OKLAHOMA CITY — Some foods have their seasons. Beef stew is great in the winter. Fall isn’t fall without chili. If you didn’t have a snow cone, was it ever really summer?
But there are those few that transcend seasonality. Dishes so enticing and satisfying that the temperature of the food and the temperature outside have no bearing on one another.
And Mizu Ramen Sushi has two of them right in the name of the restaurant.
Whether it’s snowing or raining or sunny or there’s a tornado whipping around the state, it’s always the right time for ramen and sushi. One is best served piping hot and the other is ideal chilled, but the true decadence comes from enjoying them together.
When it comes to ramen, the first variety that comes to mind is always tonkotsu. Mizu’s version has a creamy pork bone broth with splashes of black garlic oil that really stands out against the pale soup. Each bowl comes with the usual ramen egg and bamboo shoots as well as kikurage, or wood-ear mushrooms. Personally, much as I usually love mushrooms, I would ask for mine without next time. The texture was fine, but I thought it threw off the balance of the broth. Your mileage may vary, though.
The big draw for tonkotsu lovers is usually the chashu, or braised pork belly. Mizu’s is a little different in a good way, as their pork belly is braised and then cooked again to give it a firmer, crispier texture. The added crunch and toothsome quality of the meat made it easier to incorporate into those big, slurping bites of hot noodles.
Of late, I’ve really been taken with miso ramen and OKC’s ramen joints have some excellent versions. While I usually think of miso ramen using a red or a dark brown miso, Mizu’s take uses a milder white miso, giving the entire dish a lighter, cleaner flavor. The pork broth is a bit thinner than the bone broth used in the tonkotsu and the pork belly is swapped out for goma pork—a ground pork cooked with sesame. Corn, bean sprouts, and green onion give the bowl a fresh crunch while the marinated egg adds richness.
If you’re looking for something on the heavier side, especially when the temperature really dips, check out the curry ramen. Japanese curry isn’t as hot as Indian or Thai curries, but it has a ton of warm, comforting spices. It’s a pretty satiating dish and straightforward, too. The chashu, ramen egg, and green onion help break up the ultra-richness of the curry broth, but it’s still one of the most filling options on the menu.
On the sushi side of the menu, Mizu divides things up by tiers. The top of the heap and the most elaborate are the signature rolls, followed by the more recognizable deluxe rolls, and the more straightforward and simple classic rolls.
I’m not going to disparage big and crazy sushi rolls with tons of different ingredients, but I will say that the most affordable and, for me at least, enjoyable rolls on the menu here are the classics. The basic yellowtail roll was sushi perfection because it was so simple: good fish, well-seasoned and cooked rice, and a seaweed wrapper.
As much as I love my fresh fish, two of the must-have rolls at Mizu are the vegetarian varieties. The Garden Roll is packed full of asparagus, cucumber, and avocado and dressed with a thin wasabi mayo sauce. The Zen Roll’s interior is takuan (pickled daikon radish), seaweed salad, and cream cheese with a garlic mayo sauce and crunchy tempura flakes on top.
Both are light and full of fresh, green flavors that really dance on the palate.
Not quite sushi, but fairly close is the tuna tower, which starts with a bed of sushi rice, a layer of avocado slices, crab salad, and a crown of fresh diced tuna. Personally, I think this is ideal as an appetizer for the table. Everyone can grab bits and bobs of whatever they like best and dress it with spicy mayo or flecks of wasabi for added heat.
Even though they’re not in the restaurant’s name, I love the Mizu Ramen Sushi bowls. The bowls are a wonderful choice if you’re feeling rice over noodles but still want something cooked and warm.
Curry rice is hard to beat and Mizu uses karaage chicken (aka fried chicken chunks) for the protein with that creamy, steamy curry sauce over a big bowl of steamed rice. Maybe skip this one if you’re on a date because I don’t know how anyone eats this without stuffing their face. It’s too good to eat slowly.
But the standout for me was the gyudon, which tops a bowl of rice with stir-fried marinated beef and onions. At first glance, it won’t look like a lot of sauce for the amount of rice, but that’s the beauty of this dish. As you pick at the shredded beef with its sweet and savory flavors from the marinade, that sauce of beef jus and onion works its way into the rice, flavoring every grain on the way day. Once the beef and onion is gone, there’s still a heaping helping of perfectly sauced rice waiting to sate your hunger.
With a menu that’s diverse enough to satisfy different cravings, but focused enough to do all of them well, it’s little wonder the Mizu parking lot seems full all year round.
- Mizu Ramen Sushi
- 12124 North Pennsylvania Avenue in Oklahoma City
- (405) 810-5100
- mizuokc.com
- Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-8:30 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Long-time food enjoyer Greg Elwell writes about food, restaurants, and trends. He has his own blog "I Ate Oklahoma" and has written for The Oklahoman, The Oklahoma Gazette, and others.
