Special note: Fans of Boston Baru Restaurant, you ain’t gonna like this post. So I advice you to skip it.
Having stayed in Klang all my life, you bet I’ve seen the tremendous outpouring of crowds during dinner time at Boston Baru Restaurant. Yet, I’ve never ate there even once; if my memory serves me correctly. My mom felt we had tried Boston Baru before… a long time ago when it wasn’t this famous. If she’s correct, then I must not have a pleasant dining experience since I don’t have any memory of it.
Ok, so I ignore that place like a plaque simply because I don’t like to wait too long for my food. I’ve been meaning to find a day where the crowd is at its thinnest. I thought since it’s the weekend towards Merdeka, many people will balik kampung. So I decided Sunday will be the day I finally get to try the food from this Chinese eatery and find out if it’s as good/great as most people reviewed in the web. I kinda get the feeling that it’s overrated.
Our order of 5 dishes for 4 people.
The restaurant opens at 6pm. When I arrived at 5.55pm, all the tables were already fully occupied except one which I quickly secured. I thought this must be my lucky day. My table is located opposite the shop next to the busy Jalan Kapar. And just a minute or two later, queue started to form at the front of the restaurant (which you must take a number upon arrival). But what a bummer. With a total of over 30 plus occupied tables lying along the 5 foot way, small road, raised cement walkway and inside the restaurant, I think it’s business as usual.
We arrived when the sky was blue and our food were served to us when it was pitch dark! FYI, if you’re seating on the small road or raised cement walkway like us, there are no lights. You eat in the dark. And so the food photos seen in this post are not their best.
I think all the dishes we ordered are their signature dishes except the vegetable. The dishes came pretty quickly once it was our turn.
This steamed lala must be the no. 1 favorite dish because I saw some tables order 2 to 3 plates of it. My verdict? The broth with hint of bird’s eye chilies, ginger and Chinese wine was not bad but it couldn’t top the one I had at Asam Batu Laut Restaurant in Tanjung Sepat. Also most of the lalas I ate were rubbery and one or two have mud smell. I wonder how can this be a famous dish if one can’t even cook the lalas properly.
This Hokkien mee to me is the best dish we had that day. It was not outstanding but good. You can try Foo Chuan or Hoong Ki Restaurant (both in Klang) to compare.
I was told there is no butter prawns in their menu so I choose this deep fried squid. It was okay. Some were overcooked therefore rubbery and I kinda dislike the salty batter.
This signature Nestum mantis prawns is a major let down. I wish it were great because I love mantis prawns but… sigh. I ate more empty crispy skin than mantis prawn that day. Even when there is mantis prawn, the texture were gooey (gummy) so I had to discard it.
Yau mak with lots of garlic. Mediocre for the reason that the yau mak didn’t capture the garlic taste.
The 5 dishes with kok poh tea cost RM79.00. I would say it’s affordable.
I didn’t want to be so negative but I couldn’t help it. So that was our lackluster dinner at a restaurant with unbelievable high numbers of patrons. Can you guess how long we waited for our food? 102 minutes or 1 hour 42 minutes!!! I grew so stressed and impatient… not because I’m hungry but because the food took TOOOOOOOOO long to arrive. This was way OVER my limit. And it wasn’t because I waited too long that I felt the food were just mediocre. Yes, I’m not coming back unless they cook for smaller crowds which in turns quality can be more controlled.
Address:
Boston Baru Restaurant
1E, Jalan Kapar,
41400 Klang,
Selangor
Tel: 016-268 3104
Business hours: from 6pm to late (midnight)
Non-halal
Map:
6 Comments
Hi, based on you visit to Boston, i think you are a fairly ameteur food blogger who perhaps missed out on the the very essense of the signature dishes served in Boston. Perhaps the choice of dishes ordered were the beginning of the mistake, dimmed by the long wait. Just an observation 🙂
Hi Mark, who knows ya… perhaps. But if only signature dishes are ho chiak, then… hmmm. Anyway, taste is a subjective matter. Cheers!
I’m sorry to say this, but having to wait almost two hours for food, no matter how good it is, is just plain silly
And by all accounts I have heard, the food at this place is good, but not THAT good
I think this place is one of those classic examples where people go there just because people are going there
It’s kind of like the Mona Lisa; if you ever visit the Lourve, you’d want to go see the Mona Lisa no matter crowded it is, just so you can check it off your list, because that’s what people talk about, never mind that you will most likely come out from the experience being disappointed
Hi Val, I get what you mean having gone through this experience. I haven’t been back since then. I would still go back and try when and if the crowd is more manageable because that’s when food quality will be better I think.
Ya you are from Klang as usual local people will not fancy those tourist food spot,I do understand you are frustrated bout waiting so long for the food but what you expect paying RM80 for this simple dishes while you can chose to leave if you think is not worth waiting! Somehow the entire blog you been criticizing their food and kept recommend other restaurant food in your Boston Baru blog seems like unprofessional.I think you just like to release your anger during this unpleasant experience.Lastly if not nice or with just don’t visit no point tarnished people sign board lah.If you are a good blogger do you really know how to cook before you comment?
Hey there Ben,
“Ya you are from Klang as usual local people will not fancy those tourist food spot”! -> Not necessary.
“I do understand you are frustrated bout waiting so long for the food but what you expect paying RM80 for this simple dishes while you can chose to leave if you think is not worth waiting!” -> If the dish is that simple but the the cook can’t even make it palatable, what then? As your read about, 2 out of the 4 dishes ordered had rubbery textures. Failed! Also, if you read correctly, we didn’t have to wait long.
“Somehow the entire blog you been criticizing their food and kept recommend other restaurant food in your Boston Baru blog seems like unprofessional.I think you just like to release your anger during this unpleasant experience.Lastly if not nice or with just don’t visit no point tarnished people sign board lah.” -> Food business is cutthroat. It’s either you make good food or you’re out. I only explained honestly what I experienced and ate on that day. With this review, it also shows that I’m not paid by restaurants for reviewing their food in my blog. If I’m paid by restaurants, my restaurants reviews probably won’t be fair. Rest assured, I will never receive any incentives from restaurants by reviewing their food.
“If you are a good blogger do you really know how to cook before you comment?” -> Yes, I can certainly cook. This blog is the testament.