The Aqua Group had a soft opening on March 3 for its newest restaurant, Mizu, which replaced Nove (which replaced the original Aqua, which moved across the harbour to One Peking Road). Aqua Group's managing director David Yeo says Mizu is based on updated versions of Japanese izakaya, a traditional tavern where salarymen would gather to drink and snack on small dishes. Modern izakayas are popular with the hip and trendy for their inexpensive prices and casual atmosphere. Dishes include roasted eggplant stuffed with shrimp in miso sauce ($108), sauteed fresh fish with num-man (vinegar) sauce ($118), shrimp and fish fillet with asparagus in miso sauce ($188) and deep-fried squid roll with spicy cod roe ($138). Mizu has a range of sakes, sake cocktails (such as lychee sake mojito, in which shiso leaves replace mint) and wines. Mizu is open from 6pm, at 11.30pm, Monday to Saturday. It's at 49 Hollywood Road, Central, tel: 2545 9889.
