Mai House
186 Franklin Street (between Hudson and Greenwich)

I read about Mai House in an in-flight magazine during my many flights in the past months and -- as I love Vietnamese food -- I thought to give it a go this past Friday evening when my friend suggested dinner. I don't particularly like going down to TriBeCa on a Friday evening, but still, why not, eh?

With my ulcer, albeit healing, I didn't risk any alcohol again. Ended up having lots and lots of water with a very good meal. Mai House was decorated minimally as many of the area's restaurants tend to be, with little reminding one of being in a Vietnamese eatery. That's both good and bad... My only gripe -- the spacing of the tables and use of space is just ridiculous. So much empty space unused and wasted, with many round, 4-person table being stacked too close together. Who thought of this?

We enjoyed two starters and shared them. The shrimp rolls, in the clear, raw vegetable Vietnamese style, was refreshing to start. The fried salt and pepper cuttlefish was wonderful and tasty, and worked well with the previous. That was a nice combination.

For a main course, we also split two items. As my friend does not usually eat red meat, we stuck with chicken and seafood. The clay pot chicken was a Vietnamese tradition, and it was done well with very tangy flavours. Perhaps less rich than in more "down-scale" places, it was nevertheless good. The steamed sole was done in a very pretty roll style. It was a little bland, but the accompanying mushroom sauce and sea cucumbers compensated for it.

For dessert, I enjoyed a black rice pudding with mango. I did not appreciate the foam used, so quickly dissipated and rid of them... The pudding was mediocre, but okay. With a nice, slow-dripping Vietnamese coffee, the night ended -- aside from the walk from TriBeCa back to Midtown East (that food burned off quickly).

Overall it was a pretty good experience. The food was tasty and I'm glad to see upmarket Vietnamese, as there is a time for that and a time for the "down-scale" version. Nice place.

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: C+ (*)