With D’s penchant for fried chicken, Gami Chicken & Beer have been on our radar for quite a while now, but Castle Towers never held much of an interest to us as a shopping centre to visit. It took us a few years but we did finally find reason to visit the home centre in the suburb and so partake in some fried chicken nearby.

This is the Shine Muscat Gami Ade ($5.90). They were out of yuzu (my flavour of choice) and this shine muscat was a worthy substitute. While made from a flavoured sugar syrup, the flavour of the green grape had a perfectly balanced acidity that captured the flavour of the fresh fruit. Essentially, it tasted like the Kasugai Gummy Candy Muscat with more restrained intensity.

These are the Gami Wings (12 pieces, $16.50) with spicy sauce (as a side serve). The chicken came out blisteringly hot, being fried to order, with an audibly crispy skin that was not oily in the slightest. The batter was lightly seasoned, so the pieces of chicken could be enjoyed with or without the sauce. The spicy sauce delivered a moderate heat that was flavourful and intensified as it lingered on the palate on subsequent bites. The salad with the dressing brought freshness to cut through the chicken.

This is the Hotteok (4 pieces, $8.50), a ‘Korean street style sweet with soft rice cake pancake filled with a creamy centre of melted black sugar and varied nuts’. The pancake has a crispy exterior with a soft (but not quite mochi) bounciness, while the innards were piping hot with a mixture of black sesame, cinnamon and black sugar. The crunch of the peanuts contrasted the softness of the exterior, while the filling was flavourful.

This is the Gami K-Donut ($7.90), ‘4 pieces of deep-fried glutinous rice ball filled with sweet red bean paste’. This one was similar to the hotteok, yet much more subdued in flavour. The exterior was crispy, while the interior was smooth and sweet with a gentle red bean flavour. Alas, having eaten the hotteok first, the subtlety of this donut was completely overwhelmed, so D enjoyed them more than I did.

Overall, we enjoyed the food at Gami Chicken & Beer, but found the service painfully slow (25 minutes from ordering). We enjoy the simplicity and affordability of Nene Fried Chicken more.

Gami Chicken & Beer is located at Shop 16 Castle Tower Shopping Centre, 6-14 Castle St, Castle Hill NSW 2154.