Grill On: Satay with a Twist

While I am not a fan of meat, I would still enjoy certain types of meat dishes, including satay--skewered and grilled meat with peanut sauce, a favorite Indonesian dish among our countrymen. You can find a variety of satay literally on every street corner in Semarang. The busy street of Gajah Mada even hosts numerous satay stalls on its pedestrian walkway. Honestly speaking, because satay was quite omnipresent, it's not on my must-have list. Unlike nasi ayam or nasi pecel.

However, when I was informed by my ex-students that Grill On is open, I'm quite curious. So, our party of eleven headed out to this new establishment which boasts unique interior and concept.

After looking at the cute menu in a form of a cutting board, Sam and I decided to order their recommendation: The Satay Platter (IDR 56,000)and the Beef Bowl (IDR 22,000). If you add IDR 3,000 to the Beef Bowl, you will get additional clear soup and a glass of green tea.

The Satay Platter consists of chicken, beef meatballs, prawns, and fried chicken-skin satays put into one large plate. This ultimate dish is served with sweet soy sauce, and all except the prawn satay come with special peanut sauce called Bumbu Kalak. The chicken and meatball satays were quite juicy and succulent, while the prawn satay was dry--not my favorite. Our nod of approval went to the skin satay. It's surprisingly crispy and flavorful (well, skin=fat. Fried fat=you know what) 3.75/5

We also ordered other things from the menu. Clockwise: Beef Bowl combo IDR 25,000; Soto Ayam (Javanese Chicken Soup)oopsie, forgot to take note of the price; Sate Ayam Bumbu Kalak (Chicken Satay drizzled with Kalak sauce)IDR 18,000; Italian Gelato from the ice cream bar IDR 12,500. The Beef Bowl was quite a hit. The meat was tender with sweet and savory flavor. I personally liked the thinly sliced garlic sprinkled on top of the meat. It was served donburi style (3.95/5). The portion was not meant for sharing. So boys, don't be stingy here.Be good and just order the platter to impress your girls :p. I didn't eat the Soto Ayam but it seems to be a rendition of Soto Kudus. The Chicken Satay is similar to the one in the platter. As, for the gelato, I don't think it's worth it. Unless you are kids. I'd rather buy Magnum which tastes more luxurious and comes in a bigger shape.

One of us liked the Butter Rice with Chicken. It sounded fancy, but actually it reminds me of Hong Kong style fried rice topped with battered chicken fillet. 3.5/5

The Verdict

I would definitely go to Grill On to hang out since the industrial + pop-artsy ambience was definitely inviting (they should lower down the music volume a bit though). The food itself was okay and reasonably priced (as compared to food court in malls). As for the satay, Grill On offers a contemporary version of it. The sauce is different from the thick sauce I get from street satay vendors, which was a nice touch. Service can be a bit slow, especially for the drinks. The total bill was around IDR 550,000 for our big group of hungry young adults. We left full and happy after taking numerous pictures with the help of the servers :p

Will I come back? Yes, I think so.

Ratings:
Food: 3.75/5
Ambience: 4/5 (Go team 24Arch!)
Price: 3.5/5
Service: 3.75/5

Grill On
Susan Spa and Salon, 3rd Floor
Jalan Seroja Timur 2, Semarang
Phone: 024-8456161
Monday - Sunday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM