Friday, November 20, 2009

Balsamic: the best ribs ever!

Location: Level 3, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood
Link: www.balsamic.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian

Having spent the night before one of my exams craving BBQ ribs, we ended up going to Balsamic for dinner after the exam.

First up, entrée. We ordered a garlic pizza to nibble on and curb our hunger while we waited for the mains.

Garlic pizza served with a side of olive oil, balsamic reductIon & spiced sea salt


This was a disappointment. The pizza tasted like it had been left in the over for too long and was rather dry and only a tad bit crunchy. There was also not quite enough garlic taste, and I was very glad it had come with the salt.

Next up, we ordered a chicken Caesar salad and BBQ pork ribs.


Chicken Caesar salad - grilled chicken, baby cos, shaved parmesan, candied bacon & a hard boiled egg, topped with a crouton & dressed with house made Caesar dressing


The Caesar looked somewhat incomplete. I'm used to the ingredients being cut up and tossed together, but this dish just looked like it was half-finished. The egg was halved, the chicken not cut up and instead of croutons, it had a slice of bread topped with bacon. I heard no complaints about the taste itself though.

And now for the most awesome dish...


Rack of pork ribs glazed in a honey BBQ sauce, served with wedges & salad


These ribs were perfect. The glaze was sweet and sticky and tasted good not just on the ribs, buth with the wedges and salad as well. The meat itself was soft, moist and tender, and fell off the bone very easily. There were very little stringy bits and despite it being a rack of ribs, there was plenty of meat attached. The wedges were crispy on the outside and you could hear the crunch, it was a pity that the ribs were so tasty I didn't end up finishing the wedges.

Service was pleasant although very slow. Our entrée took forever to arrive (perhaps they forgot that it was in the oven) and the mains took even longer. We also waited about 10 to 15 minutes for some water. At least the wait for the mains was worth it!!

Overall Impression: 9/10
Balsamic on Urbanspoon

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