Yamas is a restaurant which manages to find the perfect blend of sophisticated and cosy, with a vibrant Mediterranean atmosphere which envelops you from the moment you enter.
Available for both lunch and dinner, Yamas offers small plates (tapas), as well as sharing platters, to suit your taste and appetite size. As a sharing starter, their traditional Greek dips served with pitta bread are amazing. Having now tasted Tzatziki, Houmous, Taramosalata and Tirokaften, I can vouch for their delicious taste even if I don’t exactly know what ingredient they contain!
The great selection of meats in various sauces is definitely worth tasting. A fun thing about Yamas is that you can order as many dishes as you like, and share them, so that you get to sample plenty of traditional Greek flavours.
One of the most enjoyable meats was the chorizo sausage (spetzofai), which we were told is sourced from a specialist supplier, which explained its beautiful flavour that was unlike anything we had tasted before!
The staff at Yamas are so friendly and attentive, happy to offer advice and explain the Greek words on the menu. They evidently know what they are talking about, and seem to enjoy being part of the Yamas restaurant. It was good to feel well looked-after here, following a long day, and the delicious food went down a treat. I couldn’t even begin to name the number of dishes that I tried, you just have to go there yourself and order whatever takes your fancy; be adventurous!
The pricing at Yamas is very reasonable and they often offer deals, such as three portions of lunchtime tapas dishes for just £6.95! Although it was a little bit crowded, everyone was enjoying themselves so this just added to the warm atmosphere inside. The location is great too as it’s just a few minutes away from the Victoria Centre, down a couple of sidestreets. Yamas is definitely worth a visit if you want to enjoy a table overflowing with more Mediterranean tapas dishes than you can eat… and who doesn’t?!
Best: fun character and lively atmosphere.
Worst: my own lack of knowledge about Greek food made the decision of what to eat difficult.
Website: http://www.yamas.co.uk/
Photograph: Instagram, @bambii81