Peruvian Panamanian Nikkei Fusion

Birthday dinner at Mai Mai

Before we get to this week’s story, I wanted to tell you about a new newsletter that I launched on my birthday. A Fully Remote Life is about getting the most out of travel and life.

I’ve been traveling since I was a baby and have traveled to over 70 countries in many different ways. I’m looking forward to sharing tips that will allow you to minimize the boring parts of travel so that you have more time for the good stuff.

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For my 41st birthday, we had dinner at Mai Mai in Panama City, Panama. With its eclectic amalgamation of Panamanian, Peruvian, and Nikkei flavors, Mai Mai felt like the perfect place to celebrate my birthday¹.

First Impressions

The view that greets you when you arrive at Mai Mai

From the moment you step off the elevator, you can see that Mai Mai exudes style.

The restaurant was a beautiful mix of modern textures punctuated by plants, perfectly capturing Panama City, a metropolis surrounded by lush rainforest.

Against the hustle and bustle of the waiters and Afrobeat tracks, Mai Mai was intricately arranged for intimate conversations and celebrations. I also appreciated that everyone was dressed up which I hadn’t seen in a while, even at upscale restaurants.

A Cross-Cultural Collaboration

Mai Mai is a collaboration between Chefs Mario Castrellon, chef at Maito here in Panama City, and Mitsuharu Tsumura, chef at Maido in Lima. I’ve been to both of their restaurants, years apart. Both restaurants draw influences from diverse sources in a playful way. Thus, I was eager to see how the two chefs who are at the top of their game in their respective countries would combine ingredients and inspiration from Panama and Peru.

The name “Mai Mai” is a combination of Maido and Maito. The shared letters in their names were coincidental. Some of the best collaborations have their seeds in serendipity.

The Menu at Mai Mai

Menu at Maito focusing on sushi and small bite.

Mai Mai is not big on big dishes on the menu which makes sense because Mai Mai was inspired by Japanese Izakayas and Latin American cantinas where patrons eat little bites over a night of drinking.

What We Ordered

The spiced duck dumplings and toasted bao de panzo (pork belly) leapt out so we ordered those first. We considered doing a whole meal of just dumplings.

Toasted bao with pork belly

The bao was perfectly toasted and the pork belly was delicious. The texture was a bit different than we’re accustomed to. The pork belly was cut into small pieces, almost minced. That and the kimchi mayo made it much more interesting than your ordinary bao.

The duck was served in the style of an open-face siu mai. The spicing (similar to five spice) was a tad bit strong, but otherwise, it was a great bite.

Nigiri is my favorite thing to order at a Nikkei restaurant. We ordered a trio consisting of Conchas con carne (scallops with ponzu), Atún con Yemas (tuna with quail egg), and Unagi (river eel with quinoa).

Conchas con carne, Atún con Yemas, and Unagi

The Atún con Yemas was the best bite of the night, closely followed by the Conchas con carne. As expected, the unagi was the most traditional, but I appreciated that the unagi sauce wasn’t overpowering.

For the main, we were undecided between the Udon con Camarones y Pulpo (Noodles with Shrimp and Octopus) and the Chinatown (with Tom Yum sauce which is bit strange for a dish called “Chinatown”). Our waiter strongly recommended the Udon con Pulpo so we went with that.

Udon with shrimp and octopus

The Udon had Batayai sauce and a generous amount of Parmesan Cheese which was tasty but too rich to finish so we took most of it home. After all of these years of eating, I’ve learned when to quit while ahead.

We skipped dessert since we had cake at home, but I was in the mood for one more bite so we ordered the succulent Toro, capping off a delicious meal.

Toro Nigiri, a great way to finish off the meal

Inspired Cocktails at Mai Mai

Mai Mai is known for its cocktail menu. In fact, the food menu was specifically designed to complement the cocktail menu.

Ave del Paraiso cocktail

Mariela ordered the La Mamonita (mezcal, lychee, hibiscus, lime), and I ordered the Ave del Paraiso (7 year-old rum, campari, palo santo, pineapple, coconut, and lime).

Mariela felt that the mezcal was a bit strong in the La Mamonita (the tasting notes described it more as tropical and fruity) and liked the Ave del Paraiso even though she generally does not like cocktails with campari. We have a deal where she can always opt out of a cocktail and give it to me which usually works out for both of us except the time I ended up with three cocktails and her none.

The bartenders were slinging drinks back-to-back throughout the night.

Mai Mai also has a wide selection of pisco and Japanese whiskey. I wish they had a spirits menu in addition to the cocktail menu. I was thinking about a nightcap but rarely order shots at a restaurant and wasn’t confident enough to know what I wanted off the top of my head. I like seeing all of the options together on one page.

Concluding Thoughts

Mai Mai would easily go on my list of favorite Nikkei spots. That’s to say it felt like a Nikkei place with some twists.

We felt like the Panamanian influence was strongest in the cocktail menu (rum, coffee, coconut, banana). In other parts of the menu, the influence was a bit subleter. For example, the ceviche is served with patacones (fried plantains) instead of camotes (sweet potato) as is traditional in Peru. The dishes use ají amarillo and ají chomba, the peppers commonly used in Peru and Panama, respectively².

All in all, the menu has plenty of surprises and provides plenty of choices while not being overwhelming. The ambiance was one of the best we’ve experienced in any restaurant- perfect for a birthday dinner.

I would recommend reserving a seat on the terrace if you’re comfortable with a bit of humidity.

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So, why were we in Panama? In short, we’re on the way back to Peru. I won’t bore you too much with the jigsaw nature of our life, but I had to fit in a work trip and Panama City ended up being what made sense. We felt that a week was the right amount of time for a second visit to Panama City. It also has special significance to us because it was our first trip abroad together.

Mariela’s birthday is eight days after mine. A few months ago, I asked Mariela where she wanted to celebrate her birthday. She resoundingly replied, “Lima.” Next stop—Lima!

1. I realized that the first paragraph made it seem like we chose a restaurant in Panama City the way one would make a reservation in a restaurant in a neighborhood on the other side of town for a special occasion. I explain at the end of the article. I know many readers just know want to know how the food was at Mai Mai!

2. This article about provides background about Mai Mai’s founding and was a good source for me: https://www.7canibales.com/sincategoria/maido-maito-mai-mai/ (Spanish)