Beer

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Gami – Melbourne, City – Saturday 17 January 2015 – Dinner

Original fried chicken

Original fried chicken

Fried chicken is not a theme. It is a proven indulgent way to serve poultry. Korean is a theme, that is growing so quickly it will become the norm. There’s no kim chi here, but there is a lot of Korean fried chicken.

Gami has been busy from the first time I partook a couple of years ago, through to this evening. Its mission is fairly straightforward. Offer lots of fried chicken and beer, with a few different options on flavourings, and keep the price reasonable. It’s a mission it delivers on.

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The chicken here is succulent, cooked through, but not overcooked, with a delicious crust, fried consistently, without being horribly oily. There is lots of it too. Today we’ve gone for the original given Simon’s intolerance for chilli, but in the past I’ve tried them all. Garlic and soy, and chilli, seem to be the favourites of the regulars. And you can choose to have half and half too.

The jugs of beer is the absolute bonus. This isn’t the place to sit around dwelling on life. You sit, order, eat, and run. In between, having a cleansing ale to wash down the fried chicken is about as much satisfaction as you can get.

The thing I like so much about Gami, and several other places that have opened in recent years in and around the city, is that they do not offer every type of cuisine and dish. They do one or two things, and they smash them out of the park consistently. When you come here you know what you are getting.

Gami at Healeys Lane on Urbanspoon

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The Bridge Hotel – Richmond – Friday 5 September 2014 – Lunch

There is a wow factor the first time you come across the fitout at The Bridge Hotel. Architecturally one of the coolest pubs you can imagine, though impossible to find your friends in one of the several nooks and crannies!

It’s now a few years old and is established and busy, but not quite as crazy as the months after opening. The owners did the right thing. You need to have a point of difference and excitement on this part of Bridge Road that is not geographically endowed. The “Karma Keg” on Friday afternoon is a fun idea, and the drinks on offer are diverse, adding further interest from the tried and tested.

We are here for Friday lunch and get one of the booths in the dining section. I’ve been here a few times and find that the burger is a clear winner if you have a good appetite. It has all the trimmings with bacon and eggs, and is a bit more old school with a “normal” bun and well sized pattie meaning the burger doesn’t fall to pieces after a couple bites. The chips are always pretty tasty here with the obligatory beer batter for serious connoisseurs!

There are other pub favourites on offer with the parma proving hard for several of us to go past. It looks great. The service is good for a pub and it helps we are in a part of the dining area that seems to be naturally well attended. The only unusual aspect of note was the lack of English breakfast tea on offer. Sure we are in a pub, but there is a hotel across the road and a petrol station too. Thinking on your feet is not that hard (especially when they have plenty of green tea going around!)

Once you have seen the transformation of the Bridge Hotel the initial wow factor abates. What is left is a great quality pub to have a drink in any one of seven or eight settings and some nice food.

Bridge Hotel on Urbanspoon