Yama Bar and Kitchen.Credit:Mark Tsukasov
When it comes to a ski trip,the apres ski is no afterthought. This social side of skiing is as important as the white stuff,a great night as integral to a good weekend as a fresh dump of powder.
So those headed to Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps this season will be excited about more than just the latest round of inclement weather with the opening of Yama Kitchen&Bar.
Yama is the newest outing for Michael Ryan and Jeanette Henderson of two-hat Provenance Restaurant in Beechworth,and Hamish Nugent and Rachel Reed of chef's hatted Tani Eat&Drink in Bright.
Tarwin river lamb,Sichuan spice and salted cucumber from Yama Kitchen and Bar.Credit:Mark Tsukasov
It is a thoroughly modern place right in Hotham Central,in the space previously occupied by the White Room. It's a dark room now,though tastefully so,with illumination provided by light cubes scattered along the ceiling like an upside-down craps table. There's a roomy bar that has given the team room to extend its offering to bar snacks and cocktails,like a killer Paloma (tequila,lime,grapefruit and grapefruit soda) that will take the pain out of a day's skiing.
"We didn't want a Provenance or Tani in the snow,"Ryan says on a break from prepping for the evening rush."For us,the last thing we wanted to do was fine dining;in the snow you don't want to sit down and have an elaborate 40-course meal. Our guiding principle was that we wanted food that you'd want after a day on the slopes or the food you'd be happy to have with some drinks."
That meant shared plates,a good match for the Asian flair that both chefs like to bring to their dining. Ryan has had a long love affair with Japanese cuisine,hosting food tours of the region with Epicurious Travel and consulting to Japanese eateries in the past. Nugent collaborated with Ryan on Tsubo,an eatery in nearby Dinner Plain that dealt in a modern-Asian menu,before taking the venue over full time.
Ski lodge Zirky's in Mount Hotham.
There is also a calmer palate to the food at Yama."We wanted to make it a lot simpler than Provenance and Tani,"Ryan says."So we had a rule of no more than three main ingredients on the plate,but we have stretched that a couple of times."