Restaurant YANO | Rotterdam has a new fine-dining restaurant

18-11-2022

Opening – On 2 November 2022, host Britta and chef Yuri Wattimena opened the doors of their restaurant YANO in Rotterdam. The fine-dining restaurant is located on the Straatweg 114 in Rotterdam’s Hillegersberg district. It is the (married) couple’s first business, they have extensive experience in working at high-end Rotterdam restaurants. The restaurant stands out for its quirky, worldly style of cooking, combining international flavours such as those of the Indian archipelago and South America with French cuisine.

2 minutes read

Restaurant YANO | Overlooking the Bergsche Plassen

Restaurant YANO can seat 40 guests and at the front it overlooks the water of the Bergsche Plassen. The name YANO is an amalgamation of Yara and Noah, the children of Britta and Yuri Wattimena. Yuri Wattimena: “We are extremely proud that our dream has come true and that we can pamper our guests according to our own philosophy. And we are delighted with the enthusiastic response we have received from guests in the first two weeks. They give us confidence for the future.”

Quirky worldly cooking style

Distinctive is the quirky, worldly cooking style that has its basis in French cuisine and is combined with international influences, with the chef also letting his Moluccan ancestry speak for itself with the rich flavours of the Indian Archipelago. Yuri Wattimena (39): “An example is my dessert of cendol with coconut, gula djawa and pandan. In the vegetarian menu, I combine Dutch pointed cabbage and cauliflower with tempeh and laos. South America is also one of my sources of inspiration. For instance, I give langoustine a South American touch with pipián verde, jalapeño pepper and the black mint huacatay.”

Lots of menu choices

YANO restaurant’s menu consists of an à la carte menu, a three-course lunch menu (€45 and €42.50 for the vegetarian version), a written-out menu from 5 (€90) to 7 courses and a written-out vegetarian menu from 5 (€85) to 7 courses.

Japanese-style interior for restaurant YANO

Jeroen Smeele of SMEELE Design did the interior design, he has designed interiors for several top restaurants. Britta Wattimena (33): “We deliberately chose an elegant but subdued interior, because all attention should be focused on what is on the plate and what is in the glass.

The style is ‘Japandi’, which is a mix of Japanese and Scandinavian influences. Eyecatcher is the wall with the wooden panels attached to an acoustic backdrop made of felt from recycled PET bottles. Another eye-catcher will be the black and white trapeze lamps that will hang in the alcove, which we expect in December. As a contrast to the use of black steel in the fittings of the ceiling lamps and the wine climate cabinets, the chairs and sofa are upholstered in soft fabric.”

Wine list with 250 wines

The wine list has 250 wines, with a large proportion devoted to European wines. Britta Wattimena: “Prices start at €45, and under €100 there is a lot of choice, as we consider affordability important. In addition, there is a lot of focus on classic wine regions like French Burgundy and Italian Tuscany, we sell many of top domains of these regions. We are proud to have such a nicely balanced wine menu as a start-up restaurant. We do not serve a wine package, though there are always at least ten open wines and champagnes by the glass. And for those who drink no or less alcohol, there are several non-alcoholic drinks.”

We previously wrote about their plans to open restaurant YANO, in this article more details about the restaurants both owners previously worked at.  

Website: Restaurant YANO

• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion
• People