This was our most disappointing meal of the year, and definitely top 5 disappointing meals of all time. We heard great things about Gaea circa 2021, and seeing they still maintained their 2 hats from Good Foods, we thought it would be amazing but alas….
Gaea is a “modern Australian with European inspiration” restaurant located in Fitzroy. The set menu was $185 per person. The beverage pairing was $125 per person. We were also offered extra truffle for three of their dishes for an extra $50 per person.
Gaea is a “modern Australian with European inspiration” restaurant located in Fitzroy. The set menu was $185 per person. The beverage pairing was $125 per person. We were also offered extra truffle for three of their dishes for an extra $50 per person.
Menu XXXI
We were served welcome tea at the start. The seating arrangement was strange (read more in Service). And there were a few poor management events that happened before the entrees were served. We waited about 30 minutes from our reservation time before the first dish came out. Keep in mind, there is only one seating and most of the patrons arrived on time.
Our first three entrees were:
Buckwheat – This was nasturtium and roasted winter vegetables in a buckwheat crepe. It was plain and dry.
Pyengana cheddar – This cheese cake had green ants on it, but it didn’t have any flavour. Just straight cheese. Mouthfeel was dry.
Red carid prawn – This prawn from WA was pickled in shiso vinegar and served with shell broth. It was probably the best of the entrees and it was literally a boiled prawn, with bland prawn soup.
Buckwheat – This was nasturtium and roasted winter vegetables in a buckwheat crepe. It was plain and dry.
Pyengana cheddar – This cheese cake had green ants on it, but it didn’t have any flavour. Just straight cheese. Mouthfeel was dry.
Red carid prawn – This prawn from WA was pickled in shiso vinegar and served with shell broth. It was probably the best of the entrees and it was literally a boiled prawn, with bland prawn soup.
The 6 entrees were served with Shofang plum cider from Hebei China. We really liked this light pairing.
Our next three entrees were:
Fermented potato – This was honestly just a dense, dry and plain potato cake. The pickled watermelon radish with whipped cod roe and bunya nuts on top were forgetful because it didn’t add anything to the bite. It was also cold and too chewy.
Smoked eel – (the one with truffle on it). This was like a dense takoyaki with sweet potato syrup and fermented black truffle. The eel overtakes everything so adding the truffle was pointless. And there was a bitter taste towards the end of the bite.
Carrot – This was a jerk carrot cooked in coffee, with a coffee caramel dipping. Definitely worst dish of the night. The carrot was chewy, dense and not sweet. We don’t know why they chose the jerk method because it ruined the carrot. On top of that, the coffee flavour was intense and gave it a bitter taste (not the nice aromatic bitterness from your first cup of coffee, it was more like the bitter taste of residue water that you get after the machine has punched out a shot). It was simply weird. Final notes: the proportions of carrot to sauce ratio was off. And the plating is ugly.
Fermented potato – This was honestly just a dense, dry and plain potato cake. The pickled watermelon radish with whipped cod roe and bunya nuts on top were forgetful because it didn’t add anything to the bite. It was also cold and too chewy.
Smoked eel – (the one with truffle on it). This was like a dense takoyaki with sweet potato syrup and fermented black truffle. The eel overtakes everything so adding the truffle was pointless. And there was a bitter taste towards the end of the bite.
Carrot – This was a jerk carrot cooked in coffee, with a coffee caramel dipping. Definitely worst dish of the night. The carrot was chewy, dense and not sweet. We don’t know why they chose the jerk method because it ruined the carrot. On top of that, the coffee flavour was intense and gave it a bitter taste (not the nice aromatic bitterness from your first cup of coffee, it was more like the bitter taste of residue water that you get after the machine has punched out a shot). It was simply weird. Final notes: the proportions of carrot to sauce ratio was off. And the plating is ugly.
This was bas strait scallop and was the best dish of the night. It was served with Takachiyo Sun Rise Muroka Nama Genshu from Niigata Japan.
It’s honestly hard to fuck up a scallop. This was served with wortle oil and roasted cream.
It’s honestly hard to fuck up a scallop. This was served with wortle oil and roasted cream.
This was mud crab served with dashi jelly and shredded cabbage? We didn’t catch the last ingredient. Served with a 2024 bottle of Milan Nestarec BEL from Czech Republic. It was a refreshing dish but our critiqiue is finding shell in our dishes.
It was 7:20 pm by this point so we were locked in for a very long dining experience (advertised as 2.5 hours).
This was wild abalone and one of the dishes with the extra truffle. The green sauce was yuzu kosho. The serving of abalone looked big but it was only finely diced abalone. It was a dry dish so adding truffle did not infuse well as there was no creamy element to blend everything together.
The pairing was a Minenohakubai Ryoko Junmai Ginjo from Niigata, and it was the wrong choice for this dish as it overpowered the palate with alcohol, when abalone is meant to be delicate.
This was wild abalone and one of the dishes with the extra truffle. The green sauce was yuzu kosho. The serving of abalone looked big but it was only finely diced abalone. It was a dry dish so adding truffle did not infuse well as there was no creamy element to blend everything together.
The pairing was a Minenohakubai Ryoko Junmai Ginjo from Niigata, and it was the wrong choice for this dish as it overpowered the palate with alcohol, when abalone is meant to be delicate.
This was crocodile and tea bread. The crocodile was cooked at low temperature then seared. It was served room temp, which made the flavour really bland. The truffle did not do much to the dish as well.
And the tea bread was from the Chef’s home town, served with tea cream sauce.
We were also not told at the time of serving that the junmai ginjo was also for this dish. Due to the wait between dishes, we had already finished our glass and was almost halfway through the crocodile when the FOH/somelier came around to tell us we needed to savage whatever was left in our glass for this dish… kind of odd. He could have given us a few extra drops if that was the case, or not say anything at all and it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But it was a good thing we finished our glass because that junmai taste would have also overpowered this dish too.
And the tea bread was from the Chef’s home town, served with tea cream sauce.
We were also not told at the time of serving that the junmai ginjo was also for this dish. Due to the wait between dishes, we had already finished our glass and was almost halfway through the crocodile when the FOH/somelier came around to tell us we needed to savage whatever was left in our glass for this dish… kind of odd. He could have given us a few extra drops if that was the case, or not say anything at all and it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But it was a good thing we finished our glass because that junmai taste would have also overpowered this dish too.
On their website during dinner, there was “bluefin tuna” advertised but this dish was skipped. There was no mention of it, and because we did not have a physical menu until after we finished our meal, we couldn’t point it out. It means we were short one dish from the advertised one.
This dish was emu, served with 2021 Domaine Des Freres Les Pucelles Cabernet Franc. We were specifically told this time that the red wine was for this dish and the next one too (which we were not told what it was).
This emu was served room temperature for flavour purposes, which we guess we could see the reason. The meat was very tender and kind of bland. The fried bits had a strong aftertaste from the cooking oil (like they hadn’t changed their oil in a while) and this was masked with the olive oil dressing. Another average dish. The white cream was good.
This dish was emu, served with 2021 Domaine Des Freres Les Pucelles Cabernet Franc. We were specifically told this time that the red wine was for this dish and the next one too (which we were not told what it was).
This emu was served room temperature for flavour purposes, which we guess we could see the reason. The meat was very tender and kind of bland. The fried bits had a strong aftertaste from the cooking oil (like they hadn’t changed their oil in a while) and this was masked with the olive oil dressing. Another average dish. The white cream was good.
So the cabernet was supposed to also go with the golden trout and a brown butter with red wine vinegar emulsion sauce. It did not go well. In theory, yes the low tannin of the wine is supposed to go with fattier fishes but choosing a white fish like cod needed more earthy tones to bring it together. When I checked AI, it says this combination could work with a red wine reduction sauce however execution did not hit. There was also a sesame flavour in the cod that clashed with the wine, to give it this bitter aftertaste.
This was murray cod that had been dry aged for 7 days, served with potato and a sesame white sauce. The pairing was Akishika Kobo #7 Junmai Yamahai from Osaka. When we asked why the chef specifically dry aged for 7 days, he simply said “that’s what we do” and the answer was so disinterested in cooking, we formed a theory (read more in our final review below).
This dish was okay. The fish was tender, and the creamy sauce helped elevate the bite.
This dish was okay. The fish was tender, and the creamy sauce helped elevate the bite.
This was retired breeding wagyu and tofu, served with 2024 Cantina Sava Zenko Primitivo Di Manduria from Puglia.
The tofu was made fresh in-house. It tasted like mapo tofu. The meat was the leftovers from the wagyu (they said it). And the chilli was strong for my basic white palate. It was definitely a strong Chinese influence here which was confusing with the supposed “Australian/European” flair.
Now for the wagyu…. we asked why they chose this particular cow and their reason was that they believe there would be a deeper beefy flavour from the years of breeding. Yes, if cooked correctly but this dish came out so bland. The steak was cooked ndjura style with our extra truffle and a paste that tasted like soybean sauce (from Vietnamese pho). Honestly, there was a lack of fat coming through the taste of this dish so in the end, it was very bland and chewy. This added to our theory (more below).
The tofu was made fresh in-house. It tasted like mapo tofu. The meat was the leftovers from the wagyu (they said it). And the chilli was strong for my basic white palate. It was definitely a strong Chinese influence here which was confusing with the supposed “Australian/European” flair.
Now for the wagyu…. we asked why they chose this particular cow and their reason was that they believe there would be a deeper beefy flavour from the years of breeding. Yes, if cooked correctly but this dish came out so bland. The steak was cooked ndjura style with our extra truffle and a paste that tasted like soybean sauce (from Vietnamese pho). Honestly, there was a lack of fat coming through the taste of this dish so in the end, it was very bland and chewy. This added to our theory (more below).
We lost faith at this point so we were hoping dessert would turn it around. This was cacao husk, and the Umeshuya Aotan Yuzushu from Kyoto (last beverage pairing for both desserts).
The cacao was made into a sorbet, which was not sweet or sour. Just bland. And the tomato oil was from last season, repurposed. It was such a disappointing dish.
The cacao was made into a sorbet, which was not sweet or sour. Just bland. And the tomato oil was from last season, repurposed. It was such a disappointing dish.
Our last dish was oxidised wine, a beetroot that had been slow cooked then recooked with oxidised wine to sweeten it. They specifically said it was to prevent wastage hence the use of oxidised wine… Odd thing to mention when we’re paying $185 for (hopefully) great quality ingredients. This dessert was actually good – refreshing and sweet thanks to the granita cucumber…… until we hit the salmon roe at the bottom. This was not mentioned during serving. There was nothing done to the salmon roe so you can imagine our surprise being hit with this strong salty and fishy taste to an otherwise enjoyable dessert. Ruined it.
We were given this package to take home. It was eucalyptus vinaigrette and burnt kombu salt in glass jars. There was no mention of when this was cooked, or expiry dates. And the two ingredients were just odd to take home because what were we common folks supposed to do with it?
Service
Lets start with restaurant fitout. This is something a chef has to be very intentional with in order to have an efficient running restaurant. They had two tables that would comfortably sit 6 people, two tables for 2 people, and the bar. It seemed to be a first come first serve as the first couple got the massive table for 2 people, and then another couple got the tiny one (by the door too so they got blasted with wind for the first 30 minutes).
We had the bar which was split in two, and on our side the water fountain was right behind Mick. Every time the FOH/sommelier went to refill water, he would be knocking into Mick. And every time they brought out dishes, it would be knocking into me.
Now for service, on this night there was only the Head Chef Mo Zhou, the FOH/sommelier and a kitchen helper who remained silent all night. At the start the FOH/sommelier did everything from greeting, seating, introducing the menu, getting drink orders, setting up the pairings, bringing out dishes, and clearing tables etc. The kitchen helper remained in the kitchen all night. The head Chef started assisting around the abalone dish. There was no time to have any conversation with any staff. They would place the dish, state their rehearsed menu and then vamoose. If we asked for why or repeat of ingredients, it was not given.
This resulted with a very slow service and slow pacing of dishes. Also at the start, we were seated after another couple, then we put in our drinks order. We watch the sommelier skull a half glass of wine (is it normal to drink on the job in front of customers?), then went to greet more guests. Twenty minutes had passed now and we watched him serve the table of 3 girls on the bigger table their wines, even though they were seated after us, and one of their guests was late. After talking to them in Chinese, he served the couple seated before us then us. Odd order. So it took 35 minutes for our first glass, which was when our first dish came out.
On their drinks menu specifically, it says “they can recommend wines based on palate” and had no extra wines to a la carte so Mick asked him what he recommended for the dishes. He told Mick to order a glass that was on the pairing. And instead of suggesting maybe trying my glass before committing to it, he kept pushing for the same pairing glass (probably to make his job easier). Which was stupid because your menu specifically advertises “let us know for a la carte”. If Mick wanted a pairing, he would have ordered it.
We had the bar which was split in two, and on our side the water fountain was right behind Mick. Every time the FOH/sommelier went to refill water, he would be knocking into Mick. And every time they brought out dishes, it would be knocking into me.
Now for service, on this night there was only the Head Chef Mo Zhou, the FOH/sommelier and a kitchen helper who remained silent all night. At the start the FOH/sommelier did everything from greeting, seating, introducing the menu, getting drink orders, setting up the pairings, bringing out dishes, and clearing tables etc. The kitchen helper remained in the kitchen all night. The head Chef started assisting around the abalone dish. There was no time to have any conversation with any staff. They would place the dish, state their rehearsed menu and then vamoose. If we asked for why or repeat of ingredients, it was not given.
This resulted with a very slow service and slow pacing of dishes. Also at the start, we were seated after another couple, then we put in our drinks order. We watch the sommelier skull a half glass of wine (is it normal to drink on the job in front of customers?), then went to greet more guests. Twenty minutes had passed now and we watched him serve the table of 3 girls on the bigger table their wines, even though they were seated after us, and one of their guests was late. After talking to them in Chinese, he served the couple seated before us then us. Odd order. So it took 35 minutes for our first glass, which was when our first dish came out.
On their drinks menu specifically, it says “they can recommend wines based on palate” and had no extra wines to a la carte so Mick asked him what he recommended for the dishes. He told Mick to order a glass that was on the pairing. And instead of suggesting maybe trying my glass before committing to it, he kept pushing for the same pairing glass (probably to make his job easier). Which was stupid because your menu specifically advertises “let us know for a la carte”. If Mick wanted a pairing, he would have ordered it.
Review
Our theory is the restaurant has poor money management. They reused ingredients and dry-aged items for long periods to extend shelf life. This explains using a breeding wagyu (cheaper), dry-aged cod (no culinary reason), oxidised wine (no wastage) and having no a la carte drinks (don’t want to open any new bottles except the pairings). This also explains the 3 staff members (cutting down basic overhead costs), resulting in one of the worst dining experience we’ve ever had.
A little digging post meal showed there used to be two chefs from opening up until March 2026, so maybe the chef that stayed is trying to recoup costs from the lost of talent. Either way, everything about the menu did not have any strong Australian or Europen influence as they claimed. Every dish was bland, and had an odd Chinese blend into it.
Our review is Gaea has lost its way and does not know what it wants to be. Stay as a supposed “Australian/European” restaurant because that is what they won their 2 hats for, or shift into a Chinese market because both Head Chef and sommelier are Chinese, and the dishes are moving that way. They should rebrand into a modern Chinese restaurant (we need more of this) if that’s the case, because right now, gastronomy is weak in the Australian/European space.
Also to confirm the slow service, our 2.5 hour seating became 4 hours, even though we tried to rush out of there.
So hard NO, we will not return and will tell everyone to steer clear to save some money.
Thanks for reading, happy eating.
A little digging post meal showed there used to be two chefs from opening up until March 2026, so maybe the chef that stayed is trying to recoup costs from the lost of talent. Either way, everything about the menu did not have any strong Australian or Europen influence as they claimed. Every dish was bland, and had an odd Chinese blend into it.
Our review is Gaea has lost its way and does not know what it wants to be. Stay as a supposed “Australian/European” restaurant because that is what they won their 2 hats for, or shift into a Chinese market because both Head Chef and sommelier are Chinese, and the dishes are moving that way. They should rebrand into a modern Chinese restaurant (we need more of this) if that’s the case, because right now, gastronomy is weak in the Australian/European space.
Also to confirm the slow service, our 2.5 hour seating became 4 hours, even though we tried to rush out of there.
So hard NO, we will not return and will tell everyone to steer clear to save some money.
Thanks for reading, happy eating.
