Hold on! Don't finish the year just yet! We've got some Golden Chooks to hand out. Well that was 2015! Quite a milestone packed year that rung in both our 5 year anniversary and 250th parma review! It was quite the year for the non-traditional parma, with a BBQ Bacon parma that blew our socks off, a curry sauce parma that was so packed with flavour it still invades my dreams, and a bunch of shredded-ham delights in my favourite beer garden in the state.
We ate a hell of a lot of chook in 2015, and also witnessed more getting eaten in one sitting than any mere mortal should deem possible. All up it was a stellar year with some phenomenal birds ... Now it's time to give them the trophies.
Now we give out two awards each year, Best New Parma, is awarded to the best parma we have had in the 2015 season, and Parma of the Year, which is awarded to the pub who sits at #1 on our ladder. Both are extremely rare and prestigious awards, the Oscars better watch their backs as we have our sights set to overtake them in popularity very soon.
So without further ado, lets start with the Best New Parma…
Best new parma
This pub was an unexpected delight. In an area not renowned for its pubs, this one blew our socks clean off. The pub itself is a beautiful spot to grab a beverage, with both cosy on-street dining area and a more than impressive beer garden tucked away out the back. If you're after a unique spot to grab a pre/post MCG drink, you should probably put this one on your calendar. Massive congratulations to...
Aviary Hotel
If we divided the parma awards into "best ham", "best napoli" and "best cheese" categories I reckon the Aviary would have taken them in a clean sweep. The toppings on this parma are second to none. Absolutely exploding with flavour. The chicken breast was pure, piping hot and packed with a unique lemon zing, and if that's not enough for you there's the option to throw on some jalapenos. If you haven't yet its worth checking out our full review here
Congratulations guys!
If you're too lazy to check the full review, below is the pic of the parma the first time we had it, note the unique salad/coleslaw hybrid, which Reviewer Stefo dubbed "sal-slaw, a fanstastic addition to the dish.
The Aviary accepted the trophy with glee, and it quickly found a home on the shelf behind the bar...
Congratulations again to the Aviary!
Parma of the Year
Is it even worth hyping it up any more? You know what its gonna be.
Taking out the Golden Chook for the Fourth consecutive year, the Imperial Hotel is still second to none.
As a celebration of the end of 2015 we arrived at the Impy on Sunday to present them with their trophy, as well as get our fix of the best parma Melbourne has to offer (in our opinion, anyway).
However the Imperial has a new surprise...
A stunning new rooftop bar has been built at the tippy top!
After ascending what seems like at least twenty gazillion stairs, the rooftop now opens out into a stunning rooftop area with a view to die for...
Unfortunately we picked the one day of the last week where the skies opened up with rain, so after appreciating the sights we headed back down and got down to the important business ... the parmas.
I was a little concerned when the parmas first fell ... Has it shrunk?!
Luckily not, it was just not hammered down enough. Shortly after tucking in everyone at the table was sitting back emitting groans of contentment - This parma is still a beast, still delicious, still number 1.
Notice the sign above the fridge? Love it ... although its gonna need an update!
Congratulations (yet again!) to the Imperial Hotel
And with that, 2015 is done. Be sure to stay tuned for 2016! I'm looking at my "list of parmas" taped to the wall of my office and there are quite a few that I'm very excited about. We've got some other things in the works that I can't announce just yet, but rest assured they're going to be all sorts of awesome.
Oh, and I promise we'll get another podcast out in 2016.
Congratulations again to the winners, a massive thank you to all you readers, especially those who follow my shenanigans on all the social medias (facebook, twitter, instagram), and a huge thanks to the Review Team ... Who I doubt will actually read this, but my gratitude is with them none the less.
Hope you all have a great holiday, and awesome New Year, and we will catch you in January!
Cheers.