When was a turning point for you?

Definitely, the encounter with the chef in Australia when I was 20. I wouldn’t have become a chef if I hadn’t met him. Also, the chef at Schnee Weiss in Berlin changed my life too. I don’t think I would have opened my own restaurant if I hadn’t met him. He taught me not only cooking, but also how to live and do business in Germany – literally from here to there.

Also, last but not least, Mr. Kuma, the CEO of a restaurant called KUMAMI was my inspiration too. He was always full of ideas, and I had a lot of takeaways for my restaurant. If I hadn’t met him, I honestly don’t think I could open this place. I have been to many restaurants in the world, but my encounter with KUMAMI was a huge turning point for me – as it was the representation of what my ideal dining space was.

Photo: Ari Matsuoka

Tell us about how you designed your restaurant.

It’s really hard to describe it in one word, but I always wanted to make it from scratch. At the end of the day, I think it’s just my ego, to be honest. I don’t know if everyone wants it, but if the space is comfortable for my guests, then I think I’m doing right.

Also, I think a restaurant could be like a cinema in some way. You could just come here as entertainment and enjoy a meal just like that. I want my guests to enjoy the whole experience – from seeing a kitchen through the counter to getting relaxed with music, you know. I want them to feel it with five senses. This is not just a place to just eat and drink and then go home.

One of our strengths is that we can communicate with our guests in their languages. It means instead of just serving customers food, we can tell them the stories behind. It’s a small restaurant; we only have limited seats. We can literally communicate with them properly, face-to-face, and talk about something privately too. Through our restaurant, we hope that our guests will explore “food” on another level.

© YUUMI

How do you make a course menu?

I use seasonal ingredients and think of today’s menu every morning when I bought them. I like to clear my fridge empty by the next day. Of course, things like sauces are something you have to prepare the day before. But other than that, I always make it on the day. If my ingredients are not fresh, I just feel uncomfortable. I know it’s such a simple thing, but I also know how different it is by taking a lot of time and efforts every day – so I wouldn’t think it as a waste.

I think “cooking” starts before you walk into the kitchen, so there are certain things I don’t want to be lazy about. I feel like there has been a lot of learning over the past years to make this restaurant happened. From paperwork to construction, everything was new to me. Especially for the interior that includes constructing wires, I had to do a lot by myself, which made everyone laughed as I was putting so much time and effort.

As I said earlier, I designed this restaurant to last long – like 5 or 10 years. I know that buildings or some parts of buildings could break or get fragile at some point, but when that happens, I should be the one who knows what is broken – that was the whole point that I constructed it on my own. It is essential for me to really understand the space to maintain the place for a long time.

As you grow up, you are learning new things less and less. But this whole experience that allowed me to do everything from scratch has become such a valuable learning path for me, and for my future.

Anything you are planning for Restaurant YUUMI?

One of the goals, for now, is continuing what we are doing now. It would be great to carefully craft every single dish – not just for a year, but 5 years, or even 10 years from now. I know humans can get sneaky enough to get lazy. But that’s not what I want to do. I want to improve the quality of my recipe every single second, always with our goal in mind.

Once you get to know the owner and his wife, you’ll see how much they care about their restaurant – there was simply love. On the day we interviewed them, a couple based in Berlin were visiting their place to celebrate their anniversary. You can see how this place is creating new stories every day and bringing love to the people.

Restaurant YUUMI
Address: Emanuelstr 1, 10317 Berlin
Closed on Sundays & Mondays
Reservation only
https://www.restaurantyuumi.com