Once upon a time in the mid-noughties, there was only one place that came to mind when one was after some Korean fried chicken in Melbourne, and that was Gami Chicken & Beer. Fast forward 17 years, and this very much remains the case, even despite all the other eateries that have since opened up. Gami Chicken & Beer have also been busy on this front, and the brand has now expanded from its humble Little Lonsdale roots to a whopping 37 locations across Australia. The menu has also grown significantly over the years with exciting additions that either celebrate or serve as perfect accompaniments to the star of the show that is their chicken. Similarly, their drinks menu is equally as adventurous, with a whole lot more on offer aside from beer and soft drinks - cocktail jugs, shake-it-yourself cocktail/mocktails or their unique and refreshing house-made gami-ade (sparkling fruit drink), anyone?

Armed with an appetite, we had to scan through their expansive menu multiple times before landing on a few dishes to share. Decisions, decisions. Much of their menu caters to a shared feast but if you’re solo dining, their burgers, fried chicken for one or Taste Gami Taste Bargain menu, which includes dishes like bibimbap, chicken and rice or crispy chicken steak for $16 or less (bargain, indeed!), are the go. The unmissable chicken platter, one of their signature platters, is a safe bet or rather, tasty bet, to kick off any feast as it features all of their best-selling chicken flavours (crispy original, sweet chilli, galbi chicken and spicy gochu). For the cheese lovers out there, feast your eyes on the chicken corndue, an ooey gooey corn-based cheese fondue to dunk with the crispy chicken. A perfect, rich and hearty marriage of flavours that will trigger a food coma afterwards, but oh so worth it. And given the inevitability of said food coma, it can’t hurt to throw in some dessert. The traditional Korean pancake or hotteok has a lovely glutinous texture and its creamy black sugar filling is rounded out nicely by the nutty presence. The Gami K-donuts are similarly glutinous in texture and the red bean paste filling similar in flavour profile to the hotteok BUT are also coated in a caramel syrup and condensed milk that takes up the sweet factor by a few notches.

The overall Gami Chicken & Beer experience has definitely evolved since 2006 but at the core of it all, they still serve great Korean fried chicken and remain a favourite choice eatery for those looking to gather some friends or family to share a chicken feast (plus other tasty morsels). And as a bonus, you don’t even need to trek all the way into the CBD to do so, with so many other locations including out in the ‘burbs… like St Albans!

Not just beers: Yuzu gami-ade // shake-it-yourself cocktails.

Garlic prawn mandu.

Unmissable chicken - crispy original, sweet chilli, Galbi Chicken and spicy Gochu Mayo with Sweet Mustard dipping sauce.

Potato heaven - layers of creamy mashed potato, mozzarella cheese, and wedges, topped with sweet chilli sauce, tomato sauce and sour cream.

Chicken corndue - corn based cheese fondue with boxing chicken and wings.

Hotteok // Gami K-Donut.

Gami Chicken & Beer

Shop 3, 30 Main Rd West,

St Albans, Victoria, 3021.

+61 3 8322 0250

https://www.gamichicken.com.au/

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of Gami Chicken and Beer. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.