MAXINE GORDON visits a little part of York which is turning Japanese

BUZZ may seem an unlikely name for the city's new sushi bar, but given its location in The Quarter, York's fashionable eating and drinking zone, it makes sense.

And there was certainly plenty of buzz around when our taxi pulled up outside the smart restaurant/bar in Swinegate on a Saturday at 8pm.

Diners were starting to fill the place and within an hour every table was taken. A good sign considering the restaurant had been open only a couple of months. Needless to say, booking is recommended.

Buzz seeks to cater for diners and drinkers, but seemed more of a restaurant than a bar on our visit. Most of the tables were reserved for eating, while people just wanting a drink stood around the bar area.

The design is very modern with large windows on to the street, wooden tables and black leather cube seats, bright lights and tasteful background music (Dido was playing when we visited).

The menu features a selection of Japanese dishes, including authentic sushi - rice, seaweed and fish. It would be a shame to come here and not try it, but for the less daring, there is vegetarian sushi on offer as well as a choice of rice and noodle dishes and tempura: fish and vegetables in a light batter.

The drinks menu was good too and we spotted what looked like a good deal in the Bubbly section: a bottle of Veuve Chapelle Brut, Cuve Close, French sparkling wine for £12.95, which was crisp, fresh and lively, and excellent value.

There were four in our party, and we ordered a mixed sushi (£8.95) to share for starters. One friend couldn't resist Miso (£1.45) soup - tofu, spring onion and seaweed - so we went for that too.

The starters arrived promptly and were declared delicious by all. The sushi came in a large ceramic square, divided into little compartments containing chunks of cold, compressed rice, some wrapped in seaweed, with a variety of toppings including cooked tiger prawn, Japanese sweet omelette and raw salmon. It comes with slices of sweet pickled ginger and a dish of salty soy sauce and fiery-hot wasabi (a green paste, similar to horseradish).

Everything was incredibly fresh and flavoursome. We ate with our fingers, and found the best combination was to layer the ginger on to the sushi and then dip it into a mix of wasabi and soy sauce.

The Miso soup was declared a winner too, in fact, the verdict was it was the best we'd ever tasted: hot, salty and light, it was the perfect appetiser.

Our main courses followed soon afterwards: vegetarian sushi (£7.95), salmon teriyaki (£8.45), mixed tempura (£8.95) and a prawn tempura (£11.95), and all lived up to the high standards of the opening act.

The vegi sushi featured rice and seaweed topped with asparagus, cucumber, soya bean curd and omelette.

The tempura was an equal hit; the light, crispy batter providing a crunch against the just-cooked filling. We thought the mixed tempura a better choice purely because of its variety of fillings: chicken, tiger king prawn and vegetables.

The only component of main dishes which got the thumbs down was the small salad serving. It seemed out of place and everyone agreed a small portion of gloriously-glossy Japanese rice would have been more welcome.

The star of the night, though, was the salmon teriyaki: a bowl of soft and succulent chunks of salmon cooked with tender pieces of peppers, onions, baby sweetcorn and mushrooms all in a tangy sake/soy sauce. A serving of soft and sweet, almost-sticky white rice was served in a separate bowl. Using chopsticks, I scooped the rice into the main dish to soak up the amazing sauce. It was so gorgeous, I didn't want to reach the bottom.

The clientele was a real mix of 20-somethings right through to 50-plus. Large parties are welcome, and Buzz would be a great place to go with a big group as it has a relaxed atmosphere and the dishes are perfect for sharing.

Pudding lovers looking for something full of eastern promise might be disappointed though: the desserts on offer were profiteroles, fruit salad and tiramisu - all at £2.95.

We passed on a sweet and ordered a second bottle of fizz instead. As we drank that, our waitress - full of apologies - asked if we would move to another table as ours was needed to accommodate a larger party. For our trouble we were promptly served on the house a small cup of plum wine, which was fruity and sweet, and quite delicious.

But with some of York's best bars just a stroll away, we decided to move on and check out the buzz elsewhere.

Food: delicious

Service: friendly

Value: good

Ambience: fun

Disabled access: Yes

Buzz bar, Swinegate, York, tel: 01904 640 222.

Updated: 08:47 Saturday, February 16, 2002