It’s all in the details at hidden gem Gaya Korean Restaurant

The experience starts when diners are presented with a black dish containing two small white objects, are they marshmallows or lifesavers? Neither. When the waitress pours boiling water over them they grow taller and turn into delightfully warm hand towels.

Next come two complimentary starters, the first two crisp domes made of cheese, the second was a Korean style rice pancake with vegetables.

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

The entrée was crab arancini. We did spend some time pondering whether arancinis were Korean or Italian which tested our high school geography and history, as we considered whether any Italian explorers had ever set foot in Korea. But then we remembered the restaurant is ‘Modern Korean’. Either way when we cracked into the crisp outer layer and experienced the generous creamy crab filling, we didn’t care which country laid claim to the arancini, we were just pleased they were on our plate. In some restaurants the crab taste can get lost, but on this occasion there was no mistaking it was crab.

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

The Seafood Stew arrived in a gorgeous rustic caldron with a wooden spoon and two pieces of garlic bread. It looked wonderful and inspired thoughts of witches casting spells, or maybe that was just me. Full of prawns, scallops, squid, fish and loads of finely cut vegetables it was reminiscent of my mothers much loved vegetable soup. There was so much we couldn’t finish it.

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

The prawns and noodle dish was equally flavoursome and plentiful. My dining partner was worried about the amount of spice, but the chef accommodated this by bringing us a bowl of special liquid that would help cool the dish down (no not just water). In the end we didn’t end up using it. The prawns were plump and the fresh noodles went down way too easily. We were soon pondering whether we could fit in dessert.

 

 

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

Sacrifices had to be made, so we threw away any diet plans and opted for Green Tea ice cream (shown at the top of the post), which was reminiscent of the one I’d had at Nobu, plus Redmisu  (tiramisu with red beans) which again had us debating the voyage of Italian explorers.

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

The food at Gaya is high quality, stylish and most importantly delicious. It’s also excellent value for money at $45 for the set menu and around $28 for mains.

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

The service was very professional and friendly.

The décor and atmosphere were good, there’s plenty of space between tables so you don’t have to hear other diners conversations, and the music level allows you to hear what your guest is saying.

cont.

Gaya Modern Korean © The Ponder Room

1. It’s always a good sign when you go to a Korean restaurant and there’s a huge table of Korean girls sitting next to you.
2. On the way out we met the chef, Leo, who used to work at Gypsy Tapas in Fremantle. He asked us for an honest assessment about anything we’d change. We could only come up with three suggestions, to: (a) increase the size of the print on the menu, though this could be a function of the vast number of dishes on offer, our dwindling eye sight or the romantic darkened corner we were in (b) maybe the waitresses could have a little bit more knowledge about what’s in the dishes, though this wasn’t really a problem (c) the quality and presentation of the food is of such a high quality that you’d expect to see it in fancy surroundings like one of the fine dining restaurants in the Crown. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with the décor, it’s just that the food is so good (am I raving too much now). Given that the restaurant has only been open for 9 months and no doubt the money has gone into the food (thankfully), marketing etc. I would imagine this may change as time goes on.

Gaya is tucked away down a laneway which means I can truthfully call it a ‘hidden gem’. I’ll definitely be going back as I’ve already thought of two more friends who’d enjoy Gaya. Congratulations to Leo and the team it was a great night and fabulous meal.