Alternative Eats: Bad Boy Bangers

We delve deep into Shanghai’s food underbelly to give you an alternative view of the city’s dining scene. 

Over the last year, Deji Odunlami, a maths teacher from East London, has been bringing his ‘Bad Boy Bangers’ sausages to an ever-increasing group of Shanghai residents. Odunlami first came to Shanghai around three years ago and, like many British expats, it didn’t take him long to become frustrated at the lack of good, old-fashioned English fry-ups. His inability to find this traditional English dish, and its crowning glory, the sausage, gave Odunlami an idea – to produce and sell quality sausages to the masses.

This idea quickly became a reality when he began to stage successful sausage selling events, under the catchy name ‘Bad Boys Bangers’. You may be asking: Why this name? Well, so did we! Talk went down to meet Odunlami at one of his events, at which he informed us, the bad boy part comes from being back in London, the kids say ‘bad boy’ meaning something is good and the name bangers, well, that just means sausages. 

Odunlami’s sausages were certainly more than just good when we tasted them at one of his pop- up events on the quieter side of Yongkang Lu at Magpie Cocktail Bar (189 Yongkang Lu, near Taiyuan Lu). There, he allowed us to sink our teeth into his traditional sausage and his most popular sausage, Sundried Tomato And Cheese. We could have easily eaten his four other mouth-watering flavours, Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Apple And Cider and Sichuan Pepper (one for the locals) as well. Those before us have dubbed him the ‘Sausage King’ and we would have to agree. There is also a vegan option available, but he assures us that the meat sausages have already turned a vegetarian into a carnivore once before! 

Odunlami understands that in Shanghai, you have to be extremely careful when purchasing meat. His solution to this problem ultimately became the reason as to why his sausages are so tasty. He purchases his ingredients from Star Farms, which means that the meat is traceable; it is also the trusted label of major supermarkets all over Shanghai. 

So far, the Bad Boys Bangers brand has been spread around Shanghai through word of mouth and, although this has brought some success, Odunlamis is not willing to rest on his laurels. In mid-September his sausages will be stocked in a new expat food shop in the Xuhai district, (2/F, store 86-89, 1239 Fuxing Zhong Lu). Furthermore, Odunlami also smokes his own bacon and, although
we were not around to try any, if the flavor is anything like his ‘banging’ sausages, then we are in for a treat!