Boston Restaurant Mai Is a Enjoyable Foolish Eating Time Stuffed with Labubus

Rows of chubby, pastel Labubus glare down from the ceiling rafters into the eating room of Mai, a brand new French Japanese fusion restaurant within the Seaport District, that opened in September. This is the primary restaurant from the NoToro Hospitality Group that has a full liquor license (proprietor Kevin Liu doesn’t depend Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House, which is a part of one other restaurant group he’s concerned in). Like a dependable pal who goes out rather a lot, Liu sees the Labubus as the lovable little devils in your shoulder, encouraging you to order yet one more cocktail.

At this sly encouragement, I order the Spirit Bomb, an Instagram-friendly coup glass full of sake, rosemary vodka, elderflower, and lychee, and topped with an enormous rosemary smoke bubble. Etiquette says: Don’t you dare pop that bubble earlier than everybody has their ring lights prepared. The candy cocktail tastes like I count on a pastel Labubu would if it have been edible, however it lubricates the shift into going-out mode on this stylish neighborhood.

Designed in-house, the restaurant is strategically photogenic. An electrical purple neon squiggle on the ceiling offers lavender temper lighting, and a shimmering silver mirror in a facet hallway makes for enjoyable selfies. Otherwise, the house is low-key. Deep inexperienced and gold wallpaper provides a splash of magnificence, and a wall of half-windows into the kitchen brings a extra informal really feel. Mai doesn’t take reservations, so that you’re prone to see crowds of curious, waitlisted diners peeking within the home windows, planning their orders.

Currently, Boston is filled with eating places which can be superbly designed and cater to a curated social media feed, however serve forgettable meals. Mai isn’t considered one of them. Despite the excessive manufacturing worth (there are caviar-smothered hen tempura nuggets), the kitchen doesn’t take itself too severely, which retains the expertise from teetering into the absurd. The crew is in on the joke.

Liu had been eyeing an enlargement to Seaport as a result of he loves the going-out really feel of the neighborhood. To that finish, Mai is poised to accommodate pre- or post-club teams with bigger tables. The wagyu fats fries are the proper upscale consolation meals pick-me-up after an evening of dancing on the Grand or vibing to a brand new DJ at Scorpion Bar. Boston could shut down at 2 a.m., however we like our tipsy treats similar to wherever else.

Like their first restaurant, Matsunori, hand rolls are the shining star of Mai’s menu. Though you’ll be able to order the aforementioned nuggets and a surprisingly inexpensive A5 wagyu filet mignon for $35, the hand rolls make up the majority of the choices. Here, French and Japanese flavors mingle; the duck foie gras hand roll with cucumber and strawberry yuzu koshi is true up there in recognition with the uni that may accommodate a hefty elective dollop of caviar.

There’s a low barrier to entry with hand rolls (no chopsticks vital), and the menu features a visible information for folding and dipping. Liu and companions within the New York-based group Chubby personal wagyu and caviar farms in Japan and China. That direct sourcing technique permits them to cost these indulgent elements at a fee that feels inexpensive within the ritzy Seaport. It’s about $8 to $19 for hand rolls, with an additional $9 for caviar.

The finite cocktail menu gives six completely different drinks. The Road Less Traveled is the earthiest opinion with sake, fir liqueur gin, lemon, and white port. The description of the Kanpai Time reads that it’s for “if you’re turning up. Like a Green Tea shot, but more fun.” It contains white peach vodka and yuzu sake

There’s a strong sake and wine listing, however I couldn’t resist the pull of the viral-on-TikTok Matchatini, a thick dessert reply to an espresso martini however made with matcha, vodka, creme de cacao, and cheese foam. The menu gives a Lactaid capsule for a further $1.

Though a superb dessert substitute, the drink was a bit of too candy for me to complete. From the rafters, the Labubus glare disapprovingly at my half-full glass.

Mai represents the balancing act required of restaurateurs in our perpetually Puritan metropolis, the problem of innovating in a panorama of consolation requirements, and the wrestle of catering to an more and more aesthetic-driven crowd with out dropping sight of the culinary imaginative and prescient.

There’s extra to Mai than meets the digicam lens, however you’ll have to attend in a line of influencers to get to it.