Yana

Not far from the famous promenade and sparkly shores of Coogee Beach, Yana is a restaurant dedicated to open-flame cooking, top local produce, and warm hospitality. 

The 120-seat restaurant is headed up by chef Sam Lane, whose passion for fire-touched dining is the spark behind Yana. An acronym for "you are not alone", there's set to be a lot of heart and soul at Yana, laced with delicious smoky aromas and crisp Coogee Beach air. 

Lane's menu has been developed alongside a shopping list of NSW's top producers and suppliers: Dandaraga Springs (Southern Highlands), Tathra Place (Southern Highlands), Musset Holdings Family Farm (Southern Highlands), Altitude Chickens (Orange, NSW) and Binnie Beef (Hunter Valley), to name just a few. 

Kick-off with a selection of snacks perfect for coastal feasting, like house-made focaccia, Appellation oysters with finger lime, Hervey Bay scallops with kombu butter, and baby octopus with tomato caponata and nduja butter. 

Larger plates keep things simple, letting the produce shine through: like Humpty Doo barramundi with native herbs, Altitude chicken, and T-bone or scotch fillet with an oregano verde. For dessert, it's Lane's take on the classic s'more, made with dried raspberry, strawberry gum, and sea salt. 

Make the most of golden hour when Yana opens from 4pm Tuesday through Thursday, and sip house cocktails like the Yana Spritz with Passoa passionfruit, lemon, agave, prosecco and soda, or the Tropical Tommy’s with jalapeño-infused reposado tequila, guava, pineapple and lime.

Our go-to, however, will be the Oyster Martini, which features fresh oysters to create a totally unique beach-ready dry martini. 

Image credit: Yana | Supplied