Darling [Central Square, Cambridge]

Regional Dining Discussions Boston, New England
1

We just had an excellent quick early meal at Darling, the newish restaurant in the hallowed Mary Chung’s spot on Mass Ave in Central. I can’t believe there isn’t a thread devoted to Darling yet, so although my review will be brief and there are no photos, I’ll throw it out there to get the ball rolling.

Coming from the emotional rollercoaster that was the No Kings rally on Boston Common, we needed somewhere off the red line to eat and warm up. With no reservations, walking in right at 5, the owner who was at the host stand had to make some rearrangements and put some time constraints on us, but was able to get us seats at the bar, as long as we promised them back in about 45 minutes. With other commitments later, that worked for us, so we ordered up a bunch of the small plates and demolished every morsel. Service was super quick and attentive, and the owner checked in twice and visibly did not stop moving, cleaning, bussing, and generally working his butt off the whole time we were there.

A mocktail was amazing, with beautiful thin glassware and a giant block of hand-made ice. Bang bang chicken was a generous portion, crisp and spicy. Chinese broccoli had great wok hei. Jumbo shrimp with kim chi butter were unctuous and savory, and a side of rice was needed to mop up every last bit of sauce.

But I know what you really all are wondering is “ what about the suan la chow show??!” It was good- very good, even. That black vinegar tang is unmistakeable. But, it wasn’t Mary Chung’s. Not quite. That dish lives only in memory.

We finished with a mango coconut lime pudding, which was called a sago pudding on the menu and which I had to look up, as I’d never known the sago palm could produce a starch which can be made into tapioca-like pearls. Delicious.

Overall, this was a quick scouting mission and we didn’t have time or inclination to enjoy the cocktail menu fully, and there are many more dishes I’d like to try. We’ll definitely be back. Unlike some other nearby restaurants we’ve tried, Darling is being run by adults and firing on all cylinders.

11 Likes
2

Such fun to read, thanks for the report!

1 Like
3

Could have sworn another GBA Onion had visited but I can’t jog my memory.

The memories of suan la chow show….and everything else from Mary Chung makes me sad-happy.

1 Like
4

Fabulous write-up, as ever.

1 Like
5

See here (and posts below it)

:slight_smile: Openings/Closings, Greater Boston Area, Q3 2025 - #17 by kumquat

3 Likes
6

Sounds like our kind of spot. Thanks for sharing this review, @Parsnipity !

2 Likes
7

I was there last night too, coincidentally – sounds like a couple of hours later. I found the cocktails to be top notch, service great, but the food, a bit hit or miss.

Cocktails: I first tried the Five Amaro Julep, which I absolutely loved – not too bitter, despite using five amari! – followed by the Tropical Bitter, which was actually insanely bitter for the first few sips. Once the ice melted it settled into a very nice light tiki-ish vibe. The julep was also presented really nicely, garnished with mint and a pickled plum. The tropical drink was a bit simpler, served in a hurricane glass. Two of my dining companions had two each of the “Everyday, Another Apocalypse,” which had a really cool color. I didn’t try a sip, but the fact that they ordered the same thing twice pretty much sums up how they felt about that drink. Our other other dining companion drank beer, so no comments there.

Food-wise:

  • We started with the soy sauce noodles, which I felt was the best thing we had. Thin noodles stir fried with bok choy. Excellent texture, very well seasoned, generous portion.
  • Next up, the filet o’ fish bao, also a very nice choice. Very hot and crispy, bit of mayo. Definitely an upgrade from McDonald’s while paying full homage to the original.
  • The broccoli came out with the bao and here I was disappointed. Ours was really undercooked, had almost no seasoning, and I could detect no wok hei or much of anything else going on.
  • Pork ribs, very tasty and tender. Another top choice.
  • Pork wontons, which I was very excited for, were again kind of bland and the serving felt a bit on the small side. (Four small wontons floating in a bit of sauce.) The sauce was mostly vinegar and the filling seemed to need some salt. The wonton I had was cooked perfectly, however.
  • Cucumber, another one that I thought was a bit on the bland side. Just kind of tasted like chopped up cucumber. I did enjoy the texture of the yuba it was paired with.
  • We finished with the Basque cheesecake, which I found to be excellent. Very creamy, with a really delicious crust. It was served in a ramekin so a bit awkward to share among the four of us. Also a bit small; I didn’t want much, but we each got one big bite, effectively.
  • …and after we left, I went home and had a small bowl of cereal. I didn’t feel like I’d really had “dinner” as much as a bunch of snacks. Obviously very much YMMV here, but if I returned I’d get a couple more things for four people.

Service: As mentioned, great. Our server knew the menu in and out and was able to answer all of our questions and make recommendations. Drinks were a bit slow at one point when the place was slammed, but otherwise pacing was good.

Final note, the room has a lot of hard surfaces and at times gets very, very loud. It feels nice and buzzy but it wasn’t great to have to yell across the table.

I’d definitely visit again, although I think I’d prefer to go with only one other person – easier to chat and easier to hone in on the best bits of the food menu.

6 Likes
8

If I’m not being too nosy, which?

1 Like
9

I, too, am curious about the other nearby restaurants! We have a definite preference for restaurants run by adults!

Thanks for the great report, Parsnipty! I, too, miss the suan la chow show terribly, but I’ll be happy to try a reasonable approximation.

10

So funny! You and I had a fairly non-overlapping set of dishes, actually. We had 4 dishes and a dessert for the two of us, so I agree your party of 4 ordered a little light. And, my DC (who just got back from another 50% off bike run to Wild Grain, where he restrained himself to 4 pastries on the spot) ate a big bowl of pasta with our kids when we got home. For me, 2 dishes and half a dessert was an appropriate amount of food for dinner, but I’m petite and have to reign myself in as I just don’t need that much food, sadly.

I don’t know if you were familiar with Mary Chung’s suan la chow show? If so, the pork wontons are in homage to that dish, although nothing can really match hers. I do agree the filling needed salt.

We were also out the door by 6pm, so I can see when it gets going later it might be quite loud.

I think a few of you on this thread may have been able to read between the lines regarding the restaurant that was not run by adults; we had a meet up over the summer at Saigon Babylon and a couple of very reasonable requests were denied for no good reason, and then the group of us were lectured by a snarky hostess. It was one of the most remarkable interactions I’ve had in a restaurant in quite some time, and despite having a good meal there previously and enjoying the food, I simply will not go back.

6 Likes
11

Thanks, I forgot about the Saigon Babylon meet up and appreciate your reminder!

12

I only made it to Mary Chung once, and I’m sure I had General Gao’s or similar. (I think I was about 19, and that would have been my go-to back then.) Oh well, I guess I’ve at least had the shadow version now! And based on your review I should probably have stuck to the fried chicken roots and gone for the Bang Bang last night. Next time.

13

@Parsnipity and @a_m are having their fancy-schmancy drinks and food, even if they’re not up-to-par, and meanwhile I dragged my family to the Sevens on Charles Street for ol’ times sake before a 2 pm showing today of Project Hail Mary at the Boston Common AMC (hey, we parked at MGH and had to walk down Charles anyway). B doth protested mildly (“you really wanna eat there? Last time I went was with you!” sans Spring Onion) but as we sat there and filled up on our decent pub grub with friendly efficient service, he conceded that my choice was a-ok.

But I’m so appreciative of these data points for when we might actually try for a place that is a step up from our usual “sketchy” places (that’s Spring onion’s description when we take him to dives).

7 Likes
14

Well? How was the movie??? At least equal to The Martian?

15

Enjoying this thread - My Favorite Onions (wasn’t that a TV series in the 60s?) - and looking forward to more adult-run options near MIT.

1 Like
16

Mixed reviews in our household. B and Spring Onion read the book aloud together (and I was able to participate in some of those sessions when we did road trips over the winter). They definitely are in the camp of “they left X, Y, and Z out” but overall they liked the movie. I love reading reviews after I see a film and the review from Justin Chang (New Yorker and NPR) summed up my thoughts to a T. I wanted to love it badly (I like Gosling and I thought he was a good casting choice) but I didn’t. The sappiness, hokeyness didn’t sit well with me (even though I may have shed a tear here-and-there). The ending sequences were just too cheesy for words. Afterwards, as we were driving home, I compared the 2, and I thought “The Martian” was the much better flick (we did not read the book).

But I don’t regret seeing it.

2 Likes
17

You convinced me, I’m waiting until it hits Prime :laughing:

18

I’m a big proponent for seeing films in the theater. We saw it in IMAX.

19

The Martian was also the better book IMO but I did like Project Hail Mary. I found Artemis (Weir’s book in between the other two) rather silly.

1 Like
20

Forgot to mention that we purposely walked by Willie’s, Jamie Bissonette’s new pizza venture in the original Upper Crust space. It was packed! Looking forward to trying it.

Now I shall stop procrastinating from work and creating more thread drift.

2 Likes