Named after a delicate green found in gourmet salads, the new Mizuna Restaurant at Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort offers the city's restaurant clientèle a refreshingly different perspective on modern dining.

Remodeled as part of the resort's recently completed $7 million upgrade, Mizuna continues the resort's fresh, contemporary decor while adding the theatre and movement of an open plan, interactive kitchen in which chefs prepare dishes focused on fresh, regional produce.

Under the guidance of newly appointed Executive Chef Mark Carrette, Mizuna will offer an extensive choice of dining alternatives with the key ingredients drawn from local markets and gourmet suppliers.

The dining experience will include a diversity of dishes from a live salad station, miniture salads on ice, a kitchen featuring the theatre of chefs preparing their favourite recipes each evening and a flambe and souffle desert station.

Mark said the restaurant will offer a new combination of a la carte and modern interactive dining experience featuring live cooking and using regional produce enhanced by local inspiration.

"We'll be doing dishes such as chilled Mareeba tomato gazpacho stirred with poached Endeavour prawns and lemon myrtle smoked barramundi on butternut pumpkin risotto", he said.

Since returning to Australia after a 10 year culinary odyssey through Saudi Arabia, Puerto Rico, USA, the West Indies and Mauritius, Mark has been appointed vice-president of the Far North Chapter of the Les Torques Blanche, helping to organise and judge the annual Culinary Competition in Cairns.

Click here for more information about Mizuna.