Gami and 7 Apples

I haven't figured out why, but somehow, the universe has conspired to keep me busy all month. I can't seem to catch a break around here, and yet work keeps mounting higher and higher. The one silver lining is that because a lot of learning is self-directed this year, the year can be as busy- or easy - as I want it to be. Still, there are just many learning opportunities too good to pass up on, and I invariably find myself attending many of these events anyway. 

Just a couple of days ago on Saturday, I found myself at the Refugee Health Symposium listening to a discussion on the current state of affairs of asylum-seekers in Australia, and the state of living in refugee camps. It was a subject I knew next to nothing about, and it was good to just sit back and soak up information. Apart from chit-chatting with N, who knew just about as little as I did, or when I was catching up with several old faces I haven't met in a while, I barely spoke throughout the day. 

Says someone from the internet, before sticking a picture of Mark Twain beside the quote. 

Before the symposium started, N and I were searching for a dinner place. We started off looking for exotic cuisines like Lebanese or Greek. But as the day went on and drained my willpower, the idea of deep-fried chicken - which might be my favourite food ever - looked more and more enticing. After a long day of (attempting to be) deep and studious, nothing says comfort food like fried chicken. 

A list of the top 10 Korean Fried Chicken joints in Melbourne is currently trending on Facebook, and Gami was smack-right at the top position. Its opening hours happily coincides with our schedule, which pretty much sealed the deal.

N and I lucked out with a Woolworth just across the street, which offered free parking for up to 1 1/2 hours. There's an open-air carpark, and one underground. Please be nice (like us!), and buy something from Woolworth. We made the short walk across to Gami, and ordered the Whole Chicken with Soy Garlic and Sweet Chilli ($34). The waitress mentioned that it would take 15 minutes to be served, which was all fine and good. I once stood outside Hudadak for an hour to get my fried chicken fix.15 minutes is nothing. We started picking at the complimentary bowl of prawn crackers on our table, until we wised up to the fact that we was here for fried chicken, and nothing else but. The friendly waitress dropped by our table a few minutes after to refill our prawn crackers. We declined, but it was a friendly gesture that make us feel welcomed. 

Soon enough, the chicken arrived, along with a side of salad and a bowl of pickled radish. I'll tell you how perfectly done the chicken is, but you could just ogle at the pictures instead.  

Left: Sweet Chili; right: Soy Garlic

Enlarged for your viewing pleasure. 

I had the Gami Special Tap Beer ($4) to go along with the chicken, which was smooth, though too light for my taste. (The waitress told me it was one of the lighter choices they carry, but I am a wuss, and any beer that ends with "- bitter" can stay away from me.) Being just half an hour shy of of Gami's Happy Hour (3-5pm, Thursday to Sunday), I missed their two-for-one beer, which was a great shame. D'oh! I can't seem to catch a break. Although, it's probably for the best for N's sanity, because I'm difficult enough to hang with even when I'm in full control of my mental faculties.  

There's just something about the combination of piping hot oh-so-crispy Korean deep-fried chicken, cold beer on tap and great service that I'm powerless to resist. We almost finished the entire chicken, but decided to take the remainder to go in 2 separate boxes so the sauces don't meld - which the waitress obliged. The pickled radish was so good, we asked if we could have some to go as well, and the waitress happily gave us two bags. 

Friendly Melbourne hospitality at its best, and together with its delicious chicken, is a place that I readily recommend to anyone looking for Korean fried chicken. 

Must-try at Gami 
Fried chicken. We had the Soy Garlic, and the Sweet Chilli.

(So.... Miss XS helpfully informed me that I have tried Gami before when she brought me takeaway sometime last year. Apparently I found Chili too spicy. I'll refer you back to the "Wuss" paragraph.) 


Bonus! 

7 Apples, located across the street from Gami, serves great gelato, some of which won awards at the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards. We bought the large cup which came with a choice of 4 flavours ($7). 

The Banana Dulce de Leche was great, but the Ferrero Rocher was unanimously the best out of the four (From what the staff says, it also happened to be the most popular flavour at 7 Apples). The second flavour we loved most was Peanut Butter Brownie. As for the third flavour, we tried our best. We really did. But for the life of me, we couldn't quite figure out where Croccangelo disappeared to. Maybe it got mixed up with the Peanut Butter Brownie? It was a long day. Quit judging. 

But, as we walked down the streets of St Kilda carrying a box of fried chicken in one hand and eating a large cup of gelato with the other (while pointing out all the different cake shops along the streets), it's hard to imagine a better way to end the day with.