When I ate at Ribs and Burgers I was a bit under-whelmed. It’s a Burger Joint, so what? And then I had a good, long think about it. That’s exactly the point; it’s a Burger Joint and, on the North Shore of Sydney there really isn’t much competition. Especially at the quality end of burger spectrum.
In the last few years the good ‘ol hamburger shop has been replaced by grilled chicken shops from one end of the North Shore to the other, unless you head off to MacDonald’s or another fast food outlet. If you’re looking for a decent hamburger in a clean, fresh café, you will have to look long and hard to find a better place than Ribs and Burgers.
And the scarcity of competition means they can charge a premium price. Their basic burger is $11.00 and options like cheese and bacon are going to push the prices up. Chips and drink are extras and so you can expect to pay around $18.00 or more for burger meal.
Ribs start at $27.00 for the lamb option and pork is $30.00.
So, it begs the question; is it worth the money?
Yes.
The burgers are good. Made from quality ingredients. The mince is from quality beef, which is hormone free, free range and grass fed. They are grilled to perfection on an open flame grill, which gives them a beautiful char-grilled edge to the succulent beef. The salad filling is fresh, very fresh and the sesame bun is soft and tasty made using organic flour. If you want to make comparisons against fast-food chain burgers, you cannot; this is a different burger altogether.
Ribs are slow cooked for eight hours which gives them a good strong flavour and very, very succulent meat.
The Ribs and Burgers business has certainly found its niche. Starting in Neutral Bay in November 2011, it now has more than a dozen outlets in Australia and has just opened in Las Vegas as well! For us, the nearest store is Chatswood, at the Penshurst Street end of Victoria Avenue.
Walking in, the store is light, bright and clean. The chaps behind the counter are friendly and service is fast. I selected the basic burger and my dining partner had the basic burger with Swiss cheese and bacon. The food came quickly and all together, which is what you want in a meal like this. The chips were fresh and well cooked.
And there was plenty of food. Don’t let your eyes fool you; these burgers are full of dense, high quality ingredients. They need to be savoured and the chips shared with a friend. This is a good, simple meal.
I will be going back to sample the ribs, probably as a great casual dinner one evening.
Ribs and Burgers
129-135 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood
Tel: 9417 2588
No Reservations
