Rockin Ribs

I didn't really understand ribs until I went to Texas as a twenty-something. There they are a matter of national pride, with secret recipes and smoking techniques held in families for generations, and rib-cooking contests that rival the Super Bowl for ferocious competition. 

Yes, you say, but Americans compete over a flea race, and the burger with fries is the national dish, so why should we care? Trust me. There's a reason why the murderous Frank Underwood from House of Cards goes to a rib joint in times of trouble, and it is not just a sentimental yearning for his roots. A good rib is a magnificent thing, and Rockin Ribs are the best ribs in Canberra, possibly Australia (a comprehensive survey may be required).

Rockin Ribs is the new venture from the team who worked with the master behind Soul Food Kitchen, the Alabama-born chef Victor Kimble, who sadly died of cancer earlier this year. Rebecca West and Alissa Whybrow worked in Soul Food Kitchen and when Kimble considered closing the restaurant, they asked if they could take over the lease and keep his food going out to the community. He said yes, and after a lick of new paint the little place tucked around the corner on Wanniassa's Gartside Street dining strip was reborn as Rockin Ribs.

Don't expect a fancy joint; there are no screens screaming sports at you or dressed-up waitresses putting on accents, just dedicated and genuinely friendly staff and really good food. The plain room has a few records on the wall, pictures of Victor and friends, and a jukebox and piano in the corner. BYO is the go here.

So to the food. We had serious trouble picking, and indecision is well catered for here with the New Orleans mix plate ($54) featuring just about all the classics – crab cakes, buffalo wings, deep-fried oysters, New Orleans spicy prawns and a half rack of ribs. The crab cakes are a lovely big ball of sweet crabmeat nicely seasoned and beautifully crisp on the outside. The glorious brininess of the oyster is fully intact inside a great crisp crumb.

Buffalo wings (chicken wings) are tender and done just right, with a good dousing in hot sauce that packs a punch and great tang. Prawns are grilled with a lovely blend of spices giving them more chilli kick than all the rest.

Then there are the ribs. Not a trace of fat, smoked for at least two hours, they are a work of art. They come apart with ease, all crispy edges and savoury meaty perfection, with enough flavour to stop a truck. Once we have cleaned the bones fingers are licked, and a second rack is rapidly ordered.

If you go alone, don't mess about, just order a half rack ($28, full $38). Think Frank Underwood again, rib-eating as a solitary pursuit soothing a complex soul. They come with a generous basket of sweet potato fries and salad –  a complete meal and you don't have to share.

A fillet of blackened barramundi ($21) is a good piece of fish, not overtaken by the southern spicing, served with salad. Sides (all $8) are a must. The slaw is crunchy with fresh corn as an added touch, well dressed, not slathered in sweet goo. The onion rings are huge and juicy and fantastic, the perfect mix of the sweet onion inside and the really crisp bronzed batter. Not a trace of oil is present anywhere, and the same goes for the magnificent sweet potato fries, gloriously orange and revelling in the slightly sweet fluffy starch inside and the crisp salty exterior. The mac cheese is simple and good – with tasty cheese sauce, not bland orange slime. This is a great food to share and great for kids, with plenty they will love – just make sure you don't let them get all the ribs. 

Dessert (all $10) may be a step too far for some, but a slice of home-made apple pie is very good, buttery pastry topped with sugar and lovely apple filling. Deep-fried Mars bar is as it sounds; remarkable that it works at all really. We will go back for the key lime pie – and more ribs.

This place should be full to bursting every night. It delivers the kind of skill and authenticity that is not always present in joints that might have bigger PR budgets, but none of the heart that Rockin Ribs has by the full rack.