Eric, 35 years old, works as a cook and waiter at the same time at Yama.remedios valls
Judging by the waiting list, which is approximately a year and a half long, Yama, in Granada, is on the Olympus of restaurants, the one that forces you to wait one, two or three seasons to eat in them.
And although, without entering into comparisons, its quality is extreme and the gastronomic experience magnificent, the reasons for this enormous delay in the waiting list have different origins.
Firstly, only Eric – the Westernized name of Zijian Xiong – works at Yama, its owner, cook and head waiter.
Secondly, his decision to serve only two tables per service with a maximum of two people at each one.
And thirdly, opening only four days a week - from Wednesday to Saturday - for lunch and dinner, and closing one month for holidays a year.
The math adds up to 64 tables per month, 128 diners.
There's no more.
That and the good reputation has lengthened the waiting list at this time to 14.7 months, that is, until the first quarter of 2025. Overwhelmed, Eric, he is not taking new reservations for now.
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Life has not always been like this in this small space of just over 30 square meters, soft colors, minimal decoration and Spartan comfort and aesthetics, also on the dishes.
With four people per shift, plus Eric in the kitchen, the place is always full and, at the same time, quiet and intimate.
On July 8, 2022, when the cook opened the restaurant, and during the following week, hardly anyone entered.
That same week, he remembers, his first Glovo order also came in.
“Five minutes later the delivery man was here to see if it was done.”
At the start of the business, Eric hired a Spanish employee to help him.
He, who speaks Spanish slowly and with some difficulty, says that he did not understand him and the relationship was not working.
In three months, in short, it only got one
online
review .
“A very angry person gave me only one star and complained that I didn't treat her well.”
So, she had six high tables.
On rainy days, she recalls, she was full: “I once had 13 people and I was alone to prepare the
sushi
and serve it and it took 50 minutes to put out the drinks.”
One of those days when the restaurant was full, with barely any capacity, she cut her finger.
She had to close for a while and was able to rethink that.
Yama uses fresh products, including 'wasabi' that he grates with a small shark skin sandpaper.remedios valls
“I decided to do what was reasonable,” he recalls.
Stop, take a breath and change the system.
He removed four of the six high tables from circulation and exchanged them for two low ones.
The gastronomic experience is capital and, although one finds sushi, what happens there is not what usually happens in a restaurant using this type of cuisine.
The product, mostly fish, is enjoyed thanks to an apparently simple but round and very careful preparation.
The humility of the presentation, on a simple white plate, is the opposite of the flavor it contains.
Yama has been modifying its way of working over time.
The new year and the reopening have brought the elimination of opening days, leaving it at four, from Wednesday to Saturday, in two shifts - lunch and dinner -, which means four tables and eight diners a day.
Thus, per week, Eric, who insists that the important thing is to “listen to the customer,” offers eight exclusive performances, two hours of absolute gastronomic beauty without any additions.
Shrimp 'Niguiri'.
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The menu changes daily and is closed.
You don't have to choose anything.
The Omakase proposal, something similar, says Eric, to “leaving everything in the hands of the chef.”
It all depends on the product you find in the market or that the Espinete fishmonger supplies, your supplier, “which is also the one at Bar FM, one of the best places in the city,” he rightly points out.
His philosophy is simple: the best possible raw material.
The day EL PAÍS visits, the menu is made up of 11 dishes with fish and beef: shrimp from Motril - a discovery that fascinates him -, white shrimp from Motril and red shrimp from Huelva, bonito, scallop, red tuna belly, salmon , foie, black truffle and
wagyu
.
The menu has a price of 68 euros, although it varies depending on the proposal of the day.
Using
koshihikari
rice – unctuous and “the best for sushi” – the cook makes
nigiris
,
futomakis
and
gunkans
.
The result is a very delicate sushi that can be finished for dessert only with a traditional Japanese
mochi
, following the chef's philosophy that "less is more."
'Gunkan' of red tuna belly.
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Eric treats the rice and especially the fish gently, sculpting the dish.
The customer will not see the soy on the table to serve at their discretion.
“Many people do not know how to eat
sushi
and abuse soy, which salts the product and changes the flavor,” he defends himself.
And for this reason, the dish comes out of the master's hands already seasoned with this sauce and
wasabi
, which he uses in natural format and which he grates as he goes with a small sharkskin sandpaper.
The average price of the ticket, he details, is 80 euros if the drink is paired with a couple of beers, and 100 euros if you opt for wine.
They also offer a small selection of
sake
.
And how did Eric get to Elvira Street, the street that gives access to the Albaicín and one of the most touristy and, at the same time, traditional streets in the city?
The first fact is that although at 35 years old he works as a cook, he was previously a guitar teacher in his native Shanghai until a few years ago.
In his twenties, after finishing university, he set up a guitar school for children.
Business was better than good and four years later, he already had four centers which, 15 years later, had become 15 with 200 employees.
One day, encouraged by a Chinese friend who lived in Granada, he flew to the city.
He repeated several times and three years ago he settled permanently.
He did not arrive in a bad position financially: his musical training centers continue to operate and he remains responsible.
One of the only two tables the restaurant has.
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That economic relief allowed him to eat in the best places in the city and make friends… “And ask and ask.”
Because years ago Eric didn't know how to cook, although he had a fascination with Japanese culture.
Just shortly before moving to Spain he looked for a teacher with whom he learned to cook.
Here, although no one believed in him, he recalls laughing, he was sure of his success and persevered.
In the first weeks, there were days when no one came in.
Today, he has the place full until 2025.
Yama
Address:
Elvira, 113, Albaicín, 18010 Granada.
Hours:
Two shifts from Wednesday to Saturday: from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Average price:
between 80 and 100 euros, depending on the drink.
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