Ribs & Burgers

If it weren't for Mark Margayz my work colleague, I wouldn't have known that Ribs & Burgers existed. There are several reasons why this place excited me to my bones.
1. It's close to home, Northcote to be exact.
2. It's food related and the first word of the restaurant is "ribs".
3. I love trying out new food places.

We arrived at 9:15pm so unfortunately it was too dark to take proper / decent looking photos. They close at 10 on Fridays, and people were arriving at 9:45pm and ordering in! How inconsiderate! Working with a hospitality background, I know the frustration of waiting for customers to leave but still being patient at the same time...

Ribs & Burgers do indoor (and outdoor) seating, and take away as well for those cosy nights in! Fortunately they close at 10pm on Friday nights, so it was rather empty when we arrived. The only thing that really annoyed me about the restaurant is that there are no individual menus, but instead had the entire menu on a massive blackboard next to the counter. Basically you're left standing there... jaws dropped to the ground and feelings indecisiveness with what to order. There are on site toilets, a sink with hand soap, a water tap and various condiments such as tomato sauce and tabasco for those who like a spicy kick in their meals. Everything is clean, organised and very well thought out. When I walked in, I felt the same way I did when I first walked into PATS, The Philly Way - welcomed.

My phone battery died as soon as we got there, so the images below are courtesy of my sisters iPhone. How cute is the napkin font?! Between five adults, we decided on a rump of steak (for myself), lamb ribs and three mini burgers to share. Everything was too oily and greasy so we had to order an extra cabbage salad on the side.

Three Mini Burgers: One beef, one chicken and one lamb - $17.00

I only tried half of the chicken burger, and it was nothing too flash. The bread wasn't as sweet as the mini burgers from Olinda Tea House, and the chicken was dry as. I didn't get to try the lamb or beef burgz cos I was scared that I couldn't finish my steak. On my next occasion to R&B, I will probably order a full burger instead. The Hawaiian one sounded really appealing (because I'm a sucker for pineapple, bacon and beetroot in my burgers). I would only recommend these if you wanted a light snack... but let's be honest, we all know you came for the ribs.

The most important item: RACK OF LAMB RIBS - $22.00

My sister and her husband occasionally order pizza and ribs from Sinner's in South Morang, but R&B ribs has got to be the leading competition around the Northern Suburbs. Holy moley moley moley!!!!!!!!! 

There are three options for ribs - beef, lamb and pork. They are $21, $22 and $29 respectively. We ordered the lamb ones, and don't regret my choice one bit! Next time I will opt for the Korean Ribs! I don't know what it is or what to expect, but I know it should be tasty! 

The ribs were pretty hard to cut, but that's a given considering all the bones involved. I wish the ribs were dripping in sauce, but then I guess that would make the chips too soggy. I loved the idea of having the chips under the steak as it kept it warm and gave more flavour! Overall the ribs were 8.5/10 which is pretty high considering all the ribs I've eaten in my life time. It was really meaty, but not chewy... cooked to perfection. You can't go to R&B and not get ribs!!!!!!!!!!!

Specials: Rump Steak (with chips or salad) - $22.00

I think this option was a part of the Australia Day specials. If you want pepper or mushroom sauce for your steak, it's an extra $2. We weren't given the option whilst ordering so I completely forgot about it. But judging from the picture above, there was a substantial amount of sauce that just dripped down into the chopping board. The fries were of Nando's standard, meaning they tasted crispy and DELICIOUS. I wish we were given a little bit of greens or something on the side because this was toooooo greasy. The steak was medium rare, exactly what I asked for. I ordered this all for myself because I love steak!!!

 Cabbage Salad - $6.00

There were three salads to choose from and I had absolutely no idea which one to pick. I opted for the middle one of the three - cabbage salad. It was pretty basic, consisting of mints, green apples drizzled with lemon and olive oil dressing. Doesn't that sound refreshing?

To think that I went to high school just across the road from this place............. I graduated in 2010 and SO MUCH HAS CHANGED around the area. Change is inevitable, but I haven't been around Northcote in far too long and I love how it's developing. There are so many bittersweet memories associated with high school, as I spent most of my adolescent life, constantly learning there. Overall, I would recommend you to go, even if you didn't know what Northcote Plaza looked like before the new developments. There is plenty of parking around, and Degani's is just across the restaurant if you have room for dessert or coffee afterwards.


Ribs & Burgers
Address: Shop 94-96, 3 Separation Street, Northcote Plaza (across from All Nations Park)

Contact Number: 9482 7888 

Hours: Sunday - Thursday 11am to 9:30pm. Friday and Saturday 11am - 10pm.
Price Range: $$$ and a half
Website: http://ribsandburgers.com.au/