Review: Mizu, Bicester

Want a new reason to visit Bicester? I suggest that you check out Mizu, the smart, stylish Japanese restaurant in the centre of town.

My meal started well even before I was even inside the door. A group of diners on their way out saw me looking at the sign and stopped to tell me how great the food was. Talk about raising expectations, but happily, things got even better once we sat down.

Mizu is styled as a Japanese Izakaya restaurant, offering snacks, sharing plates and full meals along with plenty of drinks.

The name Mizu is particularly apt: it translates literally into ‘water’ in English, suggesting zen tranquillity but also liquid refreshment. Of course, there’s a wide a range of sake (Japanese rice wine) on offer. In fact, the first thing you see as you enter isthe wall of sake barrels with their decorative paper wrapping. It’s apt dual-purpose decoration: beautiful and thirst-inspiring all in one.

We began with the simple pleasure of Asahi beer paired with seaweed crackers (£5). These were crunchy bites flavoured with the gentle heat of shichimi seasoning, a Japanese seven-spice mix. They were just right for whetting our appetites in anticipation of the food to come.

Most of the menu is dedicated to fish and seafood, with somemeat or tofu options for those who aren’t quite so ocean-loving. The first of our small plates was a dish piled high with Nanami soft shell crab with spicy seasoning (£12) on a bed of crunchyveg. Lightly battered and fried, the crab’s rich delicate flavour shone through nicely. Well played, chef! Our second plate was a citrusy ceviche bowl of humachi, aka yellow-tail (£12). Served with cubes of sweet potato, cucumber, and red pepper, and garnished with radish, coriander and sesame seeds, it was a refreshing burst of flavour for the taste buds.

For sushi-lovers, there is a selection of hosomaki rolls, sashimi (I know, not really sushi because there’s no rice), or nigiri. We ordered the latter as a 4-piece ‘omakase’ option (£18), which means you leave it up to the chef to decide. What we got was a pretty platter with a slice each of seared wagyu beef, salmon, scallop, and yellow tail on its oval pillow of rice. They were allmeltingly delicious and gone in a flash. We were left only with the regret that we didn’t order 8 pieces instead.

Our mains were two Japanese classics showcasing different ends of the dining spectrum. An elegant dish of grilled black cod marinated in Saikyo miso (£28) was richly sweet but not so much to overwhelm the fish. Every mouthful of the perfectly cooked cod with some sauce and white rice was a delight. Thebig bowl of Yaki udon chicken (£16) was simpler hearty fare. I’ve always been a fan of thick and chewy udon wheat noodleswith a distinctively firm texture. In Mizu’s version, however, I felt that the noodles were a little too soft. So while the overall dish tasted lovely and was still slurp-able, I’d have preferred them to have had a little less cooking time.

For dessert, we selected the two Japanese options (both £8): a trio of fruity mochi ice cream and a matcha yuzu cake. The mochi was easy eating though too simple to say much more about. The high note was the subtle matcha-infused sponge paired with a zesty yuzu filling. Like the rest of our dinner, it was beautiful, flavourful, and definitely worth the drive up to Bicester from Oxford.

Mizu has been open for about five months now, and the small, welcoming space seems to be getting a good crowd. All thetables were occupied on Thursday evening; I imagine everyone is attracted by the lovely food, drinks, and attentive service. Make a reservation!