When I arrived at Arnold's I had noticed that quite a few items had been removed from the menu, and asked if my regular dish was still available, the man behind the counter informed me that the meal I wanted was still available, and the changes were because the store is under new management (again). This man has apparently been there for a long time, he told me that the quality is much better now and the prices had changed - I assumed an increase, but I don't remember what the prices were last time I visited.
I immediately got excited, and started looking forward to that smokey flavour that got me returning to Arnold's in the first place! I even bothered to create a Google Plus post about it, and had planned a review for +Megan Vickers and others either way.
I was told it would take 12 minutes to prepare, and I went and purchased some groceries from the nearby IGA Supermarket. I then had a cigarette to pass some time. I arrived back, expecting it to be on the counter waiting, but as it wasn't yet ready, I took a seat. Whilst waiting, I noticed that the staff dress code seemed very casual, and the only staff member that wore enclosed shoes was the man standing at the counter. I also noticed that no-one seemed to bother with gloves, etc. but I did not see anyone handling the food without tongs. Something else I noted was that all three staff members in the store were eating food in the cooking area while working. I only seen the older man behind the counter and the young girl in the kitchen eating once, but the younger man that appeared to be doing all the cooking was constantly eating for the whole 30 minutes or more that I was waiting.
When the food finally arrived, I had a short drive home before being able to try the food.
I immediately noticed that something looked very different about the food, I wasn't sure if it was a bigger container or smaller servings, but I did notice that there was a lot more room than usual, and that there was hardly any sauce on the ribs! (IMHO BBQ Ribs should be really messy!)
So, how do I rate the food?
Corn Cob: (4/5)
Corn Cob: (4/5)
This was the first part of the meal I started with, and I was pleasantly surprised that there was a big improvement! Previously, every Arnold's corn cob that I had eaten was very water and without any flavour (pre-frozen?). This was cooked quite well, and tasted like corn!
Potato: (4/5)
The potato was cooked well, but was a bit too large for my liking. I probably filled up more on the potato than I did the ribs.
Sour Cream: (4/5)
I don't know that you can go too wrong with sour cream. The only thing I dislike is that they place the sour cream with the hot meal which means it's normally warm and melted before you get to put it on the potatoes.
Pork Ribs: (1/5)
The part that I was waiting for! I noticed that the end appeared to be cut after being cooked, and couldn't help but wonder if this is what one of the things I had seen the staff eating. I ripped off a rib and noticed how easily it had come off the bone, my mouth was watering and as I took my first bite I was rather impressed with how soft the meat was. Unfortunately, it didn't have that smokey Arnold's flavour that I was craving, or much flavour at all.
As there were two small racks (one is hiding in the above image), I was hoping that the second rack would redeem the meal. It didn't - I'm not convinced that the second rack was even pork! Not only did it suffer from the lack of flavour, but it also wasn't soft and tender like the first rack had been. The size difference certainly has me convinced that it is beef, but I'm not 100% sure as there was still not much flavour.
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| Comparison, A bone from each rack with the meat removed |
My final rating of the meal: 2/5. It was edible, but I would not recommend.
Please let me know what animal you think the mystery ribs are from in the comments section below - I'm going to find myself a toothpick!
