Ribs & Schnitzel Co, Hawthorn by Benny

Sometimes, only dude food will do. Sometimes, your body craves chunks of highly flavoured, melt-in-the-mouth meat. And it has to be accompanied by a big serve of great chips – crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, loaded with salt. As a bonus, find a way to include sour cream and bacon bits. While I don’t get these cravings often, it’s nice to know that there are places that can deliver.

Pork ribs

Ribs & Schnitzel is a father/daughter venture that has captured this vibe in spades. First impression is that it is a take-away place with only a small amount of seating, the grill and deep fryer just behind the counter. Owner Yoram Malka confirmed that between 40%-60% of his business is either take-away or delivery, depending on the time of year (more on this below). But venture a bit further and you’ll find a small pleasant room out back with one big table (max 8-10) and a few tiny tables for two that captures the afternoon light quite nicely. Unfortunately, the ambience is somewhat spoiled by the view of rubbish bins in the adjoining laneway.

Lamb ribs

Yoram has prepared a veritable feast for this blogger event, quickly churning out multiple serves of ribs (pork or lamb), several schnitzels with a variety of toppings on request, and a couple of serves of loaded sweet potato fries. The ribs are served on large beds of chips.

Crumbed chicken schnitzel with American topping

Crumbed chicken schnitzel with Mexican topping

First thing to be said – these are very generous serves. The schnitzels all start with 200gm of chicken breast before they are coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried, or for the health conscious, flame grilled without a coating. Then a similarly generous amount of topping is added. I forgot to ask about the standard size of the racks of ribs, but it would take a bigger man than me to walk out of Ribs & Schnitzel still hungry.

Crumbed chicken schnitzel with Parma topping

Secondly, the flavour – ribs have been hijacked by the elite, marinaded overnight and slow roasted for eight or more hours over flavoured charcoal. This is not practical for a business that aims more at ‘cheap eats’ than ‘high-end dude’. Yoram’s ribs are boiled and then barbequed over an open flame, before being slathered with BBQ sauce. While they are not a good as the best of those elite ribs, they are still pretty darned good – fall-off-the-bone tender and I am definitely licking my fingers.

Grilled chicken schnitzel with Middle Eastern topping

The crumbed schnitzels were all moist and tender inside their crispy coatings; the flame-grilled version was also perfectly cooked. My favourite was the Mexican (with a topping of salsa, corn, red cabbage, jalapenos, guacamole, sour cream, spring onion), but I’d be happy with any that I tasted, the others being: Parma (Bolognese sauce, ham, grated cheese); American (coleslaw, frankfurt sausage, fried onion, tomato sauce, pickles, American mustard); and Middle Eastern, which was flame grilled (with Moroccan salsa, grilled eggplant, grilled capsicum, chickpeas, coriander, tahini).

Then, the chips – these are very good chips, crisp with a soft centre, and the servings are large. You also have the option of sweet potato chips, which are also very good. Even better, put in a separate order for loaded fries and you can top them with cheese and bacon, mushroom, pepper or Bolognese sauce. We tried the sweet potato fries with cheese and bacon, and also with mushroom sauce, and both were very moreish.

Even vegetarians are welcome. Under the guise of a ‘schnitzel’ you can order falafel! We tried it, and it was ok (topped with mixed leaves, broccoli, sesame, green beans, capers, mixed seeds and basil pesto), although I have no idea why a vegetarian would visit a place called Ribs & Schnitzel. You can also order a simple garden salad, red cabbage, or coleslaw.

And finally, the take-away/delivery. All of the ribs, schnitzels and loaded fries are great take-away options as they will easily survive the trip home with their crispness and flavour intact. How do I know? By the time all the bloggers had taken their photos our food had been on the table for 20 minutes, yet it still tasted great! It is no surprise that Ribs & Schnitzel has a thriving take-away business.

There are no sweet options, but after those generous serves it is unlikely you will have room for dessert.

Verdict

We really liked it.

Cheap eats.

Overall

Ribs & Schnitzel is a great place to load up on meat and carbs, either eat in or take-away.

The Eat and Be Merry Crew were guests of Ribs & Schnitzel.

Find it at

Ribs & Schnitzel Co
628 Glenferrie Road
Hawthorn Vic 3122
Phone: 9020 7250