The Gaya - Modern Korean Restaurant

I got a lovely surprise in my Urbanspoon inbox last week. It was from Deokhoon Cho or "Leo", the owner and head chef, inviting me and bf to the opening launch of his new restaurant in Ardoss/Applecross area - The Gaya. The restaurant is on the cafe strip in Applecross/Ardoss area on Kearns Crescent on the opposite end of the arcade where Gelare's ice creamery is located.

The Gaya, just opened 2 months ago and  Leo explained to me that his vision is to create traditional Korean dishes with a modern flair and to fuse Korean with his Italian culinary experience. I must say I was a little hesitant with fusion restaurants, because it can either be amazing if done correctly or a mess, however, Gaya has got the right stuff! Leo's knowledge of traditional Korean dishes with his experience and training in Italian cuisines resulted in the perfect marriage of a fusion, modern Korean restaurant that will appeal to lovers of Korean food and those with a more modernized palate. 

Head Chef of The Gaya - Deokhoon Cho "Leo"

The restaurant is really quaint with a lovely zen garden at the back corner, wooden table and chairs that reflects its Asian heritage. The lighting were like little lanterns and on the counter there is even a "gold crown" with a explanation on a particular Korean history that the restaurant is named after, the Gaya (part of the Three Kingdoms of Korea). It was cosy, cute and homely.

We started off the night with an appetizer, which was a traditional Korean snack made of glutenous rice, oats, sesame seeds and honey. 

The little cube of appetizer was sticky, sweet, and the oats and sesame gave it a crunchy texture. It started off the night rather nicely.

The entrees were hard to chose. There was a variety, each sounding as delicious and yummy as the next. It took as a while to decide which ones bf and I wanted. 

We ended up with the beef cream roll - asparagus, inoki mushroom, capsicum, cucumber and cream cheese wrapped in thinly sliced beef and barbecued. The dish was drizzled with traditional Korean bbq sauce. The beef was sliced so thin that it acted like a wanton wrap/rice paper wrap highlighting the delicious vegetable produce, which was bbq-ed to perfection. It was such a nice twist to a what would be a traditional bulgogi beef dish.

Beef cream roll ($14)

We also opted for a more traditional Korean dish, the fish jijimi, which is a fish pancake. It was so light, fluffy and the fish fillet was beautifully silky. The batter wasn't thick either, it didn't overpower the fish fillet, the batter was thin highlighting the silky beautiful fish fillet. It was the preferred dish for both bf and I. Dip the fish jijimi into the soy mayo sauce and it's such perfect.

Fish Jijimi ($12)

The entree was followed complimentary, almost palate cleanser dish. There was the kimichi tomato, soy potato and pickled radish. Sweet, tangy, salty flavours prepared our palate for mains.

Like the entrees, bf and I had such difficulty choosing a main to eat, because there was a few that sounded absolutely delicious. After much indecisiveness we chose two dishes that were very much fusion, modern Korean. It is here that you can really taste Leo's expertise in Korean dishes with his understanding, respect and prior experience of Italian foods, because both the mains we chose were the perfect marriage of the two cuisines.

Bf ordered one of The Gaya's most popular dishes, the 36 hour Pork. The pork belly is cooked for at least 36 hours and was placed on top of creamy sweet potato puree paired with a side of tangy, slighly spicy Korean chives salad, glazed apple and soybean paste sauce. This really was modern Korean dish, with flavours of spicy, tangy of Korean, balanced perfect with the sweetness of the glazed apple. The pork belly itself was tender, beautifully cooked and in the words of my bf (who loves his pork belly and loves it with crackle and crispy - for him to say this is a big deal!) "This is second best pork belly dish... The first best being made by me!". I was lucky enough to get a taste test of this and it really was beautiful. I especially loved the chives salad eaten with the pork belly.

36 hour Pork Belly ($30)

I opted for the Beef Short Rib; traditional Korean-style beef short ribs simmered for 24 hours in a beautiful broth consisting of red dates with hearty vegetables of potato and carrot topped with parsnip chips. O.M.G this dish was absolutely heavenly. It was hearty, meaty, extremely tender, it melted in your mouth. The vegetables were also cooked really well. The only disappointment was that I had to leave all the yummy gravy behind because there wasn't anything I can soak it up with! It was also little salty for me, but then I have a low salt tolerance. But this dish is fabulous. It would be even more lovely in winter.

Beef Short Ribs ($30)

After mains, comes the best part of the night... DESSERTS! I really wanted the homemade Red Misu, but bf couldn't really eat any of the other dishes on the menu due to the contents of nuts and anyway he wanted it so I tried something else. 

Red Misu ($8)

The Red Misu was presented as a little pot plant topped with chocolate milo-like soil, chocolate egg-like rocks and mint. It's called a Red Misu because it is tiramisu (biscuits was well soaked in lovely espresso!) mixed through with red bean. It was lovely and I wouldn't mind having it more than just a couple of spoons next time.

My dessert was based on a traditional Korean street food/ho-tuck (snack food). Traditionally it is a warm pancake/brioche-like snack food in Korea. Leo's Gaya Ho-Tuck provides this traditional Korean dish with a modern twist by drizzling it with honey, chocolate with fruits and nuts on the side. The dessert is perfect in winter as it comes out warm. I really enjoyed it and I haven't had anything like this before. Definitely will be getting this again! Not too sweet and not too rich but still makes you feel warm and fuzzy, like you got a big cuddle! The only disappointing thing was the caramel pieces of shards which were burnt! 

Gaya Ho-Tuck ($8)

The Gaya - Modern Korean Restaurant is a little gem of a restaurant and such a good find! Chef Leo's experience in a wealth of restaurants around the world has created modern Korean dishes that are well executed with punches of flavours. There are so many dishes on the menu that I want to try. Bf and I are thinking of bringing back our friends to check out more of the menu. So if you are after a unique Korean experience then head to the Gaya. 

In the meantime I want to thank Leo and his lovely staff for the invitation to try your lovely restaurant. I was such a pleasure to meet you all and WOW to the menu! You will be seeing me again soon!

Seoul BBQ Cafe

In the last few months my dad discovered Groupon. Since then he has been buying these lunch deals from there and taking us along. He has been very fascinated with the deals and have been calculating and maximising the coupon to make it worth buying the deal in the first place.

One of the latest places that we went to was Seoul BBQ Cafe - it was once upon a time my quick yummy lunch fix when I used to be a student and working to get some experience in the health field at $8/hour (hard slave labour wages! Don't think health professionals earn a lot because it's all a myth! - you could have gotten more working at Myers, David Jones and Maccas!!).

Anyway, for those that don't know, Seoul BBQ cafe is located upstairs, from Woolworths, but at the other end of that concourse area. It's also not really a cafe, because it's more like a canteen opening where you place your order then there are seats in the arcade/veranda area, where pigeons love to hang out.

Anyway, without the coupon the place is dirt cheap as it is, between $7.50-$11.50 and you get decent sized portions of their mains that you order. With the coupon, it was for 4 mains + 2 entrees (entrees being gyoza and chilli chicken wings) + 4 drinks for $29.

So for our "entrees" we got a plate of gyoza and a plate of chilli chicken wings.

The gyoza were dry and seemed like they have been sitting around for a while. The stuffing wasn't great either.

Gyoza on the Right and a Bowl of Miso (that came with the mains) on the right

The chilli chicken wings/there was also a drumstick in there.. on the other hand were delicious! Nice and crunchy with the right amount of spice. I wish we got two serves of it instead.

Chilli Chicken Wings

Then the mains. Each main came with a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, sides of bean sprout salad and a rather depressing looking salad (which really was lettuce and tomato drenched in salad dressing) and dipping sauces. Not bad for usual price of $7.50-$11.50.

So what did we get?

I love their Bibimbap. Apart from the bibimbap sauce (which I know you can get it yourself at the Korean Supermarkets..), the mix of slightly sticky, soft rice with vegetables and meat and topped with egg (runny egg might I add) is just so satisfying. In reality though, it's the sauce that makes it awesome. The sauce mixed with runny egg york - so good. It's like having a homemade meal - making you feel all warm and fuzzy, except not.

Pork Bibimbap - 

before the mix of the sauce and all the ingredients together

Mum got the Dak Gogi (Chicken bbq dish), which was rather very normal, but the flavours of their grill/bbq through the meat and the marinate was what makes a rather boring dish, not so.. well boring. It is healthier option for lunch than a lot of other places and you get a fair bit of diced chicken and paired with the rice, sides and miso soup it is a big enough serving for lunch.

Dak Gogi

Dad got the Daeji Gogi (pork grill/bbq dish), again a rather simple dish, but the marinate is the highlight of it all. I found the pork a little tougher than the chicken (but then that is generally the case). Again, more than adequate main for lunching. 

Daeji Gogi

Two meats BBQ

My brother on the other hand got his intake of protein and carbs by ordering the two meat bbq dish. You get a choice of chicken, beef  or pork and he chose the chicken (highest protein out of the three meats) and beef. Again, it is the marinated of the meats and the bbq taste that makes the dish. 

Overall, Seoul BBQ Cafe is your cheap (and possibly cheaper) alternative to your food court menu. The menu isn't exactly big but it has enough variety to keep things interesting. It's simple, but sometimes that is the best. The only down side to this place is the pigeons. And when people leave and plates don't get put away on time, they swoop to eat off the plate. Really unhygienic that way. But generally, the staff are good and the plates get put away fairly quickly. Also note, the place is only open for lunch hours 11am-3pm. They can get busy and seats are limited but they do serve fairly quickly (it took them only about 10 to 15 minutes after ordering for all of our food to come out - not bad at all!).

Ps. My dad told me off for taking photos of food.. but having said that mum was like "hmm.. she has a blog she has to do it.. " Mum so cool like that. ^_^

Took Bae Kee 1 (Took Begi)

I haven't eaten at a Korean restaurant in ages, I've always had a bit of a hit-miss experiences with korean restaurants and they never seem to impressive much. In fact a lot of them taste the same. Yes bbq meat and making you smell like bbq afterwards, not exactly the best (although I do love korean bbq).. and their hot pots - all seem to taste the same.

But in recent years there have been so many Korean restaurants popping up all over Perth. This particular one; Took Bae Kee 1 does good dishes at student friendly prices and when they have two restaurants a block from each other (the one I went to is number 1 and is the original one - duh!) and there is always a huge line here for dinner (exception of Monday nights), you know you are in good hands.

The restaurant is tiny; seats about 20 and the food comes out quick, you eat quick (because you are ravenous by the time you get your table - waiting time usually isn't long 10 mins) and then you get hurried out the door quick. It's not a place where you sit, eat then sit back and talk - the girls will kick you out. They also don't allow you to wait in the restaurant and you can understand why when you get there. It's tiny. They are also not the friendliest of waitresses either, but they are efficient.

The menu is rather extensive, they have the Korean bbq on hot plates, bibimbaps, soup, dumplings, Korean potato noodles, individual hot pots, rice cake and all things Korean. Of course you also get your complimentary sides dishes of curry egg salad, kimchi, beansprout salad and lotus pickle. There was 5 of us around a small table and we ended up ordering too many dishes (which we still managed to clean up), there was a rice cake dish, 3 bbq dishes, bibimbap, soup, Korean pancake and potato noodle.

The complimentary side dishes

The rice cake was probably one of my favourites. The spicy sauce used to cook the rice cake is amazing - spicy, little salty and a little creamy and a little bit like curry too. The rice cake themselves is a little bit like gnocchi in texture and a bit like glutenous cake but less sticky. We had it with chicken. Worth getting and trying something a little different; not just your Korean bbq or soup!

 

The chicken rice cake

Then there was the Korean pancake. I like the way Took Bae Kee make their pancakes. It's not too dough or eggy and there is so much of the stuffing inside. This time around instead of my usual kimchee (or kimchi) I got the pork slices, vegetables and kimchee pancakes. It was a little bit milder in flavours than the kimchee pancakes, and you can't really taste the pork slices, they must have fine diced it too much. Next time I know just to get their kimchee pancakes because I know that is pretty damn good and satisfying.

Pork, vegetables and kimchee pancake

The beef sliced potato noodles in soy sauce was very refreshing and almost cleansing. The clear noodles have a texture that is silky and almost like jelly. I think the dish lacked a bit of flavour, all I could really get was soy sauce with a faint hint of seasame.

Beef slice potato noodles

CN and AL ordered the bibimbap and I didn't get a chance to try it but the chilli bibimbap sauce I layered it on my dishes. It's just too nice! By the way for those that don't know - bibimbap is a dish that can be eaten by one person and is usually not shared. It has lots of vegetables with rice at the bottom and meat at the top (with or without runny fried egg on top). This is to be all mixed with a bottle of specially made bibimbap sauce (added by you to your liking). It's delicious! Try it if you haven't so already and you be hooked.

 

 Chicken Bibimbap

Tofu soup

CN ordered the tofu soup. It was spicy, bit salty but the broth is so yummy. I wanted to try what the dish was like with all the tofu and egg in it, but I only had bits of it at the end. Definately will warm up the belly on a cold winter's day.

 

Then there was the three bbq dishes - spicy chicken, spicy sliced pork and spicy pork, kimchee and tofu. They all started tasting the same afterwards - spicy and hot. The chicken one however was tender! The spicy sliced pork; the pork was fatty and it was a little tough and the kimchee, pork and tofu I think is better than the spicy sliced pork and for some reason the pork wasn't as tough and the tofu seemed to mellow out the spiciness of the dish and gave it a silky texture to it. All bbq dishes comes with a side of rice.

 

Spicy chicken BBQ

Spicy sliced pork bbq

 

Spicy pork, kimchee and tofu bbq

So the whole meal came to about $20/head, which I think is amazing value. We were all very very full and satisfied afterwards. Took Bae Kee, gives you decent sized dishes at afforadable prices (most expensive item on the menu is about $15). It's yummy, it has spicy (and extra spicy at request) for those with a chilli kick and for those who aren't into spicy they do have sweet dishes too. It's efficient and it's quick and it's all in the centre of the city on Pier street.

But ...

You know there is always room for dessert. So in keeping with the Korean theme JC and I went next door to the Korean grocerer and got ourselves some ice-cream. He opted for black seasame and I grabbed an unusual sweet corn ice-cream with actual sweet corn inside! JC said that it's good so I thought hey why not try it. It's really strange, but it tastes like frozen condensed milk with corn (which I'm sure if condense milk is not frozen and you put it on fresh corn it would be nice). In terms of ice-cream its weird, it isn't bad, but I wouldn't say it's the best. Not for everybody, but you should try it out if you are daring, who knows you might love it!

 

Sinabro

A couple of the boys and I headed to Northbridge on a hump day to recover from the mid-week slump and spend some time with Al who is going to be returning to Sydney soon. We were going to take him to La Cholita, but it was packed and over-flowing with people. We ended up going to a Korean restaurant on Francis street, called Sinabro.

Sinabro has two separate sections; The front (indoors and lovely looking) is a buffet of Korean marinated meats for BBQ and so forth and the back of the restaurant, in what looks like some dingy hawkers place in Hong Kong somewhere is the a la carte area, where you can get the Korean hot pots, BBQ, pancakes and anything Korean.

Despite its appearance, you know you are at an authentic place when majority of the diners are Koreans.

We opted for the Korean BBQ as the nights were still a little chilly even if we had hit summer.

We ordered the chicken BBQ and the chilli pork. The bbq came with little charcoal pieces enclosed in metal basket which you cook your meats on.

What I find annoying with the bbq-ing though is that your clothes and hair and everything really smells like the bbq. Despite all that, Sinabro marinates their meats really well that when it was bbq-ed the taste well and truly comes out. And the marinate itself is delicious. The pork was nice and tender before it was cooked, so when it was cooked it was just as tender. It didn't seem to have too much fat either.

The chicken on the other hand was a little fatty, but that was easily fixed with a bit of creative use with the scissors.

I love it how the two boys bbq-ed the whole meal for me though. It was lovely like that.

Common with many Korean restaurants, Sinabro provides side dishes that comes "free" with every meal. They had a serving of kimchi - which I found rather disappointed - it lacked the real kimchi spicy flavour and didn't seem homemade - in fact I'm pretty sure it was from one of the pre-packed because I thought I say the pre-packed bags near the area where we sat. Apart from the kimchi they gave salad (which was rather bland) and a rice vermicelli dish. I would have to say of all the Korean restaurants I've been to, Sinabro had the most disappointed side offers - it was bland and I felt as though because it was complimentary they didn't care what it tasted like. In other words, I've had better.

Apart from the bbq we shared the kimchi pancakes - which again wasn't too bad, although I felt as though they put too much batter and not enough kimchi. And the kimchi wasn't spicy and not really sour either. It was rather disappointing, although the serving was large.

Overall, I love the ambience - the feeling of being transported to the hawkers streets of Asia, the student prices as well as offering a variety of Korean dishes. The BBQ was probably one of the better ones I've had in Perth, the meats were marinated well (I'm not sure what kind of marinate it is, but it was sensational - not too salty, not too chilly, but complementing the juicyness of the meat). However, their kimchi and the pancake was disappointed and I find it particularly weird that a Korean restaurant can't make good kimchi - it makes me blow my mind!