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Cheap Eats: Boi Boi's Leveling Up Our Lunch With Malaysian Flair

ShanghaiWOWeng 2019-04-05


If like us you’re always on the search for new places to eat on a budget, we feel you. Especially with the clock ticking down the minutes until Christmas, we’re feeling the strain on our wallets. Well, take a break from your search this week ‘cos we got you. Or, rather, Boi Boi does.




Hidden away around the corner of a mall on Jiangning Lu, near Aomen Lu, Boi Boi has been quietly cooking up some pretty awesome Malaysian dishes since June 2018, and we can’t believe it’s taken us this long to find it. Its name comes from the Malaysian slang word for “boy”, an endearing term used by mothers when calling their sons. Run by two Malaysians - Lawrence Lee and Jet Lo - they’ve aptly named it Boi Boi to represent the both of them as partners of the business and a further nod to their heritage on top of the food they’re serving.


Photo credit: Dianping user sindypan

 

You’ll notice that’s it’s a tiny little shop with a pokey seating area that’s currently surrounded by empty shop units that are currently undergoing renovation. So, beware, there’s a lot of noise and drilling at the moment, but it’s up to you whether you dine in on the benches that sit just next to the premises or take it away.



The menu is just a short one, as Lawrence and Jet decided that it would be more fitting to concentrate on a few signature Malaysian street food and snacks that they know and love such as Bak Kut Teh, Laksa and Kaya Toast. Despite that, it’s still going to be tough to choose what to eat on your first visit, as everything sounds super appetizing. There are three street food options, six main course dishes, six sweet treats to choose from and 10 beverages that can be served either hot or cold. The best thing of all? Every item is under RMB 50, with only one item actually hitting the RMB 50 mark - Musang King Pulut Hitam.


Photo credit: Dianping user dpuser_5194975076

 

We dove right in and chose one of each category, starting with Ah Boi’s Charsiew (RMB 28). Served hot and freshly charred, this is a lighter choice if you’re looking for a quick snack to keep you fuelled. The charsiew is cut into bitesize pieces, served with some freshly sliced cucumber.



The team at Boi Boi make everything in-house, even the sticky sweet sauce that we could taste on the outer edges of every single piece. After marinating pork shoulder in their charsiew sauce for one day, they char-roast the meat with lychee wood and you can really taste the added flavor that it brings to the table.


Photo credit: Dianping user 魔都吃货小分队

 

During winter months, we crave warmth and comfort, so we had to try the Beef Brisket Curry Rice (RMB 48). Once again, the curry paste for their beef brisket is made in-house using ingredients like lemongrass, ginger, onion and garlic - each of which you can feel come through the overall flavor of the dish. Topped with the inclusion of turmeric and curry powder, and served in a cute little clay pot, you’ve got a hearty, warming curry that’s perfect for making sure you don’t freeze to death outside.



The beef itself comes fresh from Nei Meng beef and is cooked in a pressure cooker until the meat is tender and juicy. Then, it’s braised with the curry paste and infused with all of those flavors. Accompanied by potatoes, crunchy green beans and mushy eggplant, it’s pure comfort in a bowl with a super generous amount of rice that will leave you full for hours.



Need something quick, easy and sugary for breakfast and haven’t tried kaya yet? Then you need to fix that right away. Boi Boi’s Roti Kahwin (RMB 22) is a typical Malaysian dish filled with a specific kaya jam made from coconut milk, egg and sugar. Slow cooked to make it extra rich and creamy, they’ve slathered this onto thin slices of white bread and included small pats of salted butter to contrast the sweetness of the jam. It reminds us of Hong Kong’s pineapple bun that features a slab of butter inside. It’s fattening. It’s delicious. It’s going to kill our waistlines as a new addition to our breakfast list.



Of course, all of that food has to be washed down with some Malaysian tea. Made with tea leaves that are brought in straight from the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, Tea Tarik (RMB 22) is a rich and creamy milk tea. The beauty of ordering this at Boi Boi is that, along with choosing hot or cold options, you can also let them know how sweet you would like it.



Using condensed milk, they “pull” the tea on the spot to make it smooth and creamy.



Ready to give it a go? While it would be great to be able to sit and enjoy the food without renovations going on around you, we love the place for it’s seriously uncomplicated and dialled down menu that boasts those signature Malaysian flavors.

 

Boi Boi

Address: 1400 Jiangning Lu, near Aomen Lu

Tel: 139 1630 7040

Hours: Monday, 9am-4pm; Tuesday, 9am-9pm; Friday,9am-10pm; Saturday, 10:30am-10pm; Sunday, 10:30am-9pm




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