Bubor Cha Cha review

Bubor Cha Cha missteps
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, October 30, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining Reviews

BUBOR CHA CHA: C

Malaysian cuisine is the main event at Bubor Cha Cha, a new restaurant in Chinatown. It’s named for a coconut-milky Southeast Asian dessert.

Located in the old Grand Chau Chow space on Beach Street, Bubor Cha Cha affects a jungle theme park decor: bamboo, faux palm trees and a tropical island blue sky trompe l’oeil ceiling. Bunches of plastic grapes hanging above the pine booths along one wall are a surrealistic touch.

With its Indian, Chinese, Thai and indigenous influences and fondness for soy, curry, coconut milk, chilies and shrimp paste,Malaysian food isn’t reticent. Unfortunately, the Bubor Cha Cha kitchen holds back on the spices - presumably fearing that the bold flavors of Malay cooking may not appeal to non-Malay diners.

The chicken curry that accompanies the paper-thin roti crepe in roti canai ($4.95) could be spicier. And sambal sotong ($12.95) - stir-fried squid, bell peppers and onions in chili sauce - could be more peppery. Likewise, ladyfingers (okra) in pungent belacan dried shrimp paste sauce ($10.95) would benefit from extra heat.

You can choose between several sugary, fusion-style dishes. “Coffee-flavored” beef ribs ($12.95) in gloppy mocha glaze is more like Coffee Nips than coffee ribs. “Strawberry-flavored” pork chops ($13.95) - slices of chewy, stir-fried pork in reddish berry sauce - are ultimately too weird for my palate.

We did like the durian pancake ($8.95), a quesadilla-like roti stuffed with the infamously stinky-sweet tropical fruit, whose aroma can be a turn-off. “It smells awful but it tastes delicious,” said my friend Flo. Exactly.

cw-5 We also liked char kway teow ($8.95), pan-fried rice noodles tossed with squid, shrimp, eggs, chili, soy and bean sprouts that are a popular street snack in Kuala Lumpur.

Bubor Cha Cha’s lengthy photo-illustrated menu - which features many Thai and Chinese dishes - lacks many of the Malay faves Bostonians know and love. You won’t find chilied anchovy sambal, tangy achat pickles and/or crisp, fried pork intestines.

That said, some Hub Malay faves don’t fare well here. Beef rending ($13.95) - cubes of beef typically braised tender in coconut milk and curry - are inedibly tough and stringy. Crudely rolled popia steamed summer rolls, stuffed with jicama, yam, sprouts and lettuce, are entirely without taste and, at $6.50, egregiously overpriced.

You will, however, enjoy the distinctive floral accents of ayam pandam ($7.95), deep-fried chicken wings wrapped in pandam (screw pine) leaves. And they do a good job with bone-in, steamed Hainanese chicken ($7.95), served with soy-sesame-chili-marinatedcucumbers and a bowl of chickeny rice.

Curried prawns ($22.95) - head-and-shell-on jumbo shrimp in thick, coconut milk gravy chockablock with fresh curry leaves and potatoes - could use more shrimp and fewer tubers.

House special char mee ($8.95) - it’s known as Hokkien char mee in the Klang Valley - is a delectable stir-fry of flat noodles, dark soy sauce, shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, onions and squid.

Service is sloppy - literally. The wait staff is slow to bus dirty plates and wipe up spills. If you plan to order a lot, request a table with a Lazy Susan. It makes sharing your meal much easier.

Bubor Cha Cha has no beer-and-wine license. They do, however, have a large selection of iced drinks, canned soft drinks, bubble teas, flavored black and green teas and fresh fruit smoothies.

And they have an unusually large dessert selection, including their soupy namesake ($4.95), served cold and studded with taro, yam and corn kernels. The pastry case under the flat-screen TV in front of the open kitchen is filled with a bakery’s worth of mousse cakes, puddings and tarts, hence the gratis miniature whipped cream/fruit tartlets with your bill.

45 Beach St. (Chinatown). 617-482-3338; buborchacha.com
Price: $20-$40
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
Bar: No
Credit: MasterCard, Visa
Recession specials: No
Accessibility: Accessible
Parking: Nearby lots, on street Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1208260