a crackin' coffee and tuck into your sarnie. Simple, and delicious.

Honorable mentions:

McDonalds bacon and egg English muffin with hashbrown and ketchup stuffed in the middle (thank you Dan Hong)

Baffi &; Mo, 94 Redfern St Redfern NSW 2016 - (02) 8065 3294

The Commons, 32 Burton St Darlinghurst NSW 2010 (02) 9358 1487. Homemade bbq sauce..props.

2042, 4/257A King St Newtown NSW 2042 (02) 9557 3476. On Turkish, with cheese, plenty of bacon and a default setting switched to bbq sauce.