My family is from Macau which is commonly referred to as the Las Vegas of the east (my family chooses to refer to Las Vegas as the poor man’s Macau). It’s a popular haunt for Chinese folks who would rather use their mathematical prowess to beat the house than to beat themselves over the head for choosing to be an accountant. My family can’t help themselves; they love to gamble and frequent the Star on an almost daily basis.

After they’ve finished making it rain chips, they don’t always feel like Chinese food and sometimes feel like…well; chips. Oh, and ribs and burgers.

Which is what I felt like today:

As tempted as I was to skip work and go count cards, I decided to go to the newly opened Ribs & Burgers located in Rhodes after work instead.

Today happened to be their grand opening and I was curious to see how this franchise functioned outside of the tiny stall they had in the Star.

Located near Rhodes shopping centre, Ribs & Burgers had a heap of people roaming near the entrance and it looked like business was booming. This can probably be attributed to the special promotional offer that Ribs & Burgers runs every time a new store opens (details HERE).

The decor was reminiscent of a nice cafe and not a greasy burger joint. Then again, Ribs & Burgers isn’t exactly somewhere you could go to cultivate grease aka liquid gold in Springfield. There was so much staff running around that I immediately abandoned my grand theft auto plans as I was afraid that they would start hurling jars of pickles at me if my hand even twitched near cutlery that wasn’t mine.

I love restaurants that give you a glimpse into the kitchen. Shows like E.R. and Grey’s Anatomy had killer ratings because people who worked outside of the medical field were deeply curious as to how everything went down. I would happily watch a reality show dedicated to following the lives of burger chefs and waiters. Wouldn’t ‘I need a Wagyu burger pronto!’ become the new ‘we’re losing the patient, doc!’

Anywho, I’m not a doctor, so I don’t have patience which meant I ordered quickly.

I’m a sucker for gimmicks and delivering sauces in a little kettle is a-okay in my books. Ribs & Burgers offers a range of premium sauces you can purchase to accompany your fries but I was more than happy with the classics in a kettle.

Oh yeah, the fries!

Confession: I’ve only ever had Ribs & Burgers takeaway so I’ve never had the fries fresh. My God, I’ve been missing out. These were the epitome of premium fries with a lovely golden exterior and fluffy interior. The seasoning wasn’t top tier but the fries definitely were. I’d suggest you sneak in some chicken salt but I’m pretty sure the staff would catch you and it’d be hard to explain that you were merely following the advice of a food blogger that’s not even in Sydney’s top 150.

Now, onto the burger:

One of the many reasons I’m not in Sydney’s top 150 food blogs (there are many, many reasons) is that I’m a poor researcher. I forgot about another one of Ribs & Burgers promotions which offered two mini Wagyu burgers & fries for $15. Instead, I opted for my own makeshift meal that cost more. Again, never forget that I’m an idiot who has a good camera and superb taste in cardigans.

In saying all that, the lemon and herb chicken burger was a very solid offering. My only complaint about the burger itself was that the bun on the bottom of the burger was cold in the centre. That took away from the experience albeit slightly. The chicken was beautifully marinated and the salad within was very fresh. I ate in the restaurant and was surprised they served my burger with the box. Not the most eco-friendly way of doing things but hey, I don’t care about the box, I care about what’s inside of it.

I know what you’re thinking: ‘you went to a place called Ribs & Burgers and didn’t try the ribs?! That’s like going to KFC and ordering rice!”

First of all, you can totally do that in China. I remember my first encounter with a KFC in China and was shocked to see that they offered white rice with a side of braised pork.

Secondly, that’s the plight of a single food blogger. I hate wasting food and can’t eat a lot on my own.

The struggle is real.

Here’s the TL; DR for everyone who accidentally stumbled on this post looking for a card counting tutorial:

– You should hit on 16 when the dealer is showing a 7 or higher.

– I’ll probably squeal with delight if I ever found some El Jannah’s garlic sauce in a kettle

– It’s hard to screw up fries

– The burgers are still not better at Hungry Jack’s

Ribs & Burgers, Rhodes

Shop 53-53, 1 Rider Avenue

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