Catherine Smart

2 weeks ago | theinfatuation.com | Catherine Smart

If you’ve ever fantasized about inhaling a full dim sum breakfast and washing it down with a Tiki drink on a Tuesday,  Sun Kong in Malden will make your steamer-basket dreams come true, with a 60+ item menu available every day from 9-3pm. Walk inside the nondescript building on Eastern Ave and you’ll find tanks of live seafood and packed banquet tables with all manner of steamed buns and fragrant bowls of shellfish.

Jan 16, 2025 | theinfatuation.com | Catherine Smart

When Jahunger opened its doors in Cambridge last year, lovers of fiery-umami flavors and chewy, chili-laced hand-pulled noodles rejoiced. The Uyghur restaurant, which started in Providence, has legions of loyal fans who flock to it for the namesake Jahunger noodles, yes, but also tiny cumin and pepper-coated marinated lamb skewers, and the cold chicken appetizer lacquered in a secret chili sauce topped with onions, slivered black fungus, and scallions.

Jan 16, 2025 | theinfatuation.com | Catherine Smart

RESERVE A TABLELa Royal is the restaurant equivalent of cashmere loungewear. The space, with its low lighting, exposed brick, cozy two-tops, and handsome copper bar serves Peruvian comfort food dressed in party clothes. Think tender gratineed scallops in their halfshells, bracing ceviche spooned into cut-glass stemware, and branzino steamed in a banana leaf heaped with sweet onions, peppers, and herbs.

Jan 16, 2025 | theinfatuation.com | Catherine Smart

If you find yourself longing to break out of the work-from-home routine, Gufo, from the team behind SRV, Salty Pig, and Baelia, is a great excuse to put on real pants. The expansive space has two dining areas, and a cheery, pink horseshoe bar canopied with plants.

Jan 16, 2025 | theinfatuation.com | Catherine Smart

Mu Lan is the answer to all of your group dining anxieties. Big round tables draped in white tablecloths and crowded with plates from family-style feasts dot the always-bustling dining room. There are even a few cordoned off private rooms, free to reserve if you plan ahead. Start with West Lake soup, a savory and warming broth thickened with egg, and flaky scallion pancakes with sliced beef.