Friday, 10 June 2011

Yes please Yamas!

Last week I started working a day a week as a kind of marketing assistant for Perkins restaurant, escabeche and the Carriage Hall in Nottingham.  This means I have been rather busy setting stuff up for them but I just wanted to take 5 minutes to tell you about a fantastic little restaurant called Yamas which I went to in Nottingham over the bank holiday weekend.
Yamas bills itself as Greek and Spanish mezze and tapas, but I'd say it was more Cypriot than anything else, with a heavy emphasis on Halloumi (of which I can't get enough) and Cypriot beers on the menu.  It is tucked away down a side street (Thurland Street) in Nottingham city centre and was recommended heartily by several trusted food loving individuals.  We went at lunchtime on a Saturday, and although the interior decor is rather unprepossessing I couldn't help being struck by the lively atmosphere; it reminded me of the vibe having lunch at Polpo in Soho in London, lots of people having a really good time and some really good food and drink.
The staff were very welcoming and friendly and we were seated at a cosy corner table where we could people watch everyone enjoying their grub.  There are obviously a lot of regulars who come back again and again.  The lunch menu was disturbingly cheap at £6.95 for 3 dishes each so we decided to go for a sharing starter as well, this proved greedy.  We got a meat and cheese platter with the aforementioned halloumi, cheese stuffed peppers, and various cold meats.  This was accompanied by a basket of beautifully fresh, warmed pitta bread, obviously homemade.  The mezze came thick and fast after that, we ordered a selection which included Kalamari, Stifado, and delicious little deep fried whitebait with alioli.  We couldn't finish all the food which was a crying shame, so if you go for lunch then the lunch menu alone is adequate, you don't need to pimp it!  I look forward to going again, they do some cracking set menus in the evening.  Check it out.
http://www.yamasbar.co.uk/

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