Mai owner Kevin Liu
Handrolls at Mai (above) feature both French and Japanese flavors. A colorful cocktail is ready for its Instagram close-up.
The French-Japanese izakaya Mai is the newest addition to Boston’s Seaport district and it blends right in to the flashy, new-build neighborhood. Inside, diners will spot purple neon lights, Instagram-ready cocktails and Labubus serving as décor. But the focus here is just as much on the food as it is on creating social media moments.
“I definitely did not want customers to get the wrong impression,” says owner Kevin Liu. “The core of every restaurant should be the food and then you branch off into the aesthetics. Our biggest focus is having the food be delicious and affordable and not something you can get anywhere else in the city.”
Handrolls are a focus of the menu at Mai, much like Matsunori Handroll Bar, another of Liu’s restaurants, near Fenway. Handrolls are square, open-faced sushi rolls, almost like a Japanese version of a taco, that can be rolled and consumed based on the diner preference.
Liu says he likes handrolls because they’re easy for everyone to eat. Diners don’t need to be skilled with chopsticks and there are no real rules, although the Mai menu has a visually printed example of ways to roll and dip the handrolls.
French and Japanese flavors are both present in the handroll menu; diners can order a duck foie gras roll with cucumber, strawberry yuzu kosho and duck confit or a miso butter cod roll that’s marinated over the course of 72 hours.
“There’s nothing like it in Boston,” says Liu. “Usually French food is more technique focused, and Japanese food is more ingredient focused. I wanted to see where we can strive to reach the best of both worlds.”
In addition to the handrolls, some of which have caviar add-on options, the menu features an A5 wagyu tenderloin steak, indulgent wagyu fat fries and a duck risotto.
Liu has a strategy for keeping these luxurious menu items affordably priced. He is also a partner in the New York-based Chubby Group. The group owns wagyu farms and caviar farms domestically and abroad. This allows them to import top-shelf ingredients at a discounted rate, savings that they then pass along to the customer.
Efficiency is a top priority. Liu says they do everything from the restaurant design and menu planning to the marketing in house in order to keep costs low and keep everything personal. Mai is situated near several nightlife venues including The Grand, Grace by Nia and Scorpion Bar. Liu hopes the restaurant emits a similar energy.
“I want to give people the atmosphere that there’s people around you,” says Liu. “I don’t have to look at them, I don’t have to know them, but I know that there are people around and it’s lively and everyone’s having a good time.”
ON THE WEB
Learn more at mai.boston
