RUB Ribs and Barbecue

RUB is a hole-in-the-wall casual restaurant that serves good , bang for the buck ribs. My office mates have been raving about it for quite sometime already (it's very near ABS-CBN , from the Tomas Morato rotonda, make a left at Shakey's and voila! ) and finally I got to try it I think a month ago and indeed, I was pleased with their ribs so I went back last Sunday with Marco because we're suckers for tender ribs cooked and seasoned or rubbed the right way.

The place is so small and unpretentious, Marco even likened it to a "frat house or dorm" or being invited to someone else's place for a cook out  or a barbecue lunch , in our case, it was indeed a barbecue,  laid back with a chill out vibe. The first time I ate there , our group was seated at the second floor  but this time since it was full ( the second floor can only sit up to 20 people max ) we ended up at the only table downstairs beside the open kitchen where all the cooking and grilling happens.

Definitely you have to order the ribs. You get to choose between solo with half slab, rice and one side dish ,  super duo which is a full slab with choice of two side dishes or a family platter with two whole slabs and 3 side dishes. Side dishes include mashed potato, fries, cole slaw, buttered vegetables, garlic spinach, corn and "sprice" or spiced fried rice..it has a nice ring to it , haha.. For appetizers, they have "nibblers" , nachos, buffalo chicken wings, calamares and other munchies while you wait for your ribs.

We ordered the nachos with salsa and this creamy dip which didn't taste like sour cream. The salsa is okay , it was a bit spicy because of the red chili.

Nachos P150

We got the super duo with mashed potatoes and cole slaw.  The first time I ate in RUB,  I tried the spinach and mushrooms with their  fries  but the spinach was salty,  good thing the fries were yummy, really good, delish you have to order it.

Super Duo with Spinach and Mushrooms and Fries P350

Super Duo with mashed potato and coleslaw P350

The main attraction would be the ribs. The super duo is a whole slab of ribs and it's tender alright but not fall off the bone tender but it's okay , though I think it can use a bit of additional boiling time. It was cooked or grilled perfectly, not so much of the burnt marks though it can't be noticed since it was basted with the sauce or marinade already. The barbecue sauce is okay, it tasted home made not just a bottled barbecue sauce , a bit sweet , smoky just the way I like it. The mashed potato is creamy with skin on  and the coleslaw is just okay, I can forego this the next time for the other side dishes. We got two orders of extra rice but it wasn't served hot , teeny bit of a  downer since I love rice ( I love carbs! hehe) and  I like my rice served steaming hot  hmmm..maybe better to try the spiced fried rice the next time but if a dish if flavorful enough it is best eaten with plain rice. (But during our first visit, in fairness, the rice was hot.)

Prices are very affordable for the quality of food, for just P350 you get a whole slab of ribs and two sides and  just P600 or P650 for  the family platter already with two whole slabs and three sides. A good and delicious deal indeed.

I'm happy with Rub, can't wait to be back for their ribs and fries!