Bubor cha cha is a Malaysian dessert made from coconut milk, tapioca, and sweet potatoes. You might thus expect Chinatown’s new Bubor Cha Cha to be a Malaysian restaurant. Given both the breadth of that cuisine and the dearth of it in Boston, you might feel a certain amount of excitement at the prospect. Bubor Cha Cha is not the careful regional exploration you might hope for, however. If someone wants to open a restaurant that picks its way through the dishes of the many states, territories, and ethnic groups that make up that country, there is still room to do so. In the meantime, we have one that turns out competently but not dazzlingly executed Malaysian, Chinese, and Thai dishes, as well as some rather random creations (strawberry pork chop, lobster and pumpkin with cheese).
Malaysian in name, but all over the map
Bubor Cha Cha ranges far, has mild success
There is plenty to enjoy here. Roti telur is a fabulous snack - thin, elastic pancakes filled with egg, served with chicken curry sauce for dipping. (Sadly, there is no beer to drink with it; the restaurant is working on getting a license. It does, however, have WiFi.) Bubor Cha Cha’s version is very tasty, but you may experience a disconnect that will haunt you throughout your meal: Why is there a little chili icon on the menu next to this dish? It’s not spicy.
Still in pancake land, there is one available filled with durian, the stinky-delicious-stinky-again fruit that is beloved by some, reviled by others. The menu makes that clear by explaining that it is “a very aromatic dish for the more advanced palate.’’ The waiter may make it clear again. Bubor Cha Cha is serving food it’s afraid you won’t like, but it overestimates the provocation. The durian in the pancakes is mild and turmeric-hued, more fruity than stinky. This appetizer would be a good dessert. As the fruit cools, the odor intensifies, but this is still a mild durian experience.
Mild continues to be a theme with noodle soups, perhaps Bubor Cha Cha’s biggest disappointment. Whether creamy with coconut milk and scented with spices (curry mee) or tart and funky from tamarind and fish paste (asam laksa), Malaysian soups are eminently craveable. Here, though, the asam laksa broth is one-dimensional. Curry noodle soup seems thin and lacks the tofu puffs that are such an enjoyable part of this dish. The curry mee does get better and better as we eat, but there’s still a superior (albeit oilier) version a few blocks away at the Malaysian restaurant Penang. Bubor Cha Cha’s shrimp noodle soup, however, is thoroughly infused with the flavor of the crustaceans. All could be spicier.