Mizumi

The story

Mizumi at Wynn Palace – Contemporary Japanese Cuisine in Taipa, Macao

Contemporary Japanese Cuisine at Its Most Considered

Mizumi sits within Wynn Palace in Cotai, Taipa, and it earns its place among Macao's most celebrated tables through rigorous craft rather than spectacle. The restaurant holds a Michelin Star, a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating, and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence — recognition that reflects both the kitchen's precision and a wine and sake program of serious depth.

The Chef and His Ingredients

Executive Chef Hironori Maeda builds his Japanese cuisine on three foundational elements, each chosen with uncommon specificity. The kelp he uses — Kuragakoi Rishiri Kombu — is aged for six years, and access to it is limited to a handful of restaurants in Japan. His Katsuobushi dried bonito flakes are produced through a weeks-long artisanal process and shaved fresh to order, delivering the layered umami complexity that defines the kitchen's broths and seasonings.

The third element is what Chef Maeda calls "Charcoal Play": cooking over premium Binchotan charcoal at temperatures that range from 300°C to 1,000°C. Managing that range demands full concentration and an intimate understanding of every ingredient on the fire. The result is most vivid in the Charcoal-Grilled Eel with Sansho Miso, widely regarded as one of the chef's signature achievements.

Teppanyaki is another pillar of the menu, with dedicated set menus alongside the à la carte offering — the kitchen moves between both formats with equal confidence.

The Room

The dining room is contemporary in feel, anchored by a central water feature housing three Japanese Koi (Nishikigoi) — symbols of good fortune — illuminated so that their movement becomes part of the atmosphere. Private dining rooms are available for those seeking a more enclosed setting, and the restaurant's sake collection is among the largest in Macao.

The dress code is elegant casual; the experience is one where the details, from the age of the kelp to the temperature of the charcoal, have been thought through carefully.