Spicy ribs delight

Friday, November 25, 2011

BABY back ribs have become some sort of standard offering in several food places here in Metro Cebu for the past couple of years. Why not? When the price is right and the flavor delivers, it’s that huge “cash-box-made-out-of-meat” rib that most people would actually just pick right off the menu, easily without second thoughts.

This place along Barangay Banawa, Cebu City has been serving its trademark barbeque ribs for a while now.  And to the delight indeed of several customers, it didn’t take long before word-of-mouth referrals had the restaurant up in the ranks of “must-try-hole-in-the-wall” places.

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Welcome to K.Ribs: a simple and quaint, “fry and grill” place at 157 Woodpark Apts. on Salvador Ext. that specializes in home cooking and mouthwatering comfort food.

“K.Ribs opened in August of last year. Back then when we started the business, we were just doing it for good fun,” managing owner Carmel Ann Villanueva shares. “That explains why our menu specializes more on good home recipes.”

According to Ann, the place’s name was a play on the slang term “cribs,” meaning house. She wanted to keep the place as homey as it could possibly be. That was pretty much the thing before news broke out that the place serves affordable and great-tasting ribs. So now it still feels like home actually—just with lots of visitors at peak hours. This brings us to the heart of the matter: the food.

K.Ribs was not birthed to please the harshest of critics or go toe-to-toe against competition. But in some way, its sincerity in maintaining good business and the great quality of its dishes could be what make this place stand out in its own right.

What this restaurant wants is to deliver. And if you’re the type of person who would walk into a pizza store and order a “meat-lovers” pie instead of one with only anchovies on it, then the food here at K.Ribs may catch your attention.

Of course, there are the classics like the K.wali (Lechon Kawali), K.nupusan (Kinupusan) and Garlic Shrimps. Most of its deep-fried specialties would be what you’d expect them to be— comfort food that satisfies your cravings. The place also has drinks like sodas, juices or beers to go along with your food.

But the highlight here would simply be the ribs. For the record, the place serves two varieties: its original recipe and its spicy recipe. The original recipe may already be familiar terrain for most people’s palates. But for those who’d like to go on a little rib adventure, its spicy ribs is one sure pleaser.

Here’s a little tip. When ordering the spicy ribs fresh out of the kitchen, the ribs may have no kick yet. Sure, there may be a trace of zing in the ribs, but not quite enough. But that’s perfectly all right, as the restaurant has done this on purpose, as a compromise to those who might not be able to withstand a really “hot dish” at first try.

If you wish to take it a level (or two) higher, you only have to make a request for more of that spicy sauce they dress their ribs with. Here’s the equation: the more spicy barbeque sauce in your ribs, the spicier (and personally speaking, the better).

Parking may be a little bit of a challenge, and table space may be an issue that will have you wishing Lady Luck is on your side. But then again: the best hole-in-the-wall, al fresco places are all about the good food to begin with. Happy eating!