Anyone who has ever stepped into Boston’s Bodega expecting to find solely soda and snacks has also stumbled onto the premier streetwear shop hidden behind a soda-machine façade. Home to some of the most exclusive releases in sneakers and streetwear brands, Bodega is the brainchild of co-owner Oliver Mak. A local Bean-town celebrity, Mak, 28, is also fondly known as DJ Gucci Vuitton to partygoers, and founder of Write to Eat, a youth-oriented graffiti artist collective intended to nurture local talent.

A Boston resident since his college days at Brandeis, we figured Mak would be the perfect judge of the latest notch on restaurateur Christopher Myers’ culinary bedpost, Myers+Chang (a newly opened, and much-buzzed-about pan-Asian restaurant in South End). With other fine dining destinations like Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay under his belt, and having just opened his first Asian-inspired venture with fiancé and in-house chef Joanna Chang (of Flour Bakery fame), Myers, a self-proclaimed fan of Bodega, was more than happy to let Mak try out his new hot-spot. Dropping by M+C on a busy Friday night, Mak sat down with psychoPEDIA for a mouth-watering array of Asian specialties, and offered feedback by the mouthful:

What are your first impressions?
The window faces an old bus stop, and no one wants to eat looking at someone waiting for a bus. Thankfully, they put up clip art from take-out boxes [on the windows]. And they hired a couple of Asians to cook Asian food, so that was a good move. Plus, they bought art from us. The lighting fixtures are cool, and it has a warm feeling.

What qualifies you to critique food?
I can cut a thousand chicken wings in less than an hour.

Where'd you learn to do that?
My parents ran a greasy Chinese-American take-out spot in Lawrence, Massachusetts. And my godmother runs a Clover Chip factory, which is this weird potato chip that’s only in the Philippines. Her kids were kidnapped in ’98 by Muslim terrorists. It was just for money though. No worries, they’re cool.

Do you like the Tiger Tears beef strips?
I like the name a lot. When you really think about a tiger crying, it’s a really cute image. And it has a crispy powder on top that is not pop rocks… The basil’s good. It has a very good balance of flavors, and it’s well-presented.

What do you think about the music (lots of LCD Soundsystem) and the customers?
It’s a young city, so I would say they are catering to what is already here. But, yeah, old people suck. And that’s definitely something you should push: keep oldies and old stuff out of your place of business– they’ll ruin everything.

What are you working on right now?
It’s about a year and a half into the shop, and we’re pretty established as “cool dude shops” at the cutting edge of design and limited edition gear. A lot of shops like Alife, Colette, have their own brands and develop a lot of products. We already have that worked out with plans for next year, with probably the best PUMA and Reebok releases of 2008. We also have our own apparel, and we’re reissuing a box set of Kon and Amir – two DJs that compile great mega-mixes no one’s ever heard of. We’re trying to do more classic stuff, instead of something that will be out of style in two months.

Do you see yourself as an arbiter of cool?
I’ve been a nerd pretty much my whole life. I was a fat Chinese kid in New Hampshire, and I was called “chink” a lot– or the fat version of it, “chunk.” Recently I’ve been accepted as someone who’s helping to lead stuff. I’m actually a good dude - pay my bills on time. [It’s a] very odd sensation being respected, [it’s] very new to me.

Do you like the clams in black bean sauce?
It’s really hard to top this place Jumbo in Chinatown. This sauce is really soupy, but it needs to be thick. Thick like I like my ladies…

[A large-muscled, shirtless man appears through the window.]
This is why they don’t cover up our bus-stop view. So we don’t miss moments like that.
Can someone record this? There’s a man outside in overalls…nothing else. Do you think he was a construction worker that got robbed of his shirt?

You were really insistent on ordering the shrimp fried rice. Is it a staple dish for you?
Scrimps! I actually haven’t had it in a while. I think booze is my one staple, and other than that, I fluctuate between foods and fats.

And how was the Spicy Szechuan salt and pepper shrimp?
The shrimp was exemplary. Especially if you eat the shell…

Would Bodega’s clientele dine at a place like this?
We have such a wide clientele, that I would have to say yes. We have everybody from your drug dealers to your chief-of-police. It might not be "Asian enough" for our super Asian dudes, though–- my bros with gel helmets that breakdance in their customized Acuras would probably not like this place.

How does it compare to your parents’ restaurant?
There are no hookers yelling at my mom, so it’s a lot more peaceful.

What was your favorite dish out of our smorgasbord?
I would say the edamame and celery slaw had the best combination of flavors. The ribs were really delicious, and the tiger tears had a great name. Overall, the meal was very satisfying. But I think my favorite part was the guy in overalls. It was magic.

So you enjoyed your meal?
It’s not one of those heavy comfort food feelings. It’s like I could go out and run a marathon now.

-Leann Peterson


Go There:
1145 Washington St, South End, Boston, (617) 532-5300