Darling Brings Experimental Cocktails and ‘Filet o’ Fish Bao’ to Cambridge

Every writer has heard the phrase “kill your darlings”—self-edit your most indulgent tendencies, in essence, to better your story—but what happens when the concept of ego sacrifice is applied to a cocktail bar? At Darling, opening July 18 in Cambridge’s Central Square with intricate drinks and dim sum-inspired small plates, owners Brian Callahan and Zimu Chen see their new venture’s name as a metaphor for impermanence.

Darling. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“I interpret [the phrase] as a creative approach of operating without attachment and having the ability to constantly edit, rework, and improve,” says Callahan, who has worked in beverage-related positions at Row 34, the now-closed Orfano, and more. Inspired in part by the ever-changing seafood menu at his alma mater Row 34, “I thought it would be cool to do that with a cocktail program,” he says. After the Darling team’s first few weeks of operation, they aim to start changing the drink menu daily, showcasing labor- or time-intensive house-made ingredients like amazake, a Japanese drink made from fermented rice; an umami amaro; and a corn-and-mezcal mirin.

Darling’s Holy Trinity cocktail, a Gibson twist with Japanese gin fat-washed in a ginger, scallion, garlic, and green chili oil, plus shochu and sake, garnished with pickled scallion. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

One drink on the opening menu, the Holy Trinity, is a great representation of the philosophy behind the drink program, says Callahan. It’s an unexpected take on a Gibson (a martini cousin), “inspired by the holy trinity of Chinese cooking—ginger, scallion, garlic,” he says. “It really embodies the use of Chinese ingredients in a non-tropical or tiki setting, while it’s been a trend for Chinese-American restaurants to lean that way, and we really wanted to embody more classically driven cocktails.” But don’t get too attached to this or any Darling drink—it might be gone before you know it.

Darling. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Beyond the rotating cocktails, the idea of the inevitability of change informs the venue as a whole. Darling is located in the Massachusetts Avenue space that was a 40-year home to beloved Chinese restaurant Mary Chung before Chung’s retirement led to its 2022 closure. As such, some fans initially bristled at the idea of something different opening at that address, especially something seemingly more upscale and thus less affordable. It was admittedly “a bummer at first,” says Callahan, after he and Chen had put so much work into their project. But it was also a wakeup call that “the embrace of the community” was something to be earned, and Callahan was ultimately “very touched” by how positively a Facebook group of Mary Chung fans responded when he introduced himself and Darling.

Darling’s slow-braised Dr. Pepper pork ribs with “tons of aromatics,” as executive chef Mark O’Leary describes it—crispy garlic, shallots, chili oil, scallion ginger oil, lime zest. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“We have very much embraced the challenge of taking over this storied space and trying to carve out our own legacy while preserving a bit of its past,” says Callahan. “I also very much understand the disappointment in losing such a neighborhood gem with a storied history and how that can be disheartening for the folks who have had so many memories here.”

One of several stills from “In the Mood for Love” that decorate the exposed brick wall behind Darling’s banquettes. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

That passionate community, though, is part of what drew Callahan and Chen to Central Square in the first place, and they’re excited to share their own vision with the neighborhood. “That’s where the Darling theme comes into play,” says Callahan. “Embracing change and the passing of time.”

Darling’s Gorgeous & Arrogant cocktail is similar to a strawberry margarita, with blanco tequila, acidified strawberry, a cilantro liqueur, mala, and MSG. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

That said, Darling’s food menu does feature one homage to the past: suan la chow show—spicy, vinegary Sichuan-style dumplings for which Mary Chung was famous. “We took a long time [developing the recipe],” says executive chef Mark O’Leary, an alum of O Ya, Shojo, and JM Curley, pulling inspiration from various partial recipes Mary Chung fans have shared since the closure, “and putting our own little spin on it,” he says. (Expect “tons of garlic, tons of herbs,” and a healthy dose of heat from a house chili sauce.)

Darling. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

It’s a bit of an outlier from the rest of the food menu, which is inspired by dim sum classics. “It’s not exactly a dim sum dish,” says Chen, an Eastern Standard and Coquette alum who originally hails from Nanjing in eastern China. “But it is a form of dumpling, and dumplings are commonly enjoyed as a dim sum dish, so it plays into it.” Some dishes lean more traditional—turnip cakes, for one, although O’Leary sears them in brown butter and drizzles them with a brown butter hoisin sauce; shrimp toast, brightened with an irresistible bit of smoked pineapple (“summertime vibes,” says O’Leary); and soy-braised duck feet, poached, fried, and braised with persimmon, crispy garlic, and chili oil.

Darling’s shrimp toast on Japanese milk bread with sesame seeds, smoked pineapple, cilantro, chili oil, and scallions. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Other dishes show off O’Leary’s trademark playfulness—familiar to diners who’ve followed his career, particularly in his Shojo days or even the “Future of Junk Food” pop-up he cofounded over a decade ago. “Yeah, I’m a nostalgia junkie from way back,” says O’Leary. “Food for me is memories from childhood.” Take the “filet o’ fish bao,” for instance—salt cod inside a fluffy house-made bun with American cheese, pickled mustard, and tartar sauce—or sticky Dr. Pepper-braised pork ribs, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch egg custard tarts. And down the line, there may be “a little bit more funky stuff,” says O’Leary. “We’re starting out trying to nail the basics, and the more comfortable we get, speaking to ‘kill your darlings,’ we’ll ask, ‘What can we do differently?’”

Dim sum coasters by Kaila Gee (instagram.com/kailagee). / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

O’Leary’s been busy with private dinners and helping friends with menus in recent years, but he was eager to get back into a restaurant kitchen, he says, and it’s easy to see how Darling is the perfect fit, allowing him to showcase classical techniques and have a bit of fun, too.

Darling’s Retro Appeal cocktail, a highball made with Japanese whisky, mandarin cordial, tonka bean, and osmanthus amazake, garnished with osmanthus and goji berry jelly. The drink is inspired by orange cream soda, says Darling co-owner Brian Callahan. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“We understand we’re not here to open up a traditional dim sum place,” says Chen. “We’re not going to have that bright-lights, people-running-around, 400-seat-restaurant kind of deal. But dim sum doesn’t really have a fixed form, per se. It’s just comfort food.” Still, the team does want to nod to traditional dim sum carts by introducing specials passed on trays. Chen hopes it’ll help diners be a little more adventurous: “Maybe you hear ‘duck feet’ and you’re like, ‘ah, no.’ But when you see them [come around on a tray] you might try them.”

Darling. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

So, where will you be snacking on duck feet and sipping a clarified milk punch that the menu promises is “silky AF”? In a dimly lit, swanky space—worlds away from the McDonald’s across the streat—that seats 40 at tables (under stills from Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 film In the Mood for Love) and 16 at a walnut bar. “There’s this neat push and pull between the walnut’s upscale feel and the very imperfect exposed brick,” says Callahan, who designed the space himself. “We wanted the space to reflect Central Square. We wanted it to feel lived in, a little bit gritty, but also intimate and cool.”

Darling’s lo bak go, turnip cakes, seared in brown butter and drizzled with a brown butter hoisin-style sauce, plus chili oil and daikon sprouts. (“Low-key secret, turnips and brown butter are awesome,” says executive chef Mark O’Leary.) / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

During renovations, the team found an old mural on the brick under the wallpaper, likely predating even the restaurants before Mary Chung—they think it’s from around the mid-1900s. They brought in artist Julia Purinton to “retain the character” but update it to look like it belongs more in Darling. A key piece of the new art is Cantonese characters that translate to the Japanese concept of “mono no aware”—a sort of ephemera-induced wistfulness.

A found mural, adapted by artist Julia Purinton, in Darling. Hanging on the brick wall next to the mural is one of several stills from the film “In the Mood for Love.”/ Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“[The concept] is greatly appreciated all over the whole of Asia,” says Chen, and fitting for Darling’s thematic respect for the inevitability of change. “The translation is that when a flower falls, there’s beauty within the sadness of it. Change can be scary; people sometimes try to avoid it. But if you can look past the sadness of it, you’ll find that something new comes in and is quite beautiful.”

Darling’s Hope I Packed a Parachute cocktail, a taro foam-topped clarified milk punch with matcha, red bean, house-made coconut amazake, and crème de cacao, inspired by matcha and red bean mochi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Chen continues: “This painting is older than all of us, but we’re doing something new to it. Maybe 30 years from now, when Brian and I are ready to retire, someone else will come to this mural and say, ‘I wonder what they were thinking about, and what else can I do with it?’”