The modern izakaya – Mizu – has everything going for it in terms of taste and technique
When superstar Aamir Khan paid a visit to Mizu a couple of days ago, and posted a picture of himself there along with a glowing caption, we wondered what the fuss was all about. Till we visited the modern izakaya ourselves. The brainchild of owner Vedant Malik and Chef Lakhan Jethani, Mizu, which opened recently at Atria Mall in Worli, is a slice of Japan with its heart in the right place. There’s Japanese artwork on the roof, koi fish embossed on the marble bar and cherry blossom motifs everywhere.
The gastropub serves up dishes made with Japanese techniques and herbs, while blending familiar Indian ingredients with them.
Ingredients such as green garlic, winter carrots, Bhavnagri chillies and fresh fennel find their way into a number of dishes, never taking away from the techniques, but enhancing the taste of the dish. Try the Ponzu sauce smoked with garam masala spices or the Chicken Karaage Bao (Rs 495), which has yuzu kasundi mayo in it, to know what we’re saying. On the subject of the latter, suffice to say that the bao, with fried chicken on a bed of fried shiso leaves, togarashi and garlic chives is a winner with all the flavours coming together beautifully.
The Prawns and Manipuri Bamboo Shoot gyozas (Rs 395), served with yuzu citrus chilli oil and smoked ponzu, are crispy and bouncy in equal measure. The Cold Noodle Salad (Rs 325) with handpulled ramen noodles with its creamy sesame miso dressing is refreshing and light. But we want to sample the yakitoris, something the restaurant has an extensive range of. The Japanese tradition of skewered chicken wherein the head to tail philosophy of cooking means that there is a wide variety available here, including a couple of vegetarian options. We try the Chicken Supreme with Wasabi Kewpie (Rs 325), Chicken Thigh, Leeks and Green Garlic (Rs 355) and Tsukune with Saffron Miso Sauce (Rs 405), each marking its presence with its unique taste.
Chicken Karaage Bao
There is place for just one more thing before we end our meal with a dessert and we go for the Lobster and Spicy Miso Donburi (Rs 1,800). The lobster is sweet and fresh and along with the crispy lotus root chips and garlic chives, it makes for a delicious mouthful. When it comes to dessert, we can’t seem to make up our minds since there is a whole range of them, but the chef suggests the Nashi Tart (Rs 550) and we go along. The white chocolate whipped ganache is teamed with flaky puff pastry, with elements of pear tying up the dish wonderfully. The restaurant also does some lovely sorbets — we kept going back to dig in the Apple Fennel as well as the Strawberry Shiso (Rs 175 each).
At: Mizu, Ground level, Atria — The Millennium Mall, Worli
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