Sumiao Hunan Kitchen in Cambridge

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comments 5

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  Rocephin W

  :: 25 May 2018 00:13:46

  The food is amazing-authentic and flavorful. It was my first time here, I definitely enjoyed it. Quality was high and the wait was short. However, I took one star off because their customer service isn’t that great. The front door hostess seemed emotionless. Their waiters and waitresses didn’t seem that happy to fetch me water. Nonetheless, the food was great.

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  Andrew Brown, Jr

  :: 09 May 2018 13:48:25

  Mmmm... How to describe authentic, perfectly seasoned food and the heat of the spice thereof? My Mandarin tutor from MIT and I had Sumiao recommended/endorsed to us by another Chinese student. We asked for hot dishes as described. We asked for no extra heat/hotness NOTHING. The heat, for which we both searched, knowing Hunan foods to have heat, was nigh perfect! First on the nose, the pepper signals a hidden complexity - not revealed completely just from the olfactory - promising more. On the palate + olfactory is where the magic happens. Heat builds on the tongue and lips as an erotic kiss redolent of the 5-spice but now umami and heat, and salt and heat, and pork fat, a hint of sweetness and heat, and pepper and it builds. GOD HOW IT BUILDS. This level of heat isn't 'razor-across-tongue' but a craft of crescendo. Think of 4th of July, Esplanade, fireworks then the grand finale. Yeah... Like that. EAT HERE!!

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  Andrei Barbu

  :: 17 March 2018 18:24:11

  Rest easy while you eat your under-seasoned, overcooked, poor-quality meat that tastes of yesterday's leftovers because they will move so slowly that you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the pretty decor. This is the worst Chinese food experience you can have in the greater Boston area. We had a reservation and they still made us wait over 15 minutes. Our food took forever to come out. Then the server forgot a dish just to bring out the wrong dish. They forgot/screwed up the heat on the dishes we ordered. To top it all off, the food was bland and boring. We should have ordered hotter dishes because the few things that were edible relied crucially on the heat to mask the taste of the lousy food. Do yourself a favour. Check out the Chinese food options in Central and Harvard square. A short walk away it doesn't matter if you go to the most expensive or cheapest Chinese food, you'll definitely have a better experience in every way. Well, every way but one. The decor.

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  Joseph Kesselman

  :: 25 February 2018 08:41:48

  In the evening, Anglo faces are a minority... Which I take to mean their menu and preparation are more authentic than most. That doesn't necessarily mean "better", at least to American tastes -- I still prefer Mary Chung's, but that may just be what I'm used to -- but Human Kitchen is definitely worth trying, especially if you're in Kendall Square anyway.

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  Katie Yao

  :: 24 January 2018 00:50:58

  My coworker recommended this restaurant because she tried it out and said the the dishes were traditional Hunan dishes. We ordered the house crispy duck, free style meatballs, beef and egg rice noodle, and string beans with eggplant. The duck skin was crispy but the bones showed that it have been clearly deep fried. The meat was quite powdery and dry. It’s pricey for $36 for half a duck considering the base price for the duck is $29 in Chinatown (whole duck). The duck also came with a side of buns. The free style meatballs were deep fried dough with fish and pork inside. The beef and egg rice noodle was great. The sauce was well balanced with peanuts, pepper paste, cilantro and pickled long beans on the side to mix in. The string beans with eggplants were amazing. The eggplants soaked the spicy flavor of the sauce. The spicy level can be adjusted for most dishes. The server Eliza was incredibly nice. The restaurant has nice decor and they play classical music while you eat. It’s an expensive place to eat.