Hurricanes Grill, Top Ryde

It's all about the meat.

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but this is the first time I've ever been to Hurricanes. I'd heard some great things about their ribs so I thought it was high time for me to finally check it out for myself and see what all the hype is about. With an army of meat-loving friends (no vegetarians here!), we set out to sample some of the meaty offerings of Hurricanes and to see whether the Top Ryde restaurant matched up to the quality of the Bondi and Darling Harbour locations. Lucky for us, JC had booked ahead for a table on a Saturday night and when we arrive at 7.30pm, the bar is packed with waiting customers and a queue is streaming out of the restaurant into the courtyard.

Garlic roll - $4.50

The service is a bit hit and miss and it takes us quite a long time to get our order taken down. On the recommendation of some of the more seasoned Hurricanes diners, we start with some garlic bread which is served in its entirety on a wooden serving board. Incisions are made into the bread and garlic and herb butter is slathered on the surfaces. And oh my is there a lot of butter - which is what makes it so delicious! The bread crust is super crunchy, sending shards of bread all over the surface of the table when the bread is ripped apart and the bread innards? Well they just taste like melty garlic butter =D

Rib eye steak 350g - $33

Some of us decide to go with juicy, char-grilled steaks like the tender 350g rib eye served with chips.

Cheese and bacon burger - $22

Others decide that a burger is the way to go like this cheese and bacon burger, which has a thick beef patty, lettuce, tomato, bacon and cheese sandwiched between a sesame seed bun. The beef is cooked to a medium rare to ensure that it stays moist. I spot lots of bacon rashers sticking out the side of the burger but it's missing the layer of melted cheese on top of the beef patty.

Half rack of pork ribs - $29.90

Most of us only have eyes for the ribs. There are beef, pork or lamb ribs to choose from and a choice of getting a half rack or a full rack. We all decide on getting the pork ribs which come with a side of chips or a baked potato. Sir D and I share a full rack of pork ribs ($39.90) with the biggest baked potato I've ever seen, topped with sour cream and chives. The ribs are meaty and basted with a sweet bbq sauce so that they're glistening and slightly charred. The meat is a bit dry though and I wish the ribs were a bit more saucy to counteract the dryness. I put in a poor effort that day, only managing to devour and gnaw on the bones of 4 or 5 ribs, while leaving Sir D to tackle the rest.

Spiced potato wedges - $10

And as if we didn't have enough food already, we also ordered a side of spiced potato wedges in case we were still hungry. These wedges were nice and crunchy on the outside and served with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. I think next time we'll stay away from the carbs though and save our stomach space for the meat instead!

So did it live up to the hype? Personally I think I've had better ribs elsewhere but apparently the Hurricanes at Bondi has better food and service. I guess I'll just have to go and see for myself one day!

Hurricanes Grill and Bar
Top Ryde City Shopping Centre
Shop R 3006 Ground Level
Cnr of Blaxland Rd and Devlin Street, Sydney, Australia
Open 7 days, noon to 3pm and 5.30pm til late

Other locations: Bondi and Darling Harbour


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