Come To Gaia Korean Restaurant For Authentic Korea Food

Hi Huneybees,

Everything Korean is the fad these days. I have friends going ga-ga over all the Kpop idols, but for myself, I'm definitely a fan of the Korean cuisine. Here today is Gaia Korean Restaurant which used to be located in Suntec City is now moved to Holland Village!

Gaia Korean Restaurant was founded by Chef Chun Nam Won,  an acclaimed cooking teacher and an author to the book “Step by Step: Cooking Classic Korea.”   It all started when she was diagnosed with cancer several years ago and she realized that eating healthy was the best way to cure. But unfortunately, there were very few choices for her outside of her own kitchen.

So, when she recovered, she opened up Gaia Korean Restaurant to bring home- style, healthy Korean food to those who would like to explore the unique world of Korean food and culture, the healthy way.    

'Gaia' was adopted as the name not only because it represents one of the dynasties (Gaya Kingdom) in Korea, but it also means the Mother of Earth in the Greek mythology. Staying true to the name itself, Gaia promises healthy food that is similar to what you will get when you visit your Korean friend's home for a good meal. You can be assured that most of the seasoning, taste and flavors are from the fresh ingredients itself, and none from artificial additions.

When I first stepped into the restaurant, I was invited by the warmth of the restaurant. It feels exactly what you would expect of a Korean home and I was glad they were not blasting Kpop music, instead of soothing music, softly playing in the background, allowing us to be able to chat with each other.

Ok, onto the food. The Banchan was not to be missed, it will be served once you've got your orders taken and served with a warm cup of Solomon seal root tea, to get you started. I love how the dishes were not overly sweetened or saltish and everything were in just-right portions.

For appetizers, we  had the Black Garlic Mushroom Salad. This is something unique to Gaia and it is my must-have recommendation! I'm normally not a garlic type of person, but I was nibbling every bit of this salad. There's a slight vinergar-y taste to it and it's definitely very appetizing!

Then we had the Seafood Pancake. It's very light and different from those that I have at other restaurants. There isn't a thick layer of flour hiding the little ingredients. With Gaia's version, the ingredients were generous and I like the little chilli bits for the slight spicy punch.

Next is the star. Everyone would recognize Korean cuisine with their BBQ and here at Gaia, you can choose from the special platter that is put together for you to enjoy. The grill that they use are specially imported from Korea, which is smokeless when you cook the meat and you won't be leaving the restaurant smelling like BBQ-ed meat!

Last but not least, we had one of the specialty dishes - Haemul Ddukbboki. It's the Korean rice cake boiled in kimchi soup with dumplings, noodles, eggs and enoki mushrooms. It is very filling and it can actually be a main dish on its on. I love the soup as well as the chewy rice cake. *Oh no! I'm hungry again!*

And of course, the best way to enjoy these dishes with your friends, would be to have a nice cup of Makgeolli, sweet rice wine to go with. Cheers!

It was definitely a treat to taste authentic Korean food and if you like, you could even buy home some kimchi or get a copy of Chef Chun's cooking book, or even better, make an arrangement with Gaia to learn how to whip up those Korean dishes!

Gaia Korean Restaurant

17E lorong Liput
Holland Village
Singapore 277731

Tel : 6339 3313

http://www.gaiakorean.com/