Gaia: Greek-Mediterranean Concept Opens its Doors in DIFC

Inspired by the Greek Goddess of all earth, the mountains, sun and sea, GAIA serves humble and authentic cuisine in a league of its own, in a beautiful contemporary space filled with hidden details and charm.

GAIA is DIFC’s Unique Greek-Mediterranean Concept in a League of its own.

The Concept.

The GAIA menu was designed by Chef Izu Ani and Chef Orestis, who combine their skills to incorporate the core elements of Greek cuisine and translate it into Dubai’s dining landscape.

“To create GAIA, we truly delved into the foundations of Greek culture, and explored the elements of their cuisine, their eating rituals and how they enjoy meals. The most important parts are often the ones that you can’t see, like the roots of a tree or the submerged part of the ice-berg. GAIA stemmed from this philosophy, a venture born of depth, history and expertise.” Chef Izu, concept creator of GAIA .

The Interior.

The interior design concept at GAIA is subtle and calming. It has a Greek-Mediterranean feel but it is not overwhelming. The softer beige, white, grey and cream tones of pebble Mediterranean beaches and rocky bays really win out over the stronger Mediterranean blues and oceanic hues you might typically expect of a Greek restaurant. The result is hugely successful. GAIA’s soft furnishings and the finish of the interiors are also high quality. Taking a seat here at GAIA feels like a rare treat.

The Food.

To start we enjoy GAIA’s signature Greek salad with mountain tomatoes, barrel aged feta and home-picked olives. A delicious twist on a classic Greek dish, this salad is delivered with a distinguishing quality so prevalent at GAIA – the attention to detail in all the ingredients.

Take the Tsipoura, the whole sea bream carpaccio, for example. We think carpaccio, we think slivers of raw fish marinated in classic ingredients. Chef Izu’s take on the sea bream carpaccio is truly in a league of its own.

It is not just that it is served Japanese izakaya style still virtually on the bone, it is three small individual vials of signature infused oils that make this such a unique and customisable dish. The concept is to try each piece of crudo sea bass with any combination of infused oils – playing with their different ingredients to create unique flavours. This results in a virtually bespoke tasing experience. We are huge fans!

We also love the spinach pie, the tzatziki and adore the baked feta cheese that we highly recommend from GAIA’s starters.

For mains we enjoy the Skioufitka, the Moshari short rib pasta and the Keffediakia – GAIA’s signature Greek-style meatballs with cumin, mint, tomato sauce and yoghurt.

We round off the meal with another GAIA signature – and now a Luxe Diary favourite – the delicious filo mille feuille made up of filo sheets, pastry cream and pistachio.