Restaurant Review: Chinese Skewers at Matchstick Bar and Grill | Restaurant Reviews | Salt Lake City Weekly

Restaurant Review: Chinese Skewers at Matchstick Bar and Grill 

Grab a few friends for some traditional Chinese street food.

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ALEX SPRINGER
  • Alex Springer

If ou don't have that little eastward stretch of 3500 South right off I-215 in West Valley City on your foodie radar, it's really time to get your shit together. It's one of the few local sprawls where you can get everything from Thai food to ramen to sushi to barbecue within one city block.

Recently I heard of a spot called Matchstick Bar and Grill that took over a space that belonged to a defunct Korean barbecue restaurant in the area, and couldn't wait to give it a try. It specializes in chuan—grilled skewers of protein or veggies that are a popular street food throughout China—but it also offers gigantic, shareable barbecue platters that are prepped tableside. Add a fully stocked beer and spirits menu, and you've got yourself a decent place to party in the WVC.

So, let's talk about chuan. Many cultures have some kind of spin on skewered meat, and the Chinese variation got its start in the northwestern province of Xinjiang. It was pioneered by the Uyghur, a Chinese ethnic group that is predominantly Muslim, so lamb is often the protein of choice in this region. Over the years, however, chuan has taken on more regional flavors as the popular street food spread throughout China; these days, chuan can feature pretty much anything skewered and grilled.

One thing I love about Matchstick Bar and Grill is that their skewer menu does not skimp on the guts—intestines and chicken hearts are plentiful if you can dig it. Though I have eaten my fair share of intestines and chicken hearts and found them to be just not my thing, I will always celebrate their presence on a menu.

Their skewers range from around $3.99 for the veggie options—think grilled mushrooms, potatoes and eggplant—and get up to around $6.99 for your squid options. Each item on the menu appears alongside a checkbox, and you get a pencil to mark what you want, similar to dim sum spots I've visited. If you're with a group of people, their BBQ combos ($29.99) are ideal. Combo A features pork belly, beef and chicken, while Combo B adds shrimp and scallops for a more surf-and-turf option. These combos make use of the grill installed at each table, and are excellent choices if you're looking for a bit of spectacle along with your meal.

I was flying solo during my visit, so I just ordered a bunch of skewers and sides a la carte. Though you're maybe not getting as much of a show when you go this route, you do get quite a bit of food for your dollar. I went pretty basic surf-and-turf with some pork belly, lamb, beef and shrimp, and added an appetizer of spicy fried tofu ($7.99). The pork belly and lamb were definite standouts—the chuan style is all about a flavorful dry rub of salt, pepper, cumin and other spices unique to each chef. In contrast to other kebabs and skewers I have known, the skewers at Matchstick have smaller pieces of meat that stay juicy on the inside, while their exterior gets that nice barbecue bark that comes from an expertly applied dry rub.

The skewers themselves are such concentrated vectors of meaty, smoky flavor that you'll want a few sides on hand to cut through the richness. I recommend their garlic cucumber salad ($6.99) or pickled radish ($3.99), which imparts a refreshing, vinegary contrast that helps balance your palate out as you plow through those skewers. You'll also want to order up a side of rice ($2.99) and some grilled bread ($3.59), which is akin to some naan or a tortilla, so you can make yourself a nice Chinese-inspired taco.

While I was overall impressed with the skewers I ordered, I thought the beef skewers were a bit tough. Also, the shrimp is grilled with the shell on, so most of that lovely seasoning doesn't end up on the shrimp itself, though you can lick it off your fingers after you've peeled each little shrimpy. They're small gripes to be sure—there are few things as nice as sipping a cold beer while a wooden plate filled with grilled meat gets placed on your table.

Matchstick Bar and Grill is one of those local joints where you can really get lost in the culture behind a specific type of food. As chuan is typically eaten as a street food you snag while out socializing with your friends, the whole vibe at Matchstick facilitates a social dining experience. Skewers can easily be shared, and their sizzling barbecue combos lean into Instagrammable presentation. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this new West Valley restaurant, and I'm itching to go back for more.

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