Writing about a restaurant when the food and service pull in opposite directions is an exercise in honesty. You can’t pretend the service didn’t happen. You also can’t deny that the food was good.
At El Mai, in 2022, that was exactly the case.
The omakase arrived on black plates with golden edges — that combination of discreet elegance that frames the ingredients with respect. The raw pieces were good: salmon with vibrant coloring, white fish with firm texture, cuts made with a knife that had clearly been sharpened that same day. Nothing mushy, nothing torn.
The fried pieces — shrimp and fish in tempurá — had the light and bubbly crust that separates Japanese tempurá from common frying. Thin, golden, breakable with the slightest pressure from chopsticks. Inside, the shrimp still succulent. The fish still moist.
The cooked egg with yolk firm but not dried out, the nori seaweed with that concentrated sea umami, the pickled ginger in pink to reset the palate between pieces, the fresh wasabi — the supporting elements were all present and correct. Purple edible flowers completed the composition with vibrant color over the black of the dinnerware.
Good food and bad service don’t cancel each other out. They coexist uncomfortably and leave the customer divided about what to feel when leaving.
The service in 2022 had problems that the food couldn’t resolve. Long waits without explanation. Failed communication. The feeling that you were getting in the way, not being served.
Restaurants improve. It’s possible that El Mai has improved. This is the 2022 experience, recorded as such.
Technical Details
- Location: El Mai Restaurante, Belo Horizonte, MG
- Category: Fine Dining / Japanese
- Average price: R$ 150–250 per person
- Rating: ⭐ (3/5) — quality fish, careful presentation, service that compromised the experience