Gaia Opens in Miami Beach With Chef Izu Ani at the Helm

Gaia, which will make its United States debut when it opens its location in Miami in March, is a luxurious, global-minded restaurant where it all comes together.

Gaia launched in Dubai in 2018 and has expanded to Monaco, Doha, London and Marbella; offers Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on Greek flavors. The restaurant is led by Nigerian-British chef Izu Ani, who cooked in some of Europe’s most prestigious and high-end restaurants before realizing that he wanted to do something simple and nutritious.

Gaia, which features a nightclub called Nyx in all its locations, has attracted A-listers such as Tom Cruise, LeBron James, Naomi Campbell, Roger Federer, Idris Elba, Lewis Hamilton, Peggy Gou and the royal family of Dubai. It makes sense that a restaurant with this type of clientele would open on South Pointe Drive in Miami Beach’s bustling South Fifth neighborhood, where interesting restaurants like Joe’s Stone Crab, Carbone and Catch call home.

“At the end of the day, the essence of what we do is good food,” Ani tells the Observer. “And when we created the concept, from day one, it was all about building something that will last. It’s not about being trendy. We have a holiday restaurant. We have a vibe in our restaurant. But that’s not the foundation of our restaurant. We need to build something that’s important.”

Ani likes the “simplicity” of Greek food and thinks Miami will appreciate her style of cooking.

“Miami is perfect for our kind of food,” he says. “It’s a fun place. A sunny place. It’s the place where you want to eat a Greek salad. He wants to eat grilled fish. You want to have tzatziki. You want to have sea bream carpaccio, a meal that keeps you light. Not the food that weighs you down. People want good healthy food. “Miami is like really healthy food.

Gaia’s sea bream carpaccio is a great example of how Ani’s cuisine is simple yet creative, globally influenced and well-rounded. The intricate knife work on all the sea bream was inspired by Ani’s love of Japan.

“I’m a big fan of Japanese culture,” said Ani. “It’s about precision, but also less is more. Everything is small. That’s what I love about it. I designed my home to be Japanese because I hate clutter. I like to see small things to enjoy what I see.”

What visitors may enjoy most at Gaia is its signature “ice market,” with a daily selection of fish and other seafood. You can choose the fish you want and how you would like it prepared, with options including raw, baked (with spiced tomatoes, Greek herbs and potatoes), grilled (in a charcoal oven with lemon oil), salt-crust, harissa style and pan-fried.

Ani cut her teeth at modern restaurants like Arzak and Mugaritz in Spain, but she wants to do something more specific to the larger crowd at Gaia.

“All our food is based on ingredients,” said Ani. “It’s about being left alone as much as possible.”

At the same time, “I added my Nigerian heritage, which is spices, to Greek food because I felt that sometimes you need a little heat to wake up the palate,” said Ani. “If you’ve tried broccoli at Gaia, it has chili, ginger, lemon and oil. That’s all.”

Ani always thinks about the setting she is in when opening a restaurant, so she thinks about palm trees, the beach and the diversity of residents and tourists in Miami.

He says: “Miami is a place full of many international people. “Whenever we choose a place, it must fit the soul of what we are trying to offer because food is consumed by nature, if food enters a place that does not belong, it does not have the same impact.

Ani looks forward to cooking with seasonal ingredients in Miami, and letting the ingredients take the lead.

“We agree with nature because we want to be a part of nature,” he said. “We don’t force our will. If the tomatoes are different in Miami, we’ll adjust. It might be a little sweeter, so maybe we’ll give it more acid. One thing I’ve learned is that your palate changes wherever you go because of the different mix of oxygen in the air. We’ll adapt to the ingredients we get in Miami because the soil is different. You’re working against nature. You’re not working against nature.”