I remember many late-night editing session at The Daily Cougar that were fueled by the quick and delicious food of Mai’s Restaurant.
Former News editor James Rincon would always make the call for a pick-up order and return 30 minutes later with good, reasonably priced food.
Noodles, fried rice, egg rolls, spring rolls and pretty much every staple of Asian fast food was a stone’s throw from the UH campus and open late to feed hungry students.
But a two-alarm fire that broke out in the kitchen Monday claimed the restaurant, essentially burning it down.
Mai’s will be missed, but owner Anna Pham, through a short yet passionate letter to patrons on the restaurant’s Web site, announced her plans to rebuild the popular establishment.
Many places are open at the wee hours of the morning, but few offer the same comfortable environment Mai’s did.
Sure, Katz’s never closes, as its slogan proudly says, but who really wants to eat a half-pound Reuben sandwich, a Cobb salad or a full dinner for $15 right before going to sleep?
IHOP and Denny’s offer pancakes and Grand Slam specials all day, but eating breakfast when waking up after having eaten it before going to bed at 2 a.m. can throw off one’s internal clock. I’ve never liked eating at IHOP, so when I used to be a restaurant server and got off of work late at night, I’d do my best to find somewhere else to eat.
While most Americans’ idea of eating at midnight seems to entail breakfast at one of the aforementioned establishments, it is very common in many Eastern Asian countries to have a bowl of noodles or a plate of rice instead.
Several restaurants on Bellaire Boulevard in Chinatown offer barflies, late-shift workers and, most importantly, insomniac college students a hot and hearty meal after most other restaurants have closed their doors.
Unfortunately for anyone living on campus, driving down to Chinatown isn’t usually a viable option.
Mai’s filled that need; students have to be able to eat at all hours of the day.
There are plenty of great late-night dining options, but few are as close to UH as Mai’s was — in distance and in heart. Here’s to hoping the new Mai’s will come soon, so that we can fill it back up with the hearty business it deserves.
I know I will be there.
Wilson Chang is a UH student and may be reached at [email protected]
