(video) Japanese Cuisine Yama in Rotterdam

My number one fine dining experience ever was at Japanese Cuisine Yama in Rotterdam. This night of eating was the most perfect and satisfying experience for all my senses. Taste, color, shape, smell, texture and ambiance were all perfectly crafted for an exquisite dinner.

Lazy Bear and I went to Yama for our birthdays. With Lazy Bear’s birthday in November we decided to go and in June a year later we could get a reservation. Perfect!

The dinner

Finally the day had come and we were the first one to arrive. We were served 6 courses plus an amuse and desserts. Some courses had multiple small dishes, so in the end I tasted about 20+ different dishes. I was in tasting heaven! So many different textures: crunchy, bubbly, soft, wet, meaty, mushy, firm. Combined with perfect flavored tastes. Not too heavy, not too light.

Japanese Cuisine Yama corn bread
One of the three preparations of corn.

My favorite dishes was the corn amuse. Lot’s of different textures made from corn, especially the one bite of bread had such a nice crunch and lobster(?) taste. A bit salty and fishy, I think umami? Too bad it was only one bite.

Japanese Cuisine Yama Early summer garden

I enjoyed the ‘Early Spring Garden’ course a lot. Lots of small dishes with addicting tastes. I mainly used baby-bites to enjoy every dish, so I could eat a bit from the herring, then a bit of the asparagus etc.

Japanese Cuisine Yama Sea snail
Smoked whelk. You can see the smoke inside the glass.

This dish even had a smoke effect with smell; just like a show. See the video for the full effect.

Japanese Cuisine Yama BBQ
Grilling your own meat plus matching sake.

All the dishes were served in different plates and bowls. Not one plate was ‘normal’, every plate was a little artpiece.

Menu 12 June 2019

Yama serves a surprise menu. On the day you will get the menu of what you will eat. If you have a certain diet, you have to check their website for what they serve, because they will not change the menu for you. ‘Eten wat de pot schaft.’ You just have to eat what they serve you.

Japanese Cuisine Yama Menu June 2019

Visit them!

Japanese Cuisine Yama
Eendrachtsweg 31A, 3012LC Rotterdam
Website
Facebook & Instagram

To eat at Yama you need to make a reservation 3 months beforehand. They will announce on their website and Facebook when you can reserve for after 3 months. The reservation spots go fast. On their website you can find a calendar with open spots. I had to wait half a year before I could get my reservation. After conquering a reservation, it’s counting down till the eating day. Good luck!

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