Come to Mai for the Instagram bait, stay for the wagyu steak frites.
Mai’s A5 Miyazaki wagyu tenderloin frites with shiso sauce, served with wagyu fat shoestring fries and truffle ketchup. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
At first glance, Mai seems crafted for social media. At the new novelty-chic Seaport restaurant, there are caviar-garnished chicken nuggets, decorative Labubus, and a smoke-bubble-topped cocktail. Even the “slimming mirror” owner Kevin Liu has ordered for the hallway to the bathroom will play into the Instagram-friendly vibe. But there’s substance behind the style, as one bite of the (surprisingly affordable) wagyu steak frites confirms. Officially opening on Wednesday, September 10, this French-Japanese spot is bringing something new to Seaport, and to Boston as a whole, says Liu.
Mai. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
French-inspired Japanese food—which Liu likens to how Panda Express serves American-inspired Chinese food—can’t be found in Boston, he says, and “we wanted to be the first.” On the menu, that looks like a duck confit and foie gras handroll, for instance, or shoestring fries cooked in wagyu fat, served with an irresistible truffle-infused ketchup.
Liu’s NoToro Hospitality Group is also behind Matsunori Handroll Bar near Fenway, which debuted in early 2023, focused almost entirely on temaki sushi, a.k.a handrolls. (He’s also a cofounder of a different restaurant group, Chubby Group, that operates Best of Boston winner Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House, among other brands.) Mai, Liu says, is essentially “Matsunori plus,” with an expanded menu—still plenty of handrolls, though—and a little bit of a fancier feel. A couple things carry over from Matsunori to Mai: Wagyu certificates of authenticity proudly displayed, complete with cow names and nose prints, and the leading-seller miso butter cod handroll.
Mai’s shiso cabbage salad with lemon vinaigrette. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Otherwise, the handrolls are all different here. Think: salmon gravlax with wasabi whipped cream and dill; garlic koji toro (fatty tuna belly) with caviar and takuan (pickled daikon); and Liu’s favorite, eel with foie gras, strawberry yuzu kosho (a citrus-and-chili paste), blood orange, and garlic chips. There’s also a handful of small plates, such as Hokkaido uni toast with house-made soy sauce and miso butter on a Hawaiian bun, or a simple, refreshing shiso cabbage salad with lemon vinaigrette. Larger plates include an aged duck risotto with mushrooms and cranberry sauce. Mai has a small menu to start, but Liu plans to add more later.
Mai’s Spirit Bomb cocktail: sake, peach-rosemary vodka, elderflower, lychee, rosemary smoke. You’ll be instructed to kiss it to pop the bubble. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
To drink, there’s that smoky cocktail, the Spirit Bomb, with sake, peach-rosemary vodka, elderflower, lychee, and rosemary smoke. Also: a matchatini (“espresso martini but matcha—you’ll hate that you love it,” promises the menu) with an optional Lactaid pill for a dollar more. There are sake flights, sparkling jelly sake shots, and bottles of an experimental sake derived from a sake yeast strain cultivated deep underwater and 400 kilometers above earth. If sea-and-space sake isn’t your thing, there’s Sapporo, a bit of wine, bottomless soda, and a nonalcoholic melon highball.
Mai’s chicken tempura, served at $3/piece (with a $9 Kaluga hybrid caviar add-on). / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Located steps from Seaport entertainment and nightlife destinations like Alamo Drafthouse, Scorpion Bar, Kings, and more, Mai will likely attract crowds looking for a light bite and drink before other plans. But it stands on its own, too, for a date night, perhaps, or a small group outing.
The restaurant feels a little more intimate and swanky than its minimalist older sibling, with a color-changing neon squiggle dangling above the dining room and gemstone-like bronze-and-teal wallpaper, not to mention slightly higher pricing thanks to its Seaport address. But, says Liu: “We’re never going to try to be high-end. We try to give the customers the best worth possible.” (And the best french fries in town, he hopes.) With a $35 A5 Miyazaki wagyu tenderloin frites that knocks it out of the park and handrolls that don’t break the bank, Mai’s poised to be more than smoky cocktails and slimming mirrors.
Mai. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Mai opens September 10, serving dinner to start. movie for weekday lunch—and possibly weekend brunch—in the future. 31 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, mai.boston.
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