Darling sits in the Cambridge nook on Mass Ave once occupied by Mary Chung's, the Sichuan spot that fed generations of MIT students and faculty for 40 years before closing in 2022. Darling's dim sum menu nods to that legacy with dishes like Suan La Chow Show (pork wonton in hot and sour broth with house chili crisp) alongside its own inventions: double-fried Bang Bang Gai with gochujang and lime, a Filet O' Fish Bao with panko-fried fish and tartar, and a Korean burnt-style cheesecake called Sweet Forgiveness.
The cocktail program is the other half of the identity, built around a menu that changes daily and leans toward lacto-fermented and clarified techniques rather than foams or spheres. Co-founder Zimu Chen previously worked at Eastern Standard, Mariel, and Coquette; Bar Director Brian Callahan came from Tiger Mama, Orfano, and Row 34. Executive Chef Ryan Poutre leads the kitchen.
The cocktail program is the other half of the identity, built around a menu that changes daily and leans toward lacto-fermented and clarified techniques rather than foams or spheres. Co-founder Zimu Chen previously worked at Eastern Standard, Mariel, and Coquette; Bar Director Brian Callahan came from Tiger Mama, Orfano, and Row 34. Executive Chef Ryan Poutre leads the kitchen.