Yamas Greek & Drink
The team behind Opa Bar + Mezze – a Santorini-inspired eatery perched on the gently lapping banks of the Brisbane River – has done it again. In July 2022, Opa scored a sibling in the form of Yamas Greek + Drink, a similarly seafood-focused locale taking up residence at The Eaves in West Village. The restaurant is the latest venture from Michael Tassis and Caio Rosetto who also operate Massimo Restaurant & Bar. Yamas continues Opa’s Greek-centric mantra, using the portside town of Thessaloniki – a key gateway to the Aegean Sea – as the regional inspiration for the restaurant’s menu. Yamas is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which means feasting kicks off early with a Greek-style brunch menu boasting the likes of Greek Eggs (eggs, feta, potatoes, baby tomatoes and pita bread), rizogalo (Greek rice pudding with poached pear) and a breakfast yiros, which sees a warm pita filled with fried eggs, kefalograviera, haloumi chips, lamb, lemon-mustard sauce. As the day progresses, Yamas’ menu shifts to offer a broad array of Greek delicacies, starting with psomi (bread with dips like taramasalata, warm split broad bean mousse and white tyrokafteri) and raw plates like oysters with ouzo, tomato and citrus, Paros-style ocean trout and chilled seafood platters. Like any good Greek eatery, Yamas delivers big on the meze front with grilled saganaki, paidakia (lamb cutlets with red onion and tzatziki), kolokithia me thalasina (stuffed zucchini with market fish, scallops, sand crab and prawn) and htapodi (grilled octopus). While there is a distinct focus on seafood (including whole bay barrmundi with orzo pasta and lobster live from the tank), the Yamas kitchen also utilises an imported Cypriot-style rotisserie to slow cook lamb and chicken for its mouth-watering souvla, a specialty which is delivered to the table in big pots. Yamas’ large plate offering features classics like wagyu beef moussaka, prasopita (leek and cheese filo) and arnu me aginares (a casserole-style dish with lamb, carrots, artichokes and peas). Yamas’ bar is fully stocked with a selection of ouzo, 20 gins, eight vodkas and plenty of liquor for its eye-catching house cocktails. The vino offering is similarly substantial, with a 120-strong wine list boasting upwards of 20 Greek drops.