I was really in the mood for ribs one Friday night, so J and I drove down to Tuggeranong to try out Arnold’s Ribs & Pizza near the Hyperdome. Although there were a few tables inside, Arnold’s is mainly a take away joint.
We were only there for the ribs and focused on the ribs menu. There were various combinations with pork, lamb and beef ribs available. We decided to share the giant twin pack of pork ribs ($54.50) which came with 2 racks of pork ribs (500g each), 2 corn cobs, 2 jacket potatoes, sour cream and sauce. There was a choice of three sauces – Texas BBQ, San Francisco plum and hot chilli, we chose the Texas BBQ. There was also a deal on two slices of cake for $5 so we ordered that for dessert. Our order was taken by one of two teenage boys. Our order for pork ribs was forgotten but he was gently reminded, the wrong price was charged and for some reason we had to provide our mobile number even though we were dining in, though that’s probably because of the system. We were advised that it would be a 25 minute wait. Several take away rib orders were picked up and a few pizza boxes. We noticed that all the ribs were carefully weighed on a scale to accurately provide the 300g-500g ribs.
When our meals arrived, we were told they were too busy to plate up for us so they hoped we didn’t mind eating out of the plastic take away containers. That was fine with me as long as the ribs were tasty. We noticed that our corn cobs were missing and J got up to ask for them.
I was surprised and happy to find that the ribs had a lot of meat on them. They obviously hadn’t been slow cooked for long as they were not very fall-off-the-bone tender but still easy to pick off. The sauce was slightly tangy but didn’t have that bold smokey flavour or any herbs and spices. In saying that, I finished all but one rib! And it did satisfy my ribs craving.
The rest of the meal wasn’t fancy – boiled potatoes with a side of sour cream and boiled corn cob (which was very wet). A filling meal.
We decided to take dessert home to have later. There were only two types of cakes – Bavarian chocolate cake and cheesecake, and we got one of each. Again, nothing fancy and they reminded me of the Sarah Lee cakes you can get in the supermarket.
Besides ribs, large pizzas will set you back $12.95-15.95. Gluten free bases are available for an extra $4. There are also pasta and potato bakes, salads, chicken schnitties, nachos, chicken wings and various sides on the menu. Customer service skills and attitude definitely need to be improved but we did go in with low expectations. We found it was chilly inside as the door doesn’t shut properly leaving a permanent cold breeze in the room. If you choose to dine in, there’s a bathroom at the back where you can wash your hands before and after feasting on ribs.
Arnold’s Ribs & Pizza is open seven days a week from 4.30pm, and lunch on Friday.
Foodgasm 6/10
Value for money 7/10
Service 5/10
FPJ score 18/30
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