Tag Archives:

Tag Archives:

You are here: Home » Posts tagged "Korean"

New gluten free additions to the Menu at The Gaya Applecross

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Korean, Perth, Restaurants
Chompchomp dined as a guest of The Gaya Applecross
 

Being gluten free and having a mostly vegetarian husband, Korean restaurants are not usually our type of thing. From my experience it is a type of cuisine that tends to use marinades containing gluten and will also have a lot of meat based dishes. At the beginning of the year I was invited to visit The Gaya in Applecross where I was amazed at the number of gluten free options on their menu. I got so excited I nearly ordered everything and struggled to sleep that night as I had eaten way too much. It was a fabulous night out with the food exceeding our expectations in both its presentation and taste. We both agreed we should make plans to return but never actually got around to doing it. Six months later Gaya’s Head Chef Leo invited me to return back to his restaurant to try a few of his new dishes.

"yook jijimi" "Korean Royal court cuisine" "beef pancake" "glutinous rice flour" "egg" "roasted pine nut grain salt" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Yook jijimi ($12, GF)

In contrast to our previous visit, the restaurant was much busier with most tables booked and the lights dimmed to create a more ambient atmosphere. I scanned over the menu and noted there were still a reasonable number of gluten free dishes available however a few that were previously gluten free were no longer so including the arancini. I enquired to Leo the reason for this and he informed me that he has had difficulty obtaining gluten free panko crumbs. Such a shame as his arancini were really good! Never mind, we were here to try the new dishes and not stuff our faces with favourites of the past!

"tofu kimchi" "grilled tofu" "stir fried kimchi" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Tofu kimchi ($12, GF)

Our first dish was the grilled tofu with homemade kimchi. The tofu was silken soft with the texture of egg custard. The kimchi was mild without too much kick in it much to the relief of the Boy who can get quite grumpy if I order spicy food that he cannot eat.

"enoki" "yook jijimi" "Korean Royal court cuisine" "beef pancake" "glutinous rice flour" "egg" "roasted pine nut grain salt" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Yook jijimi ($12, GF)

Our second starter was yook jijimi, a type of beef pancake. Thin slices of beef coated in glutinous rice flour and egg were fried and served with Korean garlic chives, crispy fried enoki mushrooms and roasted pine nut salt. In traditional Korean herbal medicine garlic chives are commonly used for a variety of benefits. Chef Leo loves adding them to many of his dishes to help give his customers “good health”.

"beef brisket salad" "mixed salad" "mesclun leaves" "tomato" "cucumber" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Beef brisket salad ($14, GF)

For this visit to Gaya I managed to show much greater self-control and only ordered us three starters instead of the five that we ate last time. Our third starter was the beef brisket salad. Leo informed me that brisket is a popular cut of meat used in Korea however he has discovered it isn’t one commonly sold in Perth. He has managed to source his brisket from a specialised local Korean butcher. The brisket was sliced and lightly grilled to give a strangely buttery texture due to its high fat content. It was served with a mixed salad of mesclun leaves, tomato and cucumber. As the Boy doesn’t really eat much meat he left this one for me to enjoy.

"side dishes" "Korean meatball" "chopped tofu" "vegetable" "white kimchi" "radish kimchi" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Complementary side dishes

To accompany our main meals we once again each received the complimentary side dish. This dish changes most evenings so regular customers won’t get the same dish twice. This night we were served Korean meatball with chopped tofu and vegetable, white kimchi and radish kimchi.

"grilled salmon" "yuzu marinate" "salmon" "vegetable" "coconut rice" "Korean chilli sauce" "pumpkin" "eggplant" "enoki mushroom" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Grilled yuzu salmon ($30, GF)

The Boy got little choice with selecting his meals as it was my goal was to try to order anything on the menu that fitted my two criteria; one that it was gluten free, and two that it was a new, yet to be tried dish. For our first main I ordered the grilled salmon.

"grilled salmon" "yuzu marinate" "salmon" "vegetable" "coconut rice" "Korean chilli sauce" "pumpkin" "eggplant" "enoki mushroom" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

The thick salmon steak had been marinated in yuzu allowing the flavours to penetrate right through the fillet. I prefer my salmon to be served rare and it was cooked a little bit past this point however still remained quite soft and flaky.

"grilled salmon" "yuzu marinate" "salmon" "vegetable" "coconut rice" "Korean chilli sauce" "pumpkin" "eggplant" "enoki mushroom" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

It accompanied a warm stack of vegetables including zucchini, pumpkin, eggplant and enoki mushrooms with a polite sized ball of sticky coconut rice. The dish was an interesting balance of sweet and citrus ending with a spicy finish from the Korean chilli sauce drizzled over the top. The fusion of more Western styled vegetables with the remaining Korean components worked well to my relatively untrained palate.

"ginseng chicken" "samgyetang" "traditional Korean" "wellbeing" "chicken broth" "ginseng" "sticky rice" "red dates" "soy mustard sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Samgyetang ($28, GF)

"ginseng chicken" "samgyetang" "traditional Korean" "wellbeing" "chicken broth" "ginseng" "sticky rice" "red dates" "soy mustard sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Samgyetang ($28, GF)

Our second dish was the samgyetang; a type of ginseng chicken soup. Samgyetang is a dish commonly served in Korean during summer as it is claimed to help replenish the body with nutrients lost through sweating. A whole baby chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, red dates, garlic and ginger. Traditionally a number of medicinal herbs are also added to the broth.

"ginseng chicken" "samgyetang" "traditional Korean" "wellbeing" "chicken broth" "ginseng" "sticky rice" "red dates" "soy mustard sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Samgyetang ($28, GF)

Whilst this appeared to be a simple bowl of chicken soup, once I sipped the broth I realised what care had been taken in its preparation as the flavours were very nourishing and heart-warming. Whilst I struggled to imagine drinking this soup in the heat of summertime, I could easily picture myself snuggled up to the cats, sick in bed with the flu whilst sipping on this delicious medicine to aid my recovery.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Complementary dessert (not GF)

As an interlude whilst we made room for dessert, we were given the second complementary dish of the evening. It was a serve of small shortbread-like biscuits that I correctly presumed not to be gluten free and left them for the Boy to nibble on. He told me the biscuit was nothing particularly special but I thought it was a nice touch for customers to receive something extra for free.

"korean pancake" "ho tuck" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Gaya Ho-tuck ($8, GF)

For dessert I caved and ordered the Gaya Ho-tuck, one of my favourites from our previous visit. Ho-tuck is a type of Korean pancake that is served by street food vendors in Korea. They consist of small pancakes made with glutinous rice flour and stuffed with brown sugar, sunflower seeds, peanuts and pine nuts before being deep-fried.  The ho-tuck are then dusted in cinnamon and sugar before being torched to caramelise before serving. Not something I would recommended if you have a heart problem or diabetes, but for the rest of us a delightful treat.

"Gaya" "gold pave chocolate""mixed grain" "green tea" "matcha" "cacao" "24 carat gold flake" "barley" "non-glutinous rice" "sweet rice" "bean" "sesame" "adlay" "millet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Gaya Gold Pave chocolate ($9, GF except for the mixed grain flavour)

The new dessert on the menu is the Gaya’s homemade Gold Pave chocolates. Three different flavours of homemade chocolates topped with flamboyant gold flakes certainly made a sparking bright end to the night. The three flavours were cacao, matcha and mixed grain.

"Gaya" "gold pave chocolate""mixed grain" "green tea" "matcha" "cacao" "24 carat gold flake" "barley" "non-glutinous rice" "sweet rice" "bean" "sesame" "adlay" "millet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Cacao

"Gaya" "gold pave chocolate""mixed grain" "green tea" "matcha" "cacao" "24 carat gold flake" "barley" "non-glutinous rice" "sweet rice" "bean" "sesame" "adlay" "millet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Matcha (green tea)

The cacao and matcha flavours were gluten free but the mixed grain contained barley along with rice, bean, sesame and adlay (a type of millet). Leo advised me that he is likely to remove the barley from this in the future to make this third chocolate gluten free like the others.

"Gaya" "gold pave chocolate""mixed grain" "green tea" "matcha" "cacao" "24 carat gold flake" "barley" "non-glutinous rice" "sweet rice" "bean" "sesame" "adlay" "millet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "gluten free blog" "fructose friendly raw food" "korean gluten free" "korean Perth" "Korean" "Korean fusion" "Gaya Applecross" "the Gaya" "The Gaya Applecross" "Applecross gluten free" "Asian gluten free Perth" "Riseley Street" "gaya gluten free"

Mixed grain

It was wonderful to return to the Gaya once again and see that Chef Leo and his team’s hard work is paying off with a fully booked restaurant, an interesting and changing menu and very affordable dishes.

The Gaya Applecross
Shop 3 & 4, 3 Kearns Crescent, Ardross WA | (08) 9364 8887 | www.the-gaya.com
 
Chompchomp dined as a guest of The Gaya Applecross. As it is too hard to be 100% subjective with a complementary meal I will refrain from giving a review or score and will purely just document my experience.

The Gaya Applecross on Urbanspoon

Gluten Free Glory at The Gaya Applecross

Posted by  | Categories: Desserts, Featured, Korean, Perth, Restaurants
Disclosure: Chompchomp was invited to dine as a guest of The Gaya Applecross.
 

My past experience of Korean food has been limited to the typical BBQ style restaurants that have been spotted around Perth for years. As most of these places heavily marinate their meats in soy based sauces I have avoided them because I presumed my gluten free options would be limited. When I received an invitation from Head Chef Leo to dine at his new Korean restaurant The Gaya Applecross, I came very close to dismissing this offer as a waste of my time. Luckily before doing so, I had a quick look at their menu and was blown away to see not only were there many gluten free options but over 80% of the menu was in fact gluten free!

"Clairault" "Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot" "Clairault Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

The Gaya Applecross is tucked away in a cluster of restaurants on Kearns Crescent off Riseley Street in Ardross. We visited them on a week night and arrived to find the higgledy piggledy parking area packed to the brim. I would dread to see how busy it looks on the weekend. There was a surprising hive of activity about and on a brief glance into some of the other restaurants I noticed that they all looked relatively full of customers. The Gaya is BYO which allowed us to bring one of the many bottles of wine we recently splurged on during our recent two Margaret River trips. We chose a 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot from Clairault Winery as I figured its medium bodied flavour and subtle oak would be a fair match to the very beef orientated menu.

"Complementary" "rice pancake" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Complementary starter rice pancake

Before ordering we were given a complementary serve of rice pancake. I noticed that other tables around me also received this complementary dish so this freebie is standard for all customers. With a thin crisp exterior and a chewy soft centre these triangular nibbles were a perfect teaser for what was to come next.

"gin" "plum juice" "tobiko" "mayo" "capers" "wakame" "salmon gravlax" "Salmon"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Salmon ($14 GF)

After ordering a succession of starter dishes, our food soon began coming out one by one and was always presented with a warming smile. The salmon gravlax was an interesting fusion of Korean and European ingredients. Leo informed me they marinate the fish for at least 48 hours in a mixture of gin and plum juice. Topped with tobiko-laced mayo and capers and nestled between spoonfuls of wakame each mouthful was extremely rich in flavour.

"arancini" "Italian" "basil pesto" "risotto rice" "pan-fried kimchi" "kimchi" "berry sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Arancini ($12 GF)

Being gluten free, it is not often that I get to enjoy arancini balls. The standard varieties of these Italian canapés are generally crumbed in wheat flour meaning it’s off the menu for me. Of the few I have had gluten free; it seems that it is hard to achieve the classic hard crunchy shell coupled with a creamy cheesy risotto centre. For these arancini, Chef Leo mastered getting the all-important textures right despite restricting himself to only using gluten free flours. I loved the unusual mix of Italian and Korean flavours of basil pesto risotto rice, pan-fried kimchi and dollops of sweet berry sauce. If we hadn’t already ordered so much food I could have eaten a couple more.

"cold beef roll salad" "beef" "asparagus" "capsicum" "cucumber" "enoki mushrooms" "cream cheese" "garlic chips" "Beef cream roll" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Beef cream roll ($14 GF)

Luckily I didn’t because I had already gotten a little carried away and ordered a LOT of the gluten free starters already. In my defence, I am not used to visiting Asian restaurants and being so spoilt for choice. The next starter we tried was the beef cream roll which was another Westernised version of a Korean cold beef roll salad.  Thinly sliced, marinated beef was wrapped carefully around spears of asparagus, capsicum, cucumber, enoki mushrooms and cream cheese and topped with crisp garlic chips.

"sweet potato noodles" "stir fried" "sesame oil" "vegetables" "beef" "carrot" "mushroom" "rice paper" "Japchae" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Japchae ($12 GF)

Japchae is a traditional Korean street food made of sweet potato noodles stir fired in sesame oil with various vegetables and sometimes also beef. The Gaya presented this dish a little differently by wrapping the noodles along with beef, carrot and mushroom in rice paper and then re-frying them to make them into some sort of fat dumpling.

"sweet potato noodles" "stir fried" "sesame oil" "vegetables" "beef" "carrot" "mushroom" "rice paper" "Japchae" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Japchae ($12 GF)

Despite their reasonable size they were still easy to eat and really tasty. This was one of my favourite starters.

"cod" "lightly battered" "glutinous rice flour" "soy mayo" "Fish jijimi" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Fish jijimi ($12 GF)

After the excitement of the previous starters, the fish jijimi was probably my least favourite entrée. This dish consisted of fillets of cod lightly battered in glutinous rice flour and served with soy mayo. The fish was light and fluffy but the dish lack the punchy originality that was present in all our previous offerings.

"spicy tomato" "pickled cabbage" "apple" "grated cooked sweet potato" "Palate cleanser" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Palate cleanser (complementary with a main meal)

I was nearly at full capacity by this point having shared no less than six starters and half a bottle of wine. I could have easily got away with squeezing in a shared main and dessert with the Boy but he had a keen appetite and insisted on ordering his own main. While agonising over our choices, we were given another complementary little dish as a palate cleanser. The items on this dish are changed regularly to keep it interesting so don’t expect to be served the same as me if you visit. We received some spicy tomato, pickled cabbage with apple and a ball of grated cooked sweet potato.

“whole pork belly” “sous-vide” “slow cooked” “sweet potato puree” “glazed apple” “fermented soy bean paste” “roasted garlic chips” “Korean chive salad” "36 Pork" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

36 Pork ($30 GF)

There weren’t any vegetarian main options for the Boy to choose from and as he isn’t a totally strict vegetarian he opted for the “36 Pork”. Rather than serving a pork crackling-encrusted style of porky dish that features on so many menus both Asian and Western; the Gaya do things a little different. The whole pork belly is marinated for 12 hours before being cooked sous-vide for a further 24 hours. The end result is near translucent, delicate pork flesh that is as soft as jelly. It was paired with sweet potato puree, glazed apple and smears of fermented soy bean paste. I hadn’t tried soy bean paste before however I have since learnt that it is one of the most commonly used condiments in authentic Korean cuisine.

“whole pork belly” “sous-vide” “slow cooked” “sweet potato puree” “glazed apple” “fermented soy bean paste” “roasted garlic chips” “Korean chive salad” "36 Pork" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

36 Pork ($30 GF)

The dish was topped with roasted garlic chips and a Korean chive salad. Korean chives are shorter and thicker than those found in Western dishes and are added to many Korean dishes for their claimed health properties. Traditional Korean herbal medicine will use chives for strengthening liver function, improving circulation, relieving back pain and treating colds and other ailments. Leo explained that he includes the chives in his dishes in order to provide his customers with these health benefits.

“TTeokgalbi” “Korean Royal court cuisine” “beef rib patties” “beef spare rib” “rice cakes” “yoghurt potato salad” “pickled oyster mushrooms” fried egg” “beef patty” "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

TTeokgalbi ($30 GF)

I ordered the “TTeokgalbi”, a dish taken from the Korean Royal court cuisine that is centred on beef rib patties. The meat from beef spare ribs is minced and marinated before being grilled on the hot plate. It was served with a variety of different yet interesting elements including some chewy, cinnamon dusted rice cakes that somewhat reminded me of the honey puffs we used to buy from the Greek stall as a child in the Adelaide Centre Markets.

“TTeokgalbi” “Korean Royal court cuisine” “beef rib patties” “beef spare rib” “rice cakes” “yoghurt potato salad” “pickled oyster mushrooms” fried egg” “beef patty” "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

TTeokgalbi ($30 GF)

Other elements in my TTeokgalbi included a scoop of smooth, creamy yoghurt potato salad and some rubbery pickled oyster mushrooms. The pickled mushrooms were stuffed with cucumber and capsicum and I nearly mistook them for some sort of dumpling. They had a strong sour taste that wasn’t entirely unpleasant and balanced the sweet and spicy elements nicely. The whole unusual creation was topped with a sunny side up fried egg. All the different components in my dish certainly kept me amused however I did feel the beef didn’t taste any more remarkable than any other well-made patty I’ve had.

"dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "Korean street food" "Korean pancake" "brown sugar" "sunflower seeds" "peanuts" "pine nuts" "deep fried" "cinnamon" "sugar" "Gaya Ho-tuck" "Hotteok" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Gaya Ho-tuck ($8)

On the home straight and truly stretched at the seams we had another look at the menu to order one dessert each. This really was gluttony in its extreme. All the dessert options were gluten free so we were free to share each other’s selections.  I ordered the “Gaya Ho-Tuck” which was an elegant version of a type of pancake sold by street food vendors in Korea.

"dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "Korean street food" "Korean pancake" "brown sugar" "sunflower seeds" "peanuts" "pine nuts" "deep fried" "cinnamon" "sugar" "Gaya Ho-tuck" "Hotteok" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Gaya Ho-tuck ($8)

These small round nuggets are stuffed with brown sugar, sunflower seeds, peanuts and pine nuts and then deep fried. Before serving they are dusted with cinnamon and more sugar and torched to caramelise the surface to a near black colour. Soft and fluffy on the outside yet chewy, nearly gooey on the inside these were right up my alley and got snuffled up pretty quickly.

"tiramisu" "fusion" chocolate soil" "dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "red bean paste" "Red Misu" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Red Misu ($8)

I had already fallen in love with the look of the “Red Misu” thanks to a number of fellow blogger’s beautiful photos so I encouraged the Boy to order himself this instead of his usual ice cream. This curious little dish is Chef Leo’s take on tiramisu with a neat little Korean twist. The sponge was still deeply seeped in Baileys and coffee as one would expect for a tiramisu but there was the surprise element of added red bean paste. The dessert was carefully presented in a miniature pot complete with chocolate soil and pebbles. Some may say this dish was simply too adorable to eat but its cuteness didn’t stop either of us further stuffing our faces despite our bulging waistlines.

"tiramisu" "fusion" chocolate soil" "dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "red bean paste" "Red Misu" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Red Misu ($8)

I am always suspicious to make a conclusion about a restaurant on the basis of a free meal as the chef knows in advance he is under scrutiny. However looking around the fairly busy dining room I could see plenty of happy customers enjoying their paid experience.

The Gaya offers something a bit different to your standard sizzling Korean restaurant with softly spoken, efficient service, oodles of gluten free options and creative, carefully presented food. Add to that it’s BYO licence and you can be sure I will be bringing my friends back here for a satisfying but inexpensive night out.

 The Gaya Applecross
Shop 3 & 4, 3 Kearns Crescent, Ardross WA | (08) 9364 8887 | www.the-gaya.com
 
Chompchomp dined as a guest of The Gaya Applecross. As it is too difficult to be 100% subjective with a complementary meal I will refrain from giving a review or score and this is purely just a documentation of my experience.

  The Gaya Applecross on Urbanspoon

Sukishi Charcoal Grill & Japanese Restaurant, Central Festival Phuket

Posted by  | Categories: Fast Food, Japanese, Korean, Restaurants, Seafood, Thailand, Travel

After nearly two years of preparations and a lot of blood, sweat and tears here we are……finally in Thailand for our wedding week extravaganza! With my insane desire for attention to detail, we had arrived 4 days prior to our wedding guests to finish off all our last minute preparations.  There were welcome presents to arrange for each of our guests, gifts for the parents, cake testing, hair and make-up trials and so much more! For the final touches to our wedding welcome gifts we headed into Phuket’s largest shopping centre Central Festival.

"Strawberry daiquiri" "cocktail" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Phuket Food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Thailand" "Thailand travel blog" "Phuket restaurants" "Phuket food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "Central Festival Phuket" "Sukishi" "sukishi phuket" "Japanese" "Korean" "Sushi" "sashimi" "seafood"

Strawberry daiquiri AKA “The Boy’s Pink Drink!”

I was trying so hard to be super adherent to my dietary requirements as I didn’t want any last minute facial eczema to ruin my bridal beauty preparations. Sushi is always a good option for me in these circumstances provided I stick to simple options. With this in mind we stopped at Sukishi Japanese Restaurant for a bite to eat.  I didn’t have any gluten free soy with me and hoped the sashimi would be fresh enough not to need any.

"Japanese Green Tea" "hot tea" "green tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Phuket Food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Thailand" "Thailand travel blog" "Phuket restaurants" "Phuket food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "Central Festival Phuket" "Sukishi" "sukishi phuket" "Japanese" "Korean" "Sushi" "sashimi" "seafood"

Japanese Green Tea

After weeks and week of being subjective to Slim Pasta, the Boy was rebelling against any form of weight loss and got back in to the Thai rhythm of things ordering himself a strawberry daiquiri. Despite not having a girlie bone in his body he certainly loves his pink drinks! I opted for some Japanese Green tea knowing that coffee in this place would be bound to disappoint. The tea was refreshing and uplifting and perfectly calorie free.

"tuna" "Sashimi set" "sashimi" "prawn" "salmon" "octopus" "kingfish" "snapper" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Phuket Food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Thailand" "Thailand travel blog" "Phuket restaurants" "Phuket food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "Central Festival Phuket" "Sukishi" "sukishi phuket" "Japanese" "Korean" "Sushi" "sashimi" "seafood"

Sashimi set

The menu was more like an encyclopaedia and it took us some time to look through all of its pages.  It contained a combination of Japanese sushi and sashimi with more Korean style BBQ meats.  Normally when we eat out we love ordering unusual things but with only a few days to go I didn’t want to risk any sort of reaction.  I stuck with a simple, but enormous serve of sashimi. The prices were dirt cheap compared to Perth with the whole “boat” costing us about 350 Baht (about $11 Aussie dollars). Bear in mind that this restaurant was in the middle of a touristy shopping centre so I’m sure it was considered pricey by Phuket standards meaning you could get such a meal even cheaper elsewhere.

"Viking Maki" "sushi roll" "salmon roll" "tobiko" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Phuket Food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Thailand" "Thailand travel blog" "Phuket restaurants" "Phuket food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "Central Festival Phuket" "Sukishi" "sukishi phuket" "Japanese" "Korean" "Sushi" "sashimi" "seafood"

Viking Maki

To fill the Boy up we ordered a couple of plates of sushi rolls in the hope that there wouldn’t be any gluten. To increase my chances of this I showed our waitress my Thai eating card with information regarding my allergies written in their language.  She nodded her head at our menu choices assuring me they were suitable.  Unfortunately however for both dishes the rolls contained seafood extender sticks in them and I didn’t want to take any chances as these are generally not gluten free.

"Norway maki" "salmon" "sushi roll" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Phuket Food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Thailand" "Thailand travel blog" "Phuket restaurants" "Phuket food blog" "Phuket restaurant reviews" "Central Festival Phuket" "Sukishi" "sukishi phuket" "Japanese" "Korean" "Sushi" "sashimi" "seafood"

Norway maki

After a few annoying attempts at poking the offending ingredient out with a chopstick I eventually gave up and left them for the Boy to eat for himself. Not such a bad thing as it stopped me stuffing me face right before the wedding anyway! The rolls were freshly made and the fish was delicate and soft.  Next visit I will be more prepared and bring my own gluten free soy which by the way, I suggest you bring with you from Australia as it is hard to find in Thailand. I usually bring a bottle with me whenever I travel in Asian countries.

My apologies for the poorer quality iPhone photos in this review.  Lugging dear “Gordon” (my Nikon SLR) with me shopping all day was not my cup of tea. 

Sukishi
3rd Floor, Central Festival Phuket, 74-75 Moo 5 Vichitsongkram Rd., Amphur Muang, Phuket 83000
 
Price:                     $
Food:                    6.5/10 (not bad for a shopping centre sushi joint!)
Service:                2.5/5 (meals were slow to come out but were made fresh to order)
Ambience:          2.5/5 (tables are set up like booths so although big and busy you still have privacy)
Total:                     11.5/20