Opening Alert: Southeast Asian Mau Debuts on Valencia Street

By Meesha Halm

Tapping into the zeitgeist of all things Southeast Asian comes newcomer Mau presenting modern renditions of authentic Thai, Laotian, Filipino street and home cooking in sophisticated urban Valencia Street digs. It’s the second venture for owner Hung Dang (who runs the more traditional Tin Vietnamese in SoMa), who brought in former Slow Club chef Sante Salvoni to oversee the moderately priced menu which includes hawker fare (braised chicken feet!), rice and noodle bowls and handful of sharing-sized entrees such as crispy whole stuffed striped bass or a half chicken meant for two. He’s even taken to making his own sriracha sauce and salted lemonade (a popular Southeast Asian refreshment). Salvoni plans to change the menu daily, but can check out a sample of this week’s lunch and dinner offerings here.

By day, it’s a casual affair with counter service and a small slate of noodle dishes, rice bowls and banh mi including a tempura sardine sandwich with kafir-lime aioli, but in the evening, diners are treated to full table-service. Dung’s other partners - a husband-and-wife team of architects - designed all the elements in the 77-seat dining room which includes handmade reclaimed wood tables, custom-designed light fixtures (including the pineapple-shaped pendants, shown above) and an eight-seat bar which pours beer on tap (including Almanac), food-friendly wines and eventually shochu cocktails. 

To start, Mau (which is a riff on the terms mow, as in mow or chow down, the Vietnamese word for “original” and the acronym Modern Asian Urban), is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and on Saturdays for brunch and dinner; in about two weeks it will open on Sundays and serve dinner until 11 PM; reservations not taken for groups less than six. 

665 Valencia Street; 415-934-8889