Restaurant Gaea review

Updated October 12, 2026,first published November 18, 2024

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This 18-course set menu is one of the city’s most original experiences. In a moody, spot-lit room, passionate owner-chef Mo Zhou greets each table and flexes every fine-dining muscle there is.

Meticulously sourced produce and European-style technique combine for blowtorched crocodile in one course, retired breeding wagyu in another, plus emu tartare, shaved abalone and raw Bass Strait scallops presented on a bouquet of bright yellow wattle. Native ingredients are a recurring theme – fermented macadamia, sour finger lime, grassy succulents – while drinks from sommelier Charles Duan span continents, from sparkling Chinese plum cider to elegant Czech gruner veltliner.

The final course is a sweet-savoury mousse made from oxidised wine that’s showered in icy cucumber granita hiding dried pickled beetroot and salty salmon roe. If this sounds off-the-wall, Gaea may not be for you, but many of its striking dishes are richly rewarding.

Good to know: Chef Zhou previously worked in the kitchens of Attica and Vue de Monde.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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