Tender duck slices from Sumiao Konan Kitchen in Cambridge's Kendall Square. (Photo: Tom Meek)
Nowhere is Frank Herbert's Dune as essential to spice as Sumiao Konan Kitchen in Kendall Square. Color and spice are at the heart of Hunan cuisine, with dried chili peppers, green beans, red and green peppers featured in many dishes. No matter what you order, and I mean everything, the question is, “How spicy do you want it?” If you like spicy and spicy food, this is the place for you.
The menu is huge but well divided. The fresh lobster and crab dishes I've been itching to try must be ordered 48 hours in advance. It is served either spicy style or ginger and green onion style. This is a staple on the menu. I think almost half of the dishes are served in spicy style. Trust me, you can get them in any amount of heat you want. The ones that surprised me and I want to try at a later date are the Angry Frog (yes, fresh bullfrog), Egg Tofu with Umami Shrimp, Crispy Shrimp with Duck Yolk, and Crispy Duck. The menu has a strong vegetarian component, with seemingly endless options, including Impossible Meatballs with avocado and Impossible Beef His Over Noodles with pickled beans. He has 3 flavors for side rice. Also known as basic white rice, healthy brown rice, purple rice or forbidden black rice.
I was more drawn to the small plates. The charm of Sumiao is that there are various things placed on the table. I tried the appetizers: ginger scallion chicken and monthly Snow White double crispy fish. The former was delicious with the accents of ginger and dry spices, but it felt like something you could get at another restaurant. The latter was certainly unique, consisting of diced white fish in a shallow bowl mixed with red and green peppers sautéed in fresh hot oil. (The Asian catfish that makes up the majority of menus that include lava fish; I couldn't tell if it was tilapia or swai, but the kitchen said it was Asian carp, which is used only for this dish.) This dish has a black, dry taste. Chili pepper is effective. Mouthwateringly snappy, the fish was tender and flavorful, but what I was missing was the 'crispy' part of the bill.
Sumiao's monthly special “Double Crispy Fish” uses Asian carp. (Photo: Tom Meek)
My real joy was the smaller dishes. The Mala duck was tender, thinly sliced, almost carpaccio-thin, and wrapped in a light chili coriander sauce. It was lean, with a crispy skin and a thin end of fat, and was very tasty. Cold shredded tofu salad. It is topped with a similar sauce made with soybeans and ginger. And garlic squid. All were solid winners. Things not tried but requested were bell peppers and plum-flavored green beans with century eggs. And plentiful baozi (mushrooms and lard!). Although the menu advertises it as Hunan Tapas, I think the best way to enjoy Sumao is to taste and share these small plates.
The bar offers a full list of Chinese-themed cocktails, Asian beers, and sake. Sumiao hosts live jazz and classical music several days a week. An upscale Chinese restaurant that blends different cultures, lifestyles, and tastes, with a biotech after-work vibe, featuring a laid-back, airy bar top, intimate corners and open areas for large parties. There is a winding dining area. I think “casual and cosmopolitan” is exactly right.
Sumiao Konan Kitchen, 270 Third StreetKendall Square, Cambridge
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories, and articles have appeared in WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper, and his SLAB literary magazine. Tom is also a member of the Boston Film Critics Association and rides his bike everywhere.
