Sumiao Hunan Kitchen Inches Toward Opening in Kendall Square

A sleek restaurant in a new mixed-use building in Kendall Square will bring high-end Chinese cuisine to the neighborhood. Sumiao Hunan Kitchen is gearing up for a July opening at 270 Third St., where it will be located just down the street from a handful of other restaurants, including Fuji Kendall, Tatte, and Abigail’s, among others.

Sumiao is named after restaurateur and scientist Sumiao Chen, who was born and raised in Xiangtan, which is located in the Hunan province of China. She built the restaurant menu around cuisine from that region, drawing upon traditional cooking methods and adding a modern touch. The restaurant’s chefs will be Changchun Ji and Xinke Tan, while Paul Lamprey will serve as beverage manager, with consultation from Richard Echevarria.

The menu at Sumiao will use seasonal ingredients and limits the use of oils in the cooking process. There will be a wide selection of small plates on the menu, and Sumiao has a few special dishes planned for its soft opening, such as a fried shrimp dish with sweet and sour sauce, cabbage flavored with pineapple and red chili water, cucumber wrapped in a pancake with roasted duck breast, and ginger sauce-marinated cod steak.

Provided

Sumiao features an open design with dining room and bar seating, as well as a large communal table, with the inside accommodating a total of 168 people. There is also a private room available for meetings and another dining room for private events. There’s an open kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an outdoor patio that seats 45.

Sumiao has been in the works since April 2016, per Boston Restaurant Talk, and is now inching ever closer to an opening next month. The restaurant will also offer takeout and catering. Expect to see Sumiao softly open in mid-July, with a grand opening toward the end of the month.

• Sumiao Hunan Kitchen [Official Site]