Sumiao Hunan Kitchen
Big, bold flavors....
In a dining room that's bright and lively.
If you're looking to light up your palate and your mood, look no further than Sumiao Hunan Kitchen.
Located in busy Kendall Square, Cambridge, Sumiao Hunan Kitchen is the brainchild of Sumiao Chen - an enthusiastic restauranteur and scientist who wanted to bring the flavors of her homeland to the masses of Cambridge. Being the daughter of one of China's most celebrated painters, Sumiao (which means 'sketch' in Chinese), decided to deck the place out in her father's artwork.
“This is my name in Chinese right here."
Along with cool modern touches like brightly colored chairs, funky lighting, floor to ceiling windows, and a fun bar where they shake up Asian inspired cocktails.
"As you can see, the restaurant is very colorful. Hunan is just a very colorful city itself. People there are hot, and dishes there are hot, weather is kind of hot too, so that's what is reflected here. Everything here is designed to be a destination, not just for food again. It's for a whole experience."
That's manager Zimu Chen, who along with Sumiao hopes to test the palates of the people of Cambridge and beyond with real deal authentic Chinese flavors. So Phantom accepted that challenge in search of THE PERFECT MEAL.
The appetizer section ranges from conventional to crazy, with offereings like Squishy Scallion Twisty Rolls to Garlic Calamari topped with red and green peppers. There are tasty 'on the bone' apps like Chinese BBQ style ribs slowly braised in a five spice broth and stir fried with chile pepper and cumin and the tastebud tantalizing Nom Numb Wings.
"What do we do is the Nom Numb Wings that we bread the chicken wings lightly fry it for about three to five minutes. Take it out, and then stir fry to add the flavor on there. A little bit dry chili pepper, a little bit Szechuan peppercorn oil, and little bit of the garlic flavor. The numb itself actually is from the Szechuan peppercorn. It's a little tingly feeling that will spice up your appetite. They're finger-licking good."
And while the wings may take your mouth by surprise, The Freestyle Meatballs will make your jaw drop These crunchy spheres of goodness are made with a blend of tofu, fish and pork and coated with a thick bread crumb creating an app that's not only interesting to look at- it blows all other meatballs out of the water.
"It's not like your average meatball. Not like a spaghetti meatball, meatball. Or, not like a Chinese meatball, meatball. It's a bit of both. It's sort of light, but savory dish because of the fish. It provides a little sweetness and because of the pork it creates a savory flavor to it. We do have a dipping sauce, that's the honey mustard soy dipping sauce. It's great."
If dumplings are more your thing, Sumiao has you covered with hand rolled snacks that are made right before your eyes at an open kitchen.
There's an addictive pork gyoza served with a five spice dipping sauce.
"The Sumiao Gyoza are here, we use pork gyoza. What do we do is that we put in the steamer for about five minutes, so inside, outside all cook. We just likely pan sear it, so the bottom is nice and crispy. Give a different texture. When you bite into, the juice literally shoots in your mouth, very rich. The greasy fried part pairs really well with it. "
Or, if you're adventurous, try the Pork Soup Bao. Made from scratch and served in a steamer, these baos are as tasty as are they are fun to eat.
"I'm going to try to demonstarte how to properly eat a soup bao. You gently pick up the soup bao itself. Place on the spoon., Dip in the vinegar and ginger sauce. Bite on the top. Enjoy the soup and you finish the whole thing up. Delicious."
You can always find a flurry of chefs and plenty of fire back in the kitchen cooking all of those authentic entrees fast and fresh.
"When the kitchen's going, you feel the heat. You hear a lot of clicking of the cooking wares, you see a lot of people reading the tickets. Just a lot of fun working."
There's Grandma's Pork, a traditional Hunan recipe made with thinkly sliced pork belly, green peppers and scallions, Chicken with shiitake mushrooms sauteed and served in an adorable hot pot and something called Beef on Fire which combines flank steak with banana peppers for a dish that is as tasty as it is well balanced. But the ultimate entree has to be Sumiao's Steak Tips. Made in the Hunan style, these tips aren't like anything you've ever tried.
"They're definitely not your average steak tip. We use the finest strip loin, ...flavored with honey, black pepper, and little bit of soy sauce glaze, which also have the bell peppers, and little bit of white beech mushroom. The beech mushroom creates this nice soft, but tender sweetness to the dish. It's quite addicting."
After you've lit up your tastebuds with all of that traditional fare, if looking too cool things off, nothing ends a meal quite like the Exotic Bomba. This sweet sphere contains raspberry, mango and passion fruit on the inside with a white chocolate shell and dark chocolate drizzle.
"My favorite dessert here has to be Exotic Bomba. When you open it up, it sort of opens up like a flower. Little bit of sorbet to sweet, and a little bit of sweet and sourness to cut the grease and finish up. That's the perfect good way to finish the meal."
The Freestyle Meatball. Pork Soup Bao. Hunan Steak Tips and the Exotic Bomba make for the PERFECT MEAL at Sumaio Hunan Kitchen.
