[info]When? - 27th of March, 2014
Where? - The Lincolnshire Arms Hotel, 1 Keilor Rd, Essendon
Website? - http://thelinc.com.au/
Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Nikki, Stefo, Tony [/info]
*Edit* The Linc has received the Re-Redo treatment! We revisited yet again in 2016 - Check out how it fared here
First up, be aware this is a redo, I'm probably gonna say a lot of stuff that isn't going to make sense unless you've read about the first time we went to the Linc. Got it? Good.
As our lowest ranked parma so far, It was inevitable that we would one day have to go back to the Linc just to see if they have improved at all. I said in the first review that they should take our critisisms as tips for improvement, and promised if they ever put the effort in to improve their parma at all we would be back to give them a fair and unbiased second review.
A lot has happened since we visited the Linc back in November 2011, They have undergone some pretty extensive refurbishments and we have actually been in communication a little about their parma. Rather than blather on for a few paragraphs, here is a quick little timeline of events between November 2011 to today, March 2014.
And now you're up to speed! Without need for the parma bus I wandered down to the Linc for one last time before moving, not much further away, but at least a tram ride.
Rather than visit the sports bar this time around we opted to give the bistro side of the Linc a go. We took our seats, scoped the menu and spied our target -
First up there was at least one improvement - The addition of ham seems to be a permanent thing, not just an optional extra as the facebook posts implied. could this mean there actually has been an improvement? We ordered a garlic bread for pre-game and our parmas to follow. Upon ordering we were asked "do you want chips or veggies", everyone opted for chips - but thats a story for a bit later.
The garlic bread at the Linc has always been great, and last night was no exception. Piping hot, dripping with butter, perfectly toasted foccacia slices - I challenge you to find a better garlic bread. The meal started off well, hopes were actually lifting.
As we polished off the bread we were presented with a basket of bake at home rolls - these were included the last time we visited The Linc back in '11 and actually went down as the best part of the dish. Who doesn't love a good bake at home roll?
after we finished those it was only a short wait before our parmas arrived. Hopes were high, spirits were high, Could it actually be good?!
Oh.
Hoo boy. Okay, Positives first - The schnitzel was a little bigger than in the sports bar, and (although thinner than a credit card) seems to be real, unprocessed chicken.
Despite the addition of a tasteless, off white strip of ham it was pretty much exactly the same. The same canned toppings, the same pools of oil on top, the same weird topping layering with the napoli above the cheese. It was the same.
Other than a vague oily residue it was completely devoid of taste. The napoli was like water, the cheese was like rubber, there was some herbs through the crumbs but they didn't do much at all.
Sigh...
Not much else to say really, we were dejected. I tried so hard to improve this parma.
Here's the cross section -
The chips were as bland as a pair of beige curtains. Lukewarm and starchy, had to cover them in salt to get any semblance of flavour out of them.
Now, the salad.
Much like the last review, lets play everybody's favourite gameshow ...
Name that ingredient!
Yep, that is what the salad consisted of. I would have guessed the three orange strips were carrot, but two of them had massive white chunks in the middle - I didn't know carrots could turn white.
[info] **EDIT** 16/4/14 - I have been in correspondence with The Linc since writing this review and have been informed that what we took to be the "salad" is actually intended to be a "garnish" and not to be intended as a salad. As this is the case we are invoking the "You don't win friends with salad" rule (see the FAQ &Glossary for more info) and the final score will be adjusted accordingly. [/info]
But there is another story to the Salad, as when Reviewer Stefo placed his order, he asked if he could get salad with his meal assuming it was included. He sat back down and showed us his receipt...
I'm having deja vu here. A $3.50 charge for salad? Okay, well surely for that much of an additional cost it was an amazingly rich, full and nutritious addition to the meal...
Apologies for the blurry photo, I was vibrating with rage at this point
I took a bite and winced. I love my balsamic, but this thing was more balsamic than it was vegetables. Not $3.50 worth, not by a long shot.
There's not much more to say really, I had hoped that the parma in the restaurant area would be better than the sports bar, as there is a good $7 difference in price between the two. What does that extra $7 buy you, you may ask? A slightly bigger schnitzel. Thats it. It's not like you're paying extra for table service either, both your drink and food orders have to be placed at the counter and bar respectively. In theory The Linc could install one of those "buzzer-buzzes when your food is ready to collect" systems and do away with the waitresses all together. $7 difference between the sports bar and the bistro is ludicrous, $3.50 extra for salad is utter madness. I wouldn't go back for another parma at the Linc if you paid me.
When we first visited the Linc I gave them the benefit of the doubt, I was willing to help them if they were willing to accept they had a problem and were willing to better themselves - There was a ray of hope that it might happen, But they have broken my heart yet again. I can't sugar coat it any more, this parma is a fucking abomination.
[pros]
- Bake at home roll & garlic bread was tasty
- Slightly bigger schnitzel than in the sports bar
- Ham now a standard inclusion
[/pros][cons]
- Everything else.
[/cons]
Parma - 2.60
Chips - 2.40
Salad - "You don't win friends with salad" rule invoked.
Value - 1.10
Total - 2.74
The search continues...