A Leisurely Meal Of Flavourful Chinese Grill Cuisine @ 22 GRILL Restaurant Ipoh

Life in Ipoh can be hectic as well, so it’s not often that we can enjoy our meals at a leisurely pace. Therefore, with the Aidiladha holiday falling on a Thursday, we took the opportunity to indulge. 

This time, we chose 22 GRILL Restaurant, a 6-month-old establishment in Greentown Business Centre that offers primarily Chinese cuisine by way of grilling, or some say BBQ.

Although 22 GRILL offers a Set Lunch menu, their signature item is wagyu beef from Japan and Australia. These are, of course, for the grill. While most of us are not unfamiliar with grilling as there are already many Korean BBQ restaurants in Malaysia, to our knowledge, 22 Grill is the only Chinese grill in Ipoh.

So, what’s the difference between Chinese and Korean grill? Obviously, the dishes are different, albeit with similar preparation methods. Another distinctive difference is that Koreans marinate their meat, while at 22 GRILL’s Chinese style, the premium beef here is not marinated to maintain its original flavour. Diners can then choose to dip the meat into any of the accompanying sauces, or savour them as they are.

We opted for the à la carte menu, beginning our meal with a Shenyang Salad, plus two Starters of Shanghai-style Chicken in Shaoxing Wine and Sichuan Mala Baby Octopus. When you begin your meal with dishes from three different regions of China, you know you can revel in an array of flavours according to the popular styles of each specific community.

Unlike the leafy salads from Western cuisines, Shenyang Salad is a combination of various items in this one dish, including peanuts:- a mixture that looks more like our local rojak of colourful ingredients in dark sauce with sprinkled sesame seeds. But then again, of course, they don’t taste the same.

The chicken in the Shaoxing Wine was very smooth and tender. Found out later that it was free-range chicken, or what we know colloquially as “kampung chicken”, thus was delighted that the experienced chef managed to get the meat texture to perfection. And with the Shaoxing Wine as its broth, the taste was just on point.

When you see the word “mala”, you will know that it’s gonna be spicy. Thankfully, the spiciness level of Sichuan Mala Baby Octopus was acceptable to our palate. The baby (or mini) octopus was very fresh and chewy.

For the grill, 22 GRILL Restaurant is actually more well known for their prime meats of Japanese and Australian Wagyu such as Miyazaki A5 Sirloin, Miyazaki A5 Rump Cap, Miyazaki A5 Rump, Oyster Blade MB 6/7, Topside MB 8/9 and Belly MB 6/7. There are other cuts as well like Angus Sirloin, Beef Tripe, Beef Tongue and Lamb Shoulder.

As our family does not consume beef and trying to reduce the intake of red meat, we opted for chicken and pork: Cajun Marinated Chicken Steak and Marinated Pork Belly. We added two more items from the seafood menu: Norwegian Salmon Steak and Marinated Squid. By the chef’s recommendation, we included 4 pcs of Abalone, which is currently not on the menu. So, remember to specifically add this on, should you wish to have Abalone as well.

While waiting for the grill to cook our meats (we also grilled our platter of mixed vegetables and mushrooms), we lined our hungry tummies with some staple dishes. 

We had Xian Stewed Pork in Baked Bun and Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles, which are popular items in China. If you are from China or miss China, these two definitely offer a taste of “home”.

In addition, we had Taiwanese Stewed Pork Rice – a staple in Taiwan but here at 22 GRILL, the rice is served in a separate bowl, so you can control how “banjir” you want your rice to be. You can also add more rice if you want… but don’t forget the grill items that are waiting!

Before long, our grilled items were ready. There are various ways to “devour” them. Either eat them as they are neat, dip them in one of the accompanying sauces, or wrap the meat after dunking it in a dark sauce, in a piece of Spring Pancake together with strips of spring onion. Or replace the Spring Pancake as a wrap with leafy lettuce.

Grill-style dining is best when we have plenty of time to spare on a meal, where we can chat, joke, and drink while each diner contributes to cooking the food. It’s not uncommon for business deals to be sealed this way, over the clinking of beer glasses. By the way, it’s a notable food culture in China, Korea and Japan.  

We concluded our meal with pandan white lotus-filled Chinese Pancake (this is a well-liked dessert to end a Chinese course dinner) and French Pear Tart or La Tarte Bourdaloue. Yup, this isn’t Chinese, but this fusion definitely makes 22 GRILL stand out. You don’t need to go fully Chinese to enjoy your meal here. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Video: A Leisurely Meal Of Flavourful Chinese Grill Cuisine @ 22 GRILL Restaurant Ipoh

22 GRILL Restaurant 烤肉馆
Add: 22, Persiaran Greentown 6, Greentown Business Centre, 30450 Ipoh, Perak.
Business hours: 12 noon – 2.30pm & 6pm – 10pm daily (closed on Tuesdays)
Reservation: +605-2411370
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/60164541370
Email: info@22grill.com.my
Facebook: @22grill
Instagram: @ipoh22grill
Website: 22grill.com.my