There’s a big buzz around the new Vietnamese restaurant Mai which opened a few weeks ago in Summertown, the independent restaurant taking over the Bridal Box site next to Summertown Cycles.
Authentic Vietnamese food is certainly having a comeback – the likes of Cay Khe opening in Abingdon earlier this year with great aplomb, REVIEW: ‘The most authentic Vietnamese in Oxfordshire’ Cay Khe in Abingdon is the real deal the country’s burgeoning tourism industry feeding back into our shores, travellers seeking out the same authentic food experience they fell in love with in Vietnam.
Being gifted a venue so close to Oxford explains Mai’s instant popularity, already busy on a rainy Wednesday lunchtime when we arrived at noon when it opens, to see if it was the real deal.
Mai’s new owners Ty and Tina are not only Vietnamese themselves but Ty has cooked in Vietnamese kitchens for years
Mai’s new owners Ty and Tina are not only Vietnamese themselves but Ty cooked in Vietnamese kitchens for years, until the couple decided to branch out on their own alongside Ty’s sister Lucy, so it’s a family affair.
It took them 10 months to renovate the site, building the long bar stretching down one side, opening up the back and installing a beautiful garden for the summer months. It’s a bright, colourful, welcoming interior which drew in lots of curious passers-by and lots of Asian diners (always a good sign), all ready to sample the classics, while we were there.
It took them 10 months to renovate the site, building the long bar stretching down one side, opening up the back and installing a beautiful garden for the summer months
And having spent several weeks in Vietnam last year, TRAVEL REVIEW: VIETNAM – Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh our mouths were already watering when we studied the menu, delighted to see authentic banh mis, phos, pancakes, noodles and rice dishes we know and love now within our reach.
Drinks wise all the classics were also on hand – egg coffee, salt coffee, fresh juices, even an avocado smoothie, but we opted for jasmine and green teas, served in beautiful teapots, to wash it all down with.
faced with so many revered and beloved dishes you have to bypass so many favourites to make a choice
The problem is that faced with so many revered and beloved dishes you have to bypass too many favourites to make a choice.
But the pho – the Mai Classic with rare beef brisket and beef meatballs (£15.50) and the vegetarian (£13.50) – was a must, as was the Banh Mi (the famous Vietnamese baguettes, if you know you know), the Special with pork belly, Vietnamese ham, pate mayonnaise and fresh vegetables (£13).
the Mai Classic pho with rare beef brisket and beef meatballs was a must
Throw in the Vietnamese turmeric crispy pancakes – we ordered two one pork (£14) and one tofu (£11) – and the papaya salad (£13) and we were prepared for a feast.
The crispy pancakes arrived first – like a cross between a poppadom, crepe and omelette – bright yellow in colour thanks to the tumeric, they have a totally unique texture and taste. Served with grated carrot, coriander and lettuce, you lift up the lid, layer in the ingredients like a sandwich, rip pieces off and dip them into the fish sauce (for the classic ) and soya (tofu) and consume. They are absolutely heavenly, totally unique and we yearned for more once we’d engulfed every last shred.
The crispy pancakes arrived first – absolutely heavenly, and totally unique
By now however the dishes were coming thick and fast, steaming bowls of pho plonked down on the table, the light broth cooked for hours, served with a separate plate of vibrant zingy additions from coriander to chilli, lemon and beansprouts to add at your whim, creating texture and crunch against the soft, stewed meat or bouncy tofu. Sauce bottles and condiments on the tables allow you to add as much heat and additional flavour as you like.
The papaya salad was a generous and intoxicating portion of exotic tastes, in fact the only bum note was the texture of the baguette, banh mis French sticks being characteristically crunchy and light, but here much more Anglicised so heavier and more doughy. Missing its magic, we left it.
if it’s authentic Vietnamese food you’re after, this is the place to head
All-in-all though, if it’s authentic Vietnamese food you’re after, this is the place to head, and certainly somewhere we’ll be returning to imminently to sample the rest of the menu, because Mai is the closest you’ll get to authentic Vietnamese food here in Oxford.
Mai is at 198 Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7BY https://maicuisine.co.uk
