GETTING STUCK IN AT STICKIES

Vegetarians, look away now. Vegans, head for Signal Hill. I’m late to the game, but I lost my heart to a rack of ribs at Sticky Fingers last week, and I’m here to report back.

Stickies just off Long Street is the kind of place a reviewer beating around the bush might describe as ‘understated’, ‘authentic’ and ‘laid-back’. Here at CTE.com, we believe in bringing you the truth, so here it is: Stickies is just this side of dingy, with service bordering on comedically slow.

And it’s home to the best ribs I’ve eaten in years.

Like, for real.

It was a Tuesday night in early January, which meant spending as little cash dollar as possible for a meal that would stretch to leftovers for breakfast. Stickies ticked all the boxes. All day Tuesday they offer a full rack of ribs (usually R125) for the price of a half (R85). Get there between 4 and 7 pm for happy hour and you can add half-price draughts to your financial score. (For a full specials list, click here.)

Also on the menu are burgers and wings, but back to the matter at hand. If you’re into tender pork ribs that slide off the bone, dripping in BBQ sauce and necessitating at least two aeroplane-standard wet wipes … this is your spot. Served with fries and onion rings, Stickies is no place for health nuts and banters, and let me tell you – once you start, it’s hard to follow through on that whole breakfast plan.

Of course, possibly the best measure of the deliciousness of Stickies’ ribs was the following statement from the pint-sized blonde opposite me. Her leftovers were to come home to my fridge for safekeeping till the next day, while she went out partying. ‘Jade,’ she said, all solemnity, ‘if you touch my ribs, I will kill your whole family in front of you.’

Enough said, I think.

OF NOTE
Where 210 Long Street, CBD (Branches open in Rondebosch and Obs too)
Trading hours 12 noon – 12 midnight
Contact +27 21 422 1861, www.stickybbq.com

Photography Courtesy