Pink Samurai Really, Actually Opened
Our skepticism about Pink Samurai‘s imminent opening last month turned out to be well-founded. The long-awaited dumpling house finally opened over Labor Day weekend, two weeks after hosting an open house at the Centre Street storefront.
The debut comes fully a month after Jamaica Plain News posted “on good authority” that Pink Samurai would open within days. This past Saturday, the news outlet acknowledged the false alarm.
Pink Samurai is the first restaurant venture for Daniel Gerber, who purchased the former Charlie Chan’s location as an investment, and teamed up with a few different chefs to develop a concept. When chef Matt Cunningham came on board, he began sharing early menu details previewing non-traditional dumplings and stir-frys with foraged and fermented ingredients and unique flavor profiles. Cunningham left after Pink Samurai’s opening was pushed back from fall 2015 until February and beyond.
“In the beginning, there was a lot of hype,” Gerber said. “There is a general misunderstanding in the public eye that the focus has changed. Matt brought his personality to it, but in general, the Pink Samurai is basically a takeoff on a dumpling house concept with modern twist, with western, European influences,” Gerber says.
Boston magazine hasn’t seen the menu, but Gerber said last week it’s family-friendly and plays on Chinese American favorites, like char siu boneless “spareribs,” with sliced tenderloin, pork and truffle potstickers, and fried fish bao with green onion tartare. Expect ramen bowls, too.
Pink Samurai has 16 seats, along with a selection of craft beer bottles, wines, sakes, and cordials, to make simple mixed drinks, Gerber says. It will also have cold-presses juices, craft sodas, and MEM teas.
A takeout menu shared on Yelp says Pink Samurai is open 4-11 p.m., but so far, hours have been later and a little looser, according to Facebook chatter. Gerber said last week hours will ramp up, with lunch service launching in the coming weeks.
658 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Twitter.