We ordinarily go to Marrickville for quality, cheap beef noodle soup (pho) plus the best sub $5 pork rolls (banh mi) in Sydney.

5 min wait outside Cornersmith, Marrickville

SMH Good Food and bloggers are rife with praise for Cornersmith. No menus, just the chalkboard.

Chalkboard menu only

These guys don't try to overachieve. Local produce, delicately prepared and served with quality bread. Simplified further ... fancy sandwiches and rolls.

A few pre-feed judgements:

- positive - simple, glorified sandwiches, dynamic menu but priced accordingly.
- lukewarm - very proudly markets ethically sourced produce.
- negative - ridiculously elongated and ingredient names.

The menu choices are not extensive, but the descriptions are an eyesore.

Soft poached archerfield farm eggs w/ rye toast, smoked onion relish ($9) plus lentil, barley, hazelnut and zuccini salad ($6)

My dish - 19 words. I have to call it how I see it. This is poached eggs on toast with a lentil salad. Opportunity cost - three bahn mi plus three bites of a fourth.

Without the salad, an award winning cafe serving poached eggs on toast is an insult. Add the side for $6 and you get a dish that is incredibly fresh, balanced and slightly less insulting to my satisfaction gauge.

I rarely extend a poach rating to eggs, but these two bad boys were spot-on in texture and shape.

Poached egg roll w/ pasture raised ham, red cabbage slaw and smoked chilli aoili ($12)

Lorie loves her fancy egg roll. The crispy slaw and better yet, an addictive chilli aioli makes this upscale sandwich a treat.

When a tiny Filipino girl polishes off the last crumb and wants more, you can bet portion size is an issue. I had to fight tooth and nail to get a bite (or four).

To me, this roll works as a fresh, healthy snack.

Both dishes well executed, but how does an 'archerfield farm egg' and 'pasture raised ham' compare to just 'chicken egg' and 'salted pig leg'?

Easier on the ears, harder on the wallet but sadly no different to the palate.

Pre-massacre shot of poached eggs with lentil salad (top) and poached egg roll (bottom)

So the food is very light and healthy. Perfect for those on a calorie restrictive diet. For everyone else, you need to order two mains or do a 'banh mi warm-down'. As a big advocate of a post workout warm-down, I apply this both on foot and on plate.

Score summary below:

Food - 8/10 - simple, well executed. Salads that are beyond my DIY abilities.
Value - 7/10 - low teens pricing for what is in effect, gourmet sandwiches.
Other - 6/10 - cross on confusing dish names. Tick on fast service, somewhat helped by pre-prepared salads and most likely, a next-gen poaching machine.
Overall - 7/10 - unique, tasty experience but not overly memorable.

Lovely partner in crime.

If appetisers for brunch were not so culturally and physiologically offensive, I would certainly look to return.

Feeling a little violated by how they marketed a humble ham roll, we remedied this with a back-to-back visit to Marrickville Pork Roll for yes, a very unambiguous pork roll.

The genius inside this shed is a two-Viet lady production line that is so efficient it puts Chinese sweat shop to shame.

Crispy white roll, generously filled with pickled veggies, unidentifiable strands of pork meat and a delicious pate and chili sauce. No to responsibly sourced produce, but yes responsibly priced.

Cheap and delicious.