Japanese Restaurant Mizuki Offers Exemplary Sashimi and Tasty Black Pork Hot Pot

Discussions about Japanese cuisine in Beijing are often limited to the big hitters like Hatsune and Yotsuba. However, there are plenty of other good quality Japanese restaurants hidden away around town, often where you least expect them. Take Mizuki, for example, which can be found in the unremarkable Shoukai Bojun compound, just behind the Sanlitun location of Lily's American Diner. While not new, the restaurant was previously operated mostly as a private members club and has only recently opened up to the public.

Inside, the restaurant is minimalist yet cozy, with plenty of private dining areas for larger groups and privacy-enhancing screens separating the smaller two and four tops. The menu is wide-ranging, featuring everything from sashimi and sushi to sukiyaki, tempura, and grilled eel. They tell us that their focus is on sourcing high-quality ingredients and their effort certainly comes through in the sashimi platter (RMB 488-888), which features a selection of fresh, tasty fish and shellfish.

Classics aside, the chef clearly has a predilection for Japanese-Western style fusion dishes and presentation. Some of these dishes work better than others. For example, we loved the crab korokke (croquettes, RMB 165) (Note: korokke is already considered to be a yōshoku dish, a style of Western-influenced cooking that originated during the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century), which reminded us of Maryland crabcakes. On the other hand, a dish of grilled eel served with a mushroom cream sauce (pictured in lead blog image, RMB 138), didn't work so well. While the eel was crispy and tasty, it was overly rich when paired with the creamy French-style sauce.

Mizuki also prides itself on its kurobuta dishes. It is a variety of high-end pork from black Berkshire pigs bred in Kagoshima Prefecture, and the best way to sample this flavorful pork is in the pork hot pot (RMB 388). You'll be served a plate of kurobuta belly to be cooked briefly (and we mean briefly, it cooked in less than 10 seconds) in a pot of bubbling chicken stock and then dipped in a sesame-dashi dipping sauce. We also enjoyed their take on buta no kakuni (pork braised in dashi and soy sauce, RMB 198), served with sticky mashed mountain yam.

The indecisive can choose from a number of set banqueting menus priced from RMB 368 to RMB 1,088, which include up to 11 courses. Overall, while Mizuki isn't a bargain by any means, the quality ingredients and polite service make it a worthwhile option for special occasions. 

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Photos: Robynne Tindall