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Boston Restaurant Reviews: Mary Chung Chinese in Central Square Cambridge

The first time I heard of Mary Chung’s place in Central Square Cambridge, it was through my friend Doug Sweetser at Black Duck Software in Waltham, MA, who used to frequent the establishment in order to get food that was spicy enough for his tastes.  Doug, you see, has the unique ability to eat a sizable plate of some of the spiciest food on earth and handle it like it was a bowl of cereal.  Before I actually tried Mary Chung, I was scared because all I heard about the joint was that the food was REALLY spicy.  But once I tried the restaurant, I was delighted to find that they offer some of the best Chinese in town.

The decor of the restaurant is certainly humble – faux leather booths and a few round tables in the center of the dining room separating the two sides of the restaurant.  The fare is pretty cheap, though make sure you catch the specials listed in sharpie at the front of the house.  But perhaps my favorite thing about Mary Chung isn’t what it is, it’s what it isn’t – your sub-par, run of the mill American Chinese restaurant.

Szechuan and Mandarin cuisine is what the sign says hanging out front, and while it’s not anything that I’d compare to what you’d find in China, it is well executed Szechuan/Mandarin on the cheap.  So when my parents came into town, we decided to try out some of the more traditional items on their menu:

Any meal at Mary Chung’s has to start with their two varieties of traditional Chinese dumplings – Their sublime Peking Ravioli (order them fried, like true pot stickers) and the amazing Suan La Chow Show (traditionally called Suanla Chaoshou in China) – which are basically steamed WonTons topped with a somewhat spicy (nothing like Sweetser fare) soy ginger sauce.  The same sauce accompanies the Peking Ravioli and it’s not to be missed.  The Ravioli are handmade, dough and all and are really, really good I promise.  We’re fans of dumplings (especially Aimee) so going to Mary Chung is always a great experience.

Onto the main course, and we decided to do quite a few of the specials.  We started with the Chinese Mountain Cabbage special that is really simple but delicious, simple steamed with a light sauce.  We also ordered the excellent Yu Hsiang Chinese Eggplant that literally melted in your mouth – a really great vegetable side that I’d order again in a heartbeat.  Paired with steamed rice, this dish would make anyone’s day for lunch or dinner.

The main courses we all shared were centered around another special – Szechuan Braised Pork Belly served with spicy Asian peppers and then stir fried and served with rice.  The pork belly was tender and delicious, though still left with a little texture that you’re looking for.  We also had some of the classic Dun Dun Noodles with Shredded Chicken which is a house specialty.  Served with the spicy peanut sauce and bean sprouts, the Dun Dun are starchy noodles topped with chicken that’s really good – the perfect amount of spice.

Another dish that I had to try after seeing it executed on Iron Chef America by Susur Lee was the Traditional Lion’s Head, which is basically a large Chinese meat ball served in a soup broth with cabbage.  Though this was a special that Mary had on her menu, I decided to try it and thought it as good, but nother to write home about.  The last dish that I just had to order is the Pig’s Feet, which I saw and HAD to try.  I was a little nervous to eat an actual pigs foot, and found out that at Mary Chung, it wasn’t the best thing on the menu. The meat was just too fatty and gelatinous to really enjoy.

In any case, we really enjoyed our experience at Mary Chung, as I and many other Bostonians have in the past.  Mary Chung is a Central Square institution and I think now we’ve learned why.  The food they put out is (although somewhat surprisingly) consistently of good quality in terms of taste and execution.  We’ll certainly be headed back to Mary Chung when that craving for some spicy Szechuan fare comes around again.  Mary Chung is located at 460 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA.  Enjoy!