On a recent trip to St. Louis, I had the opportunity to try out Mai Lee, an Asian fusion restaurant in the Brentwood area that serves up a fresh mix of Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese food. I went on a late Sunday evening and the place was packed, a testament to it’s popularity among locals. (According to reports Mai Lee single-handedly introduced St. Louis to Vietnamese cuisine) They have a nice patio area, which I was tempted to take advantage of, given the temperate weather, but the view really wasn’t much to get excited about as it overlooks a rather nondescript driveway behind an adjacent shopping center (just a notch above alleyway). The main dining room was very busy, so I opted for bar, where a lone corner spot was open, giving me a decent view of the televisions showing the evening’s football game. The atmosphere was a bit livelier, but not too loud or overbearing. Overall, whether you opt for the patio, the dining room or the bar, Mai Lee seems like a nicely-appointed, clean restaurant with good ambiance for any occasion.

The menu itself is rather extensive and can be a bit overwhelming, but each item does have a succinct description so you know what you’re getting. The “order by numbers” system is appreciated by those not wanting to butcher the pronunciation of various dishes.

I opted to sample a variety of dishes. I had heard/read so much about the Shrimp/Pork Spring Rolls (“Best Spring Rolls in St. Louis”?) so I had to try them. The order includes two spring rolls with a wonderful peanut sauce. The spring rolls themselves are a bit smaller than normal, but that might just be because they try to wrap them short with a piece of cilantro stem sticking out. Cute, but unfortunately, that stem can be pretty tough to try to chew through. The rolls themselves were fresh and tasted fine, but nothing extraordinary. In my opinion, the flavor of an ideal spring roll should be highlighted by the proteins – the shrimp and pork – with the fresh, bright contrast of greens, typically mint, basil, and coriander leaves, balanced by the texture of the rice noodles. I had a hard time discerning either of the proteins. The rice noodles were fine, but the greens were decidedly disappointing – coriander and lettuce. Not the best, but still, with the peanut sauce, they were fine.

I also had a serving of the egg rolls. Two deep-fried eggrolls served with greens (lettuce, coriander and cucumber that you could wrap the eggrolls in) and a sweet fish sauce. I don’t typically wrap my eggrolls in lettuce, but I suppose it’s nice to be given that option. The eggrolls were crispy and the sauce worked well, but again – nothing extraordinary.

As a main course, I had the Hoanh Tranh Mi, a soup with egg noodles, sliced pork, and shrimp wontons. The flavor of the broth was light and a bit on the salty side, but quite good. It was served with a mix of greens, bean sprouts, jalapenos and lime. The mix of dumplings and pork with the noodles provided a hearty meal and overall I was quite satisfied. If I had any complaint, it would be with greens. Again, I am used to a varied mix of basil, coriander, and mint. Here – coriander and lettuce. Lettuce. Oh – here’s a hint if you opt to tear up the jalapenos to add them to your soup: Don’t touch your face or eyes afterwards. You’ll find yourself in the bathroom splashing cold water on your face to try to quell the burn. Yeah, like I did.

For desert, I treated myself to the mango and sticky rice, a Thai favorite that I always order if I see it on the menu. I’ve had it served a number of different ways, and unfortunately the way they serve it at Mai Lee has to be my least favorite way. They serve half a sliced mango atop a very tough slab of sticky rice with a sweet cream. The rice slab was hard to eat and the mango was disappointingly bland. I suppose it was my fault for ordering something that really isn’t in season.

Overall, I was pretty satisfied with my meal at Mai Lee. For all the food I ordered, the price was very reasonable – I expected to pay much more. As far as Asian fusion restaurants go, it was actually very good and I was likely disappointed only because of the very high expectations that I had. If I find myself back in the Brentwood area, I will be probably come back.

Just not for the sticky rice.