Sydney isn’t starved for Korean fried chicken. On a stroll through Koreatown it’s your pick of joints doing variations on double-fried, crunchy, seasoned chooks. Paired with cold beer, it’s simply known as chimaek (a portmanteau of the first syllables of chicken and beer in Korean). It's eaten as a meal, an appetizer, late-night stack, in groups, solo, on dates… it's a versatile fast food hit. But what gives Gami Chicken and Beer (pronouncin gah-mee) the leg up on their competitors is that your junk food cravings don't come with a side of ethical guilt. Here your fried chicken is RSPCA-approved chicken, which means welfare standards are higher than in conventional factory farms.
The fast-casual chicken and beer franchise was first opened in Melbourne in 2006, and has been steadily laying new outposts all over the country, including two NSW branches in Chippendale and Castle Hill. The former can be found in the belly of Central Park Mall in its open-air ‘dining district’ flanked by other eateries like famed ramen joint, Ippudo.
Gami is relatively calm for lunchtime in the city. The setup is a faux-industrial, metal shed look with hairpin tables, concrete floor, steel cladding and exposed brick walls. The menu is extensive and portions are huge. Next time we'll skip the ‘Gami delights’ of battered kimchee pancakes, heavy fried rice cakes and ‘corn cheese’ swimming in mayo, and go straight to the main event – Korean fried chicken.
Ordering is simple. You choose your bird: whole, half, with or without bones, original fried or basted in sticky sauce (sweet chilli, soy garlic or spicy). Order a few beers from the list of eight. The Gun Bae lager on tap (exclusive to Gami) is a refreshing light bodied match to the salty, crunchy chicken, cleansing the palate before you tackle another piece. There’s also cider, soju and a couple of cocktails on the menu. This may not be the best Korean in town but for those craving ethically-sourced fast-food, this is chicken worth crossing the road for.