Taste of Asia in the center of HoustonIt's the month of May! You know what that means?? ..."It's gonna be May" memes? No. ..."May the fourth be with you?" Nope! It's Asian Pacific Heritage Month! A whole month dedicated to celebrating the traditions, culture, and history of Asian Americans in the United States! In honor of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, on today's foodie adventure I will be checking out two prominent Asian restaurants in Midtown, Houston. Highlighting the establishment's history, food, and a review of my dining experience with Midtown's best; courtesy of Midtown Houston! Mai's RestaurantLet's start with a little history shall we? Mai's Restaurant was founded back in the 1970's. It is a family business that has been passed down through a few generations. Mai's was one of the first few establishments in the downtown area to introduce Vietnamese Cuisine to the Houston community. In 2010, there was a fire that destroyed the establishment. Since then, Mai's has recovered beautifully. The restaurant you see today is inspired by touches of the old, with a modern casual dining vibe. With recipes that's been passed down by many generations, Mai's aims to continue to serve tasty, and traditional Vietnamese Cuisine to the Houston community. What I ordered! Food that'll make you go #OhMAIgoodness I ordered some of my favorite Vietnamese dishes! For my appetizer I opted for a sweet, savory, and spicy Lotus Root Salad! This salad is so flavorful, it is a mix of pork, shrimp, cucumbers, herbs, red onion, lotus root, and carrots (tossed in a fish sauce based dressing). For my main course I decided on a classic fish dish called Ca Kho To. Ca Kho To is a family-style dish (big portions), and is also meant to be eaten with a bowl of rice (not by itself, but you can if you want). The catfish fillets are simmered in a blend of fish sauce and spices until caramelized! Now, for the last dish I ordered Canh Chua. For all my Vietnamese food lovers out there, you know Ca Kho To and Canh Chua is like 'ying and yang' you have to eat these two dishes together! It complements each other so well. Last but not least, DESSERT! (ALWAYS ROOM FOR DESSERT). Overall, my visit at Mai's was a terrific one! I loved how every dish came out, and how great everything tasted. I grew up eating these dishes, and I have to say the flavors were truly on point. The Canh Chua had just the amount of sweetness from the pineapple, but also just the right amount of sourness, and spice. I served myself 2 bowls of soup! The salad was light and refreshing to eat. The catfish was perfectly braised and caramelized. Next time you visit, I highly suggest you try ordering something different such as the dishes I mentioned above! They have other great dishes such as Vermicelli Noodles, and Shaking Beef (Bu Luc Lac), but be a little adventurous! :) Siu Lap CityGoodbye Long Sing Supermarket, Hello Siu Lap City! For those that have been living under a rock, and don't get what all the hype surrounding this establishment is about...A long time ago, there used to be a place in Downtown, Houston called Long Sing Supermarket that sold Chinese BBQ. It was THE place to get your Chinese BBQ fix (without having to drive all the way to Bellaire Blvd. aka Chinatown), but unfortunately they closed down a few years ago. Fast forward, they came back from their hiatus and rebranded to Siu Lap City! When you first lay eyes on the display of case of Chinese BBQ, you might be intimidated by it's looks. But it is not scary at all! The meats are whole (not chopped) to retain the structure and flavor during the roasting process! Depending on your order, it will be chopped up into smaller portions. Food siu good, you'll be wanting more! Their most popular item is the Roasted Pork Belly! The pork belly is chopped up into bite sized pieces, the skin is roasted to perfection-super crispy and crunchy on the outside, with a perfect fat to meat ratio on the inside. The BBQ Pork is glazed in a sweet and savory sauce, that is also a fan favorite! The Roasted Duck is roasted with some assorted spices, and is packed with flavor (no gamey taste at all)! I am so happy Siu Lap City is in Midtown! The Chinese BBQ tastes amazing, and I love how the cooking process retains the juiciness of the meats without drying it out. This place has great lunch deals and you can easily get a filling meal for ~$8. If you've never tried Chinese BBQ before, I highly suggest ordering a lunch special with 2 meat options to get a feel of the different protein options they offer! My personal favorites is the Roasted Pork Belly, and BBQ Pork! I hope ya'll enjoyed following along my foodie adventure! I had such a blast visiting Mai's Restaurant, and Siu Lap City! I would like to thank Midtown Houston again for inviting me out to highlight the two prominent Asian restaurants in Midtown Houston. Make sure to check out Midtown Houston, give them a follow! They have the latest Midtown related news on food, events, & more!
If you have not seen my Instagram post yet, make sure to check it out and give it a like!
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