The place
If there is a finer food for hangovers than bagels, then we know not of it. And Boom Boom Bagels on Anfu Lu has all bases covered when it comes the power couple of hangover cures: freshly roasted coffee plus a fully-loaded bagel sandwich.
Originally a pop up within proprietor Dave Seminsky's cult favorite coffee shop Sumerian (on Shaanxi Bei Lu), Boom Boom has now progressed to a full-size shop in the former French Concession with ample seating for around 30 customers.
The food
It's not just the space that got an upgrade, the menu of sandwiches has too (courtesy of a certain prominent Shanghai chef who wishes to remain anonymous).
Our original favorite from Boom Boom, the pulled pork number, now goes by the name 'the hindquarter' (below, RMB55), and features house smoked pulled pork, pickles, cream cheese butter and BBQ slaw with salad. That one goes particularly well with a 'salted' or 'everything' style bagel, by the way.
Another awesome one we tried, the 'crunchy bacon tuna melt' (below, RMB45) is almost everything you could possibly want in a bagel, with cheddar cheese, lemon, cucumber, tuna salad, bacon and spices.
Last but not least the 'sailor's legs' (below, RMB55) with smoked salmon, green olives, ricotta, cream cheese butter, and what we like to call 'antisocial onions' (raw onions).
For more breakfast-y options, Boom Boom has three: the 'morning glory' (RMB45, with fried egg, marinated mushrooms, cheddar cheese and nut and Romesco sauce), 'chunky monkey' (RMB35 peanut butter, banana and honey) and 'eggy eggy cheese' (RMB35, fried egg, mozzarella and cream cheese butter).
On the beverage front, Boom Boom's naturally selling Sumerian coffee (including our favorite iced coffee for RMB35), but they also have a concise selection of craft beers and cocktails for RMB50, or RMB40 during the weekday happy hour from 5-8pm.
Food verdict: 2/3
The vibe
Rustic, practical and masculine inside, there's no doubting Boom Boom is a serious place to chow down. Polished concrete bars with purple stools are lined with customers tackling hefty bagel sandwiches. There's little else distraction here, which is no bad thing – these bagels are so full they will likely require all of your attention to eat them and not have them fall apart.
Service is prompt and organized, which is lucky because Boom Boom gets incredibly busy, particularly during summer weekends when everyone seems to be out in the former French Concession. This might not be kind of place to while away for hours on end, but it's no-nonsense and we like it.
Vibe verdict: 1/1
Value for money
Some people will likely sniff at the RMB55 cost of Boom Boom's pricier offerings, but there are indeed simpler offerings to be had – you can get just bagels for RMB12, or with spread (peanut butter, cream cheese, ricotta, jam etc.) for RMB20. They've also got 'pizza bagels' (bagel with pizza sauce and cheese) from RMB30, on which you can add your own toppings for RMB5.
All things considered the bagels themselves are large, genuinely filling, and will keep you going for hours unless you're on some Michael Phelps-style exercise regimen.
Value for money: 1/1
TOTAL VERDICT: 4/5
Price: From RMB35-55
Who's going: mainly expats, and a few locals
Good for: bagels, coffee, casual eats, lunch, hangovers, dog friendly
> See a listing for Boom Boom Bagels here.
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