gaja by sashi

we noticed this restaurant when we explored osteria oggi at the first day of our adelaide trip so reserved a table for the night when we returned from port lincoln.
well, our returned flight was delayed for an hour so we arranged to modify the dinner time @ 08:00pm, which was a lot later than our usual early dinner time but no regret at all if the food was good.
considered sashi was the winner of master chef @ 2018, i set the par quite high and it caused a tight judgement on his restaurant’s production.
well, overall impression was alright but no extra wow factor emerged.
entree of masala fried chicken was good with juicy and tenderised texture. if the spiciness could be slightly mild, it would be a perfect dish. the next whiting dish happened with the same issue, hotness was too strong considering the side dish of rice or roti had not come yet😥. let down was on the portion size too small. cp was low! the size issue also happened to the pork belly. although the belly was done well with crunchy crackling and chef cleverly added sour element to degrease. size still looked not generous at all. main dish of lamb rendang came with reasonable size and spiciness, which was a nice dish; however the side dish of roti was not light and fluffy enough. some of them were burnt too😥.
maybe i was too picky but this restaurant did have its market. congratulation! sashi💪

overly salty, the flavors just blend into each other. order a mocktail that smells like dishwashing liquid, my friends drinks aren’t that much better. service was good though.

i am a huge masterchef fan and loved sashi’s, or atleast watching, sashi’s creations! so when we came to adelaide i couldn’t miss out and coming and trying his restaurant and it did not disappoint. the dishes were all packed with flavour and well balanced! we tried a selection of the curries with the amazing house roti bread which was just so flaky and delicious. to finish off we had two desserts both a beautiful combination of textures and flavours. i can now imagine exactly what the masterchef judges were tasting when trying sashi’s food! definitely worth a visit or two!

the service was fast, friendly and attentive. most importantly though, i had the best meal i've ever had. amazing.

food and cocktail were amazing! due to the time limit they served fairly quick as well.
didn’t like the fact they had to take credit card prebooking and the seats near the front door are slightly higher than it should be so everyone was leaning towards the table to eat the entire time. wish they have more hooks or basket under the table so our coats didn’t have to mix with others.
however i had to be fair and say food and drinks were amazing, and the staff were very professional!

finally had the opportunity to try the 'feed me' menu at sashi's restaurant, which i had been anticipating for quite some time. being a vegetarian i opted for the vegan menu, while my partner went full-on meat! it was actually quite a lovely albeit unintentional way to sample the full range of what the kitchen had to offer and what they could do. in terms of service and overall experience, i have to say it was a bit mixed. the decor and restaurant fit out is gorgeous and our seating near the back was private and cozy, but not without aroma, atmosphere and great vibes. sashi himself was there, recommending drinks and assisting with foh. he was so lovely and the non-alcoholic cocktails he organised to be made for us for dry july were terrific. other service interaction was a bit confusing with multiple staff coming to take orders (when we had already sorted out the 'feed me' option), and then a muck up in communication for payment. food wise - it was a mixed bag with huge highs and other fare seeming a bit out of place. the spiced nuts were divine, as was the vege and meat curry, roti, and fruity sorbet dessert. a salmon salad seemed a bit out of place and lacking in flavour within the more soulful dinner, as was the oyster in one of the earlier courses. portion wise, there was absolutely nothing to complain about, as the serves were hearty and available to be taken home for leftovers! i'm not sure i would rush back tomorrow for the banquet, but i'd definitely return sooner than later for a cocktail and a curry. thanks team sashi!

we stopped in for lunch and as we needed to get in and out quickly we ordered off the on the run menu and shared. the food was all delicious. great service and we were in and out in time.

we visited gaja tonight the newly opened eatery from a former masterchef contestant. there were many things on the menu that appealed but being in a group i didn’t get too much control over the ordering process though the coconut beef shin dish was my choice and a tasty one at that.

we had to try the masterchef signature lychee duck curry which had quite a bit of heat to it. i’m not a huge duck fan but the rest of the table thoroughly enjoyed it. i loved the atmosphere and fit out in this venue which is really vibrant and modern.

we tried both desserts today which were a nice light way to end the meal with enjoyable mango and coconut flavours.

i was so excited to finally go to sashi’s restaurant after watching and supporting him on masterchef. when my partner and i arrived, we stood waiting at the entrance for a little while. not terrible, but waiters walked by without even an acknowledgement before finally seating us. restaurant looks lovely, i liked that it wasn’t too cramped, however seating not very comfortable.

we were given menus and water promptly, and placed a drink order. there was a while between this and receiving service to place our order (30 min). it was when i requested the duck curry we were informed it was sold out. it was 7:30pm! this is their star dish, and the one i had most been looking forward to. they could have informed us upon arrival. he took our entree order and said he would give us time to choose main which was fine. received our entrees pretty quickly, but still hadn’t been asked what main we would like. had to flag it and order. for the starter we ordered the pork and prawn sticky balls. this was delicious. i loved it, perfect combination of flavours and textures. next, we had the beef shin with salad. this too was delicious, the shin had such a lovely soft texture like it had been slow cooked all day. paired with a beautifully fresh se asian salad.

our main was the chicken curry and fish curry. massive serving sizes, though fair for price which was quite expensive for a curry. my partner preferred the chicken while i loved the fish. to me the chicken was very basic. the fish was spicy, and had lots of flavours. we left absolutely stuffed and with leftovers. both of us did not feel well that evening though we are uncertain if it was this food.

the drinks menu was small but had local options, which i appreciated. was definitely hoping for a better overall experience but i will congratulate them on their food, very tasty.

this place is pumping on a saturday night and for all the right reasons, staff fantastic, service exceptional, food fantastic. great size portions for sharing and feeling content after the meal, flavours well balanced, a flavour that lingers in your mouth. awesome place to visit just ashame i live in melbourne. but definitely on my list to revisit next time i’m in adelaide.
only suggestion is the roti bread to be rolled thinner and crisp a little more so not to doughy otherwise spot on

we’ve always been intrigued by the food prepared by masterchef australia winners and finally we have one that is opening up a restaurant in adelaide!

gaja by sashi was much anticipated by my group of friends who were all of south east asian descent. we took it with a pinch of salt though (not quite literally, as you will read in my comments below) as we heard mixed reviews about sashi’s pop up in melbourne.

the restaurant’s decor included an old school “ice kacang” machine, bringing back much nostalgia to people who grew up in malaysia and singapore.

food served was like a typical asian sharing menu. however, the food at gaja cost us twice as much as other places. one serve of white rice was $4! the waitress explained that every main served 2-3 people and it was in her words “big portions”. much to our dismay, when the food came, it wasn’t. we’re not sure if it was supposed to be big by asian standards.

the first thing to note when eating at gaja is to expect a wide array of food inspired by south east asian flavors.

we had the aloo chop which were stuffed potato dumplings with chilli, much like aranchini balls, except starchier and spicier.
the mahor were sticky pork and prawn in lime leaf chilli on pineapple.
and we also had the otak otak. it was $24 for a portion as large as my thumb. in malaysia, you could eat the same portion for less than $0.5.
their goan masala (mutton and eggplant) was their only dish that was well balanced.
their begun bhaja, grilled eggplant lacked flavor.

the mains made up for all the lack of flavor of the entrees. they were very salty. we had the (salty) kang ped pett yang; duck leg curry, the (salty) raan e khass; slow roasted lamb shoulder, ghobi masala; roast cauliflower, (extremely salty) daal saag, which was split pea dahl. being a huge masterchef fan, i was on #teamsashi the whole season, i looked forward to trying indian and south east asian food at his restaurant. but this experience left me with disappointment. this was fairly unanimous across the table of 12.

luckily though, their desserts were their saving grace. we tried all of it! but disappointed that there were no other tributes to malaysian/ singaporean food. these countries boast the most versatile, flavoursome food made from the abundant of spices available. there were just not enough to pay homage to his origins.

i think it’s safe to say we will find it hard going back and reliving the memory of what we just had. maybe someday we’ll muster the courage to try again..

lucky enough to have sashi himself there when we had dinner. he took time to speak to all the customers and explain the dishes. the kiri hodi was by far the highlight! such authentic flavours! the coconut parfait and the blood orange sorbet was also delicious.