Yama Asian Eatery in Franschhoek
A family-friendly Asian eatery (restaurant review)
Franschhoek weekends usually mean a night away from the kids for Lianne and me — something we've done at both Eleven and Ōku, Ryan Shell's other two restaurants in town. This time was different. We were staying at Fransvliet Estate for the weekend with all three children, and for Saturday dinner we chose Yama — Ryan's third and most relaxed restaurant, sitting in Heritage Square on Huguenot Street and sharing a courtyard with Ōku next door.
Ōku vs Yama
Where Ōku leans formal with its kaiseki menu, Yama is built for sharing plates, sushi and bao. Ryan said it’s family-friendly, and we put this to the test arriving with our three children Aiden (almost nine), Olivia (six and a half) and Harvey (four and a half).
The white Chinese lanterns hanging from Yama's ceiling caught our eye the moment we arrived; we used the same lanterns as our own wedding decor thirteen years ago, so it was a nice bit of nostalgia to sit under them again.
Our waiter for the evening was Emmanuel. He introduced himself as Manu, being the second Emmanuel to join the team. Ryan stopped by our table and told us Manu is one of his best waiters, and it showed. He was patient with our three kids ordering off three different menus, quick with recommendations, and entirely unfazed by the chaos at our table.
The food at Yama
Before we'd even opened the menu, we were brought a free starter of prawn crackers with pickled ginger, soya sauce, wasabi, and a peanut and chilli crunch. The peanut and chilli crunch was the clear winner of the table — good enough that I'm now going to start chopping peanuts into my own chilli crunch at home. It's a combination I hadn't thought to try, and it works.
Olivia was brave enough to try the wasabi (once was enough), while all three kids used the ginger to get some early chopstick practice in. Harvey, our youngest, was determined to keep up with his older siblings and turned down the offer of normal cutlery, even though picking anything up with chopsticks clearly frustrated him to the point of a few tears. He didn't give up.
The Yama menu
We went with a bottle of the Stony Brook The J 2024 (R380), a Viognier/Semillon blend. Stony Brook is a boutique winery we have fond memories of visiting, where we met one of the owners, Joy McNaught. She told us stories from her years running Rickety Bridge 0 memorable enough that she wrote a book about it, Headlong into the Red, which we bought and enjoyed. It felt right to order her wine on a Franschhoek weekend.
From the Zensai (starters) menu, we ordered the yakiniku (R125) - pork belly with soy mayo and granola - and the crispy squid (R130) with black bean chilli mayonnaise, apple purée and pickled cucumber. Both worked well as sharing plates, and gave Lianne, who isn't a sushi fan, plenty to enjoy at the table.
For mains, we shared the chicken dumplings (R120): shumai gyoza with charred corn, bok choi kimchi and sesame. I couldn't resist the 12-piece Yari platter (R440) — four Yama specialty pieces, four spicy tuna or salmon, and four salmon roses. It's the platter Yama is known for, and it's easy to see why.
The kids menu at Yama
We're lucky that our three children eat pretty much everything, and Yama's Asian-inspired menu was no exception - even our smallest, Harvey, cleared his plate. What we didn't expect but loved the most was the kids' menu. For a change, the usual burger-and-chips or chicken strips were not featured, but even the children had their own Asian-inspired dishes to enjoy.
Aiden -our biggest eater- ordered the kiddies platter (R130): a four-piece salmon sandwich alongside two salmon roses, six pieces each. Olivia chose the kids' noodles with soy sauce and butter (R60) - Manu offered to add chicken, which she happily accepted. Harvey had the kids' chicken bao (R70), Korean chicken with kewpie mayonnaise. Three very different dishes, and so they could taste each other’s meals too.
Dessert at Yama
Whenever we go out for dinner with our kids, they most look forward to the dessert. Fortunately Yama's menu didn't give us a reason to skip it. We ended up ordering all three, with five spoons, and shared them between us : the Shabetto (R90), a coconut lemongrass sorbet with blueberry and strawberry; the baked cheesecake (R110) with strawberry and cinnamon soil; and the dark chocolate brownie (R115) with blueberry sorbet and matcha. All three were excellent, and nothing went to waste - Manu had three empty plates to take back to the kitchen.
Before we left, the kids were each given an origami animal from the Ōku team next door, a small touch that went a long way with three children who were, by that point, very full and very tired (maagies vol, oogies toe is a great saying for good reason).
We left Yama feeling so very grateful to have three very different kids who all enjoyed their restaurant experience without a single "I don't like this." Between the food, the setting and Manu's service, it's easy to see why Yama has become such a fixture on Franschhoek's main road - we'll be back, with our kids in tow.
For more of what we got up to that weekend, read up about our stay at the Fransvliet Estate (coming soon).
Exclusive specials for Roasted Dad readers
We've arranged something for readers keen to explore the rest of Ryan Shell's Franschhoek restaurants:
At Ōku: enjoy a complimentary sake tasting — the Yama Sake Journey, a tasting of four sakes, worth R310.
At Eleven: enjoy a complimentary wine pairing with the tasting menu, worth R750 per person.
Add “TheRoastedDad” as a special mention in the Novel booking system to redeem either offer.
Location and Opening Hours
You can find Yama at Heritage Square, 9 Huguenot Road, Franschhoek, right next to Ōku.
Contact info: 021 023 4695 | make a booking
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are solely our own and based on our experience. At times we may be compensated for reviews placed on this blog, however we always maintain the rights to share our true opinion on the full experience, to maintain our integrity and the authenticity of the review posted.
About Shawn Godfrey
Photo credit: Niki M Photography
Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.
On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (8), Olivia (6) and Harvey (4).
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