7:36 November 26, 2008 | All news from "Food - Recipes"

Kelly's Bar and Grill, Bondi Junction

Pork ribs regular $27.95

You're either a ribs person, or you ain't. I know which one I am.

What greater pleasure than holding a rib bone with both hands and tearing shreds of succulent char-grilled meat off with your teeth. With a few grunts, sighs and surreptitious licking of lips, it's the closest anyone of us gets to impersonating Nigella.

Complimentary brioche

We headed to Kelly's at Bondi Junction, keen to test out another contender for Best Ribs in Sydney.

The open kitchen is the first thing that greets us. I spy a one-kilogram T-bone steak on the massive grill, and as we admire the display of carnivorous excess, the grill chef delights in pouring oil on the grill so a huge fireball erupts before our very eyes.

Up on level six of the new Bondi Westfield, the seating at Kelly's is semi-open plan, spilling onto the concourse, the outer tables enjoying glassed wall views back to the City. The tables are set with jars of mustard and clean unlabelled bottles of tomato and barbecue sauce. Soon after we order, we receive our complimentary brioche for the table. It's warm from the oven and deliciously soft and buttery. On another day, I could quite happily eat just this for my dinner.

Pork ribs small $19.95

When the ribs arrive, there's a collective gasp from the females at the table. The men just smile with glee. The regular portion consists of 1.5 racks of ribs. The small size is a modest single rack.

And the taste? I start with the short ribs on top and am disappointed to find them a little dry and overcooked. The rack beneath is a whole other story though - incredibly succulent with a lot more flavour. I'd heard from friends that consistency is often an issue here: sometimes the ribs are fantastic, other times they're only fair. The small size portion is a rack of short ribs so they're disappointingly dry. At this point I'm glad I over-ordered and got the regular - the larger ribs are so much better.

Pumpkin salad $18.95

All that fatty meat deserves some salad. We share the pumpkin salad, a lively mix of rocket and baby spinach leaves, chunks of pumpkin, Spanish onion, avocado and toasted pine nuts dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Overall? Hurricane's still wins for me. I found the marinade at Kelly's wasn't as smoky and the ribs weren't as fleshy or tender as those at Hurricane's. Kelly's is cheaper though: the regular size ribs cost $27.95 at Kelly's and $33 at Hurricane's.

And yes, I did finish all 1.5 racks of my regular ribs. I like ribs. Even if I can't find my own.

Kelly's Bar and Grill
Bondi Junction Westfield Shopping Centre
Shop 6008, Level 6
500 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9389 8288

Lunch:
Monday-Friday 11.30pm-2.30pm
Saturday-Sunday 11.30am-3pm

Dinner:
Monday-Sunday 5.30pm onwards

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Ribs--Hurricane's Grill, Bondi Beach
Ribs--Outback Steakhouse, North Strathfield
Ribs--Tony Roma's, Sydney