Sunset Boulevard eatery serves up authentic, award-winning dishes
Mai Thai Cuisine is a hidden gem, boasting some of the city's best, award-winning Thai cuisine, in one of the most unexpected locations.
A little farther away from campus, sitting on the Sunset Boulevard strip, the cozied-away restaurant appears a little less-than-glamorous, with mirrored windows and rather uninviting surrounding fare. However, the décor, setup and menu all surprise, putting Mai Thai on the list of must-go's in Columbia.
The restaurant itself is a small space, providing for a more intimate setting, with dimmed lighting and Thai-inspired wall art and statues that add to the overall experience. Although it is fit for a nicer evening out, Mai Thai does cater to professionals and the lunch crowd, with a menu tailor-made for the quick and relatively cheap sit-down bite.
Lunch specials, served Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., include a nice variety of sautés, curries and noodles, with the option of tofu, vegetable, chicken, shrimp, calamari or pork. Each lunch entrée is served with a small, and they mean small, side salad and a cup of chicken rice soup or steamed jasmine rice, all for under $8.
Classic favorites include Thai fried rice and Pad Thai, simple in their delivery but nonetheless delicious, filling and served in generous portions.
The full menu is just as, if not more, delicious than the lunch options, but the extra selection and kicked-up flavor comes with a price.
The more elaborate Mai Thai specialties, ranging anywhere from $15 to $18, really give a good name to Thai, with the combinations of vegetables, curry and house ginger sauce creating a fusion of flavor unrivaled in other cuisines.
The Wild Shrimp, which makes a main course out of the Bangkok Fried Shrimp appetizer, serves up lightly fried shrimp with peanut sauce and broccoli, carrots and zucchini. But, the specialty entrée does come with the price tag, at $15, when the appetizer shrimp are served up for just $7.
Rainbow Duck, boneless crispy duck in a stir-fry of ginger and vegetables, and the Soft Shell Crab are also notables on the specialty menu, each served with simple, but always complimenting, steamed jasmine rice.
Mai Thai really wins with its lengthy appetizer menu, which when mixed and matched can more than satisfy as a lunch or dinner entrée. The ultimate deal, and mix of everything great for a group, is the Mai Thai Sampler, which includes spring rolls, Mai Thai rolls, Bangkok fried shrimp and two Golden Angels for just $10.
Mai Thai rolls, filled with shrimp, ground pork, shitake mushrooms and vegetables, definitely take the cake in the sampler, adding a contrast of flavor to the simple, and by nature more bland, spring rolls. But, the biggest disappointment was the Golden Angel. Written-up as a wonton stuffed with cheese, cilantro and herbs, it settled as something most comparable to a crab rangoon sans the crab.
The desserts, all under $5, are each more enticing than the last, bringing out some unusual combos but still hinging on sinfully delicious. Between Thai doughnuts, served with dipping sauce and ground peanuts, banana spring rolls and cheesecake tempura, covered with homemade batter, there really is no reason not to order dessert. It just has to be done.
Mai Thai Cuisine is located at 2249 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia, and is open for lunch Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner Monday through Thursday 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5 to 9:30 p.m.