#329 - 'The Common Man'

Where - 39 Dukes Walk, South Wharf

Price - $23.50 for Original, a buck or so extra for novelty toppings

Website - http://www.thecommonman.com.au/

Reviewers – Lee, Nikki & Stefo

...and we're back! 2018 is upon us and with the new year comes refreshed determination to find Melbourne's best parma. We've got some interesting things in store for you this year that I am super excited about, so be sure to stay tuned!

I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with South Wharf. There are some great stores, some fantastic restaurants & pubs and the formerly-Hilton-now-Pan-Pacific hotel overlooking it all is a great spot for a staycation in the city... However it lacks a soul. It all seems so sterile and inorganic that I have trouble willing myself to venture to that part of town.

Enter the Common Man, a place I've had my eye on for a little while, but had yet to muster the will to go and check out - Until I started spying social media posts here and their about the Pop-Up Outdoor Cinema that they've been running lately and it definitely piqued my interest...

Well stone the crows it looks like The Common Man has found a way to inject a little bit of life into South Wharf! Space at the cinema seems to sell out pretty quickly so we didn't manage to get a seat, however the screen is visible from the pub itself (although it's a little hard to hear), which provided a very nice view to our meal.

Even though the cinema was chock-a-block, the pub itself was relatively quiet. We easily found a seat, checked the menu and spied a few options available for our meal...

We managed to get an order in for the Original, the Aussie and the Parma Hot. I would have liked to get the Mexican as well, but we can't all be rich enough to be lashing out on extravagances such as avocado. (the only explanation I can muster for the price hike)

The tap list at The Common Man left a little to be desired. Heineken, Little Creatures, James Squire, Coopers, Hahn and a currently-dry Pimms tap. Fortunately there are some craftier options in the fridge if that's more your style with some Moon Dog, Feral, Stone & Wood and Lick Pier ginger beer to wet your whistle.

We ordered our parmas and kicked back while "10 Things I Hate About You" started on the big screen. Oh that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, such a dreamboat.

Surprisingly quickly (about 15-20 minutes after ordering) our parmas arrived...

The Original

The Aussie

The Parma Hot

Before we get to the novelty toppings - The Schnitzel.

A little small on the plate, but cutting into it revealed a surprisingly thick piece of chicken. Pure white breast with surprisingly crunchy crumbs. Served piping hot, it would have been a great start to the dish, however one criticism reverberated around the table - Man, this chicken is dry.

And it was a spot on criticism - What could have been a top notch parma was not nearly as enjoyable as it should have been as the chicken breast was as dry as the Nullarbor.

Other than that one problem though, it was a fine schnitzel and a decent foundation to the parma.

The following topping comments will be mostly related to the Parma Hot, the parma I had. For thoughts on the other two (the Original and the Aussie) check out the reviewer quotes below.

The "Parma Hot" comprised of salami, jalapeños and chili flakes along with the usual suspects of napoli sauce and mozzarella cheese. Toppings were applied liberally and pretty tasty for the most part (I could have used a little more napoli, although I think that's the fault of the dryness of the chicken). It was a tasty parma, but for my money it lacked a punch. When I order a "Parma Hot" I expect it to be so hot it leaves me with the ol' Johnny Cash for the next few days. It had a bit of a kick, and was a tasty dish - But in it's current state I'd consider it more a "Parma Medium" than a "Parma Hot"

I have to give props to the Common Man for presentation, they managed to fit the parma, chips and salad on the plate all without hint of overlap - and it was a hearty serve of chips also. They were served hot and fresh but lacked any sort of seasoning or chip dip. They were fine, but nothing to write home about.

Salad was in a similar boat. It was okay, but nothing noteworthy. Some greens, onion and a few cherry tomatoes. It was well dressed but a little wilted. Nothing bad, but nothing spectacular.

“The toppings were good (ham especially). Schnitzel was dry, sides could use a bit of love.”

— Nikki (Original Parma)

“Not sure about the Aussie parma. The egg didn’t do it justice - a very eggy tasty with a dash of what was a very tasty chutney underneath”

— Stefo (Aussie Parma)

For $24.50 I wouldn't be running back to The Common Man, however from my research online they do run a $15 Lunch & Dinner special on Mondays. For that price it's worth wandering over if you're in the area.

The Common Man parma is a tough one to pin down. The venue is great, the pop up cinema is a fantastic idea and the Pimms were going down dangerously smoothly on a warm summer evening.

The parma had some top notch elements that were marred by unfortunate execution - Maybe we were there on an off night and the parma you try won't be as dry - If so it's definitely worth a crack, just go on $15 Parma night to be safe.

Parma - 7.33

Chips - 6.33

Salad - 6.00

Value - 6.50

Total - 6.70

The search continues...

Special Attempt - Larmagianas @ The Duke

Where - 146 Flinders St. Melbourne

Website - https://dukeofwellington.com.au/

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

First things first - While we didn't get paid for this review we were invited by The Duke to come down and try the Larmagiana. My opinion will remain as unbiased as we always try to be, but in the interest of full disclosure I thought I'd let you know from the get go.

A few months ago Melbourne CBD pub the Duke of Wellington launched a competition. They put out word that they wanted the people of our fair city to design their newest parma. The competition was open to all, and from the 144 entries received the options were narrowed down to six finalists, which were -

1. Blue Babe - Pork, pancetta, gorgonzola, parmesan and fontina mix
2. I Can't Believe It's Not Parma - Cauliflower Steak, gluten free cheese sauce, tomato sauce, chili flakes
3. Panko Parma - Panko crumbed chicken, miso glaze
4. Chicken Larmagiana - Regular parma with lasagne on top
5. The Triple Threat - Chicken, 3 Cheese (Gruyere, buffalo mozzarella, taleggio) crispy sage and rosemary.
6. The Heir - Chicken, truffle oil, prosciutto, sage, gouda cheese

The final six went to an online poll. I cast my vote for the Triple Threat, which sounded delightful - but the gods weren't on my side as by a 45% landslide victory the Larmagiana took the crown! (In the end I'm glad it did - I don't know if I could have put a positive spin on a piece of cauliflower covered in gluten free cheese pretending to be a parma.)

Last Friday the winner was announced, and we were invited by the Duke to come and give it a crack.

It wasn't our first visit to the Duke, long time readers will remember that the Duke took our our Best New Parma award of 2013. And even though the parma has evolved a little since our last visit, it's still a very fine specimen of Melbourne parmage.

We took our seat at an already packed Duke and prepared ourselved for the Larmagiana, before too long the beast fell before us...

Pro tip - Be sure you're hungry when you tackle the Larmagiana - This thing is a beast and a half. The schnitzel layer is spot on. Pure white chicken breast cooked to perfection. Don't let the photos fool you - This thing is huge. I struggled to clear my plate while reviewer Nikki threw in her napkin about halfway through. A great foundation for the dish and really got me thinking that we should put The Duke on the docket for a redo in 2018.

Now the important bit. The toppings, and in this case the "toppings" is a slice of freakin' lasagne.

Before I saw the Larmagiana I was worried. A full sized schnitzel covered in a massive slice of lasagne seemed like it could be a bit of an overload - But I was pleasantly surprised to find that The Duke had used a little restraint. The lasagne topping was just that - a topping, and I think they have found a spot on ratio of schnitzel to lasagne as to know that the lasagne is there, but not have it overpower the schnitzel.

The bolognese sauce was rich, flavoursome and juicy. the ham was plentiful and had an almost prosciutto-like texture (I'm still a little dirty that the Triple Threat didn't win, I love prosciutto).

I know I might be giving those dirty parmo loving dogs some ammunition here, but I actually didn't hate the béchamel sauce with the schnitzel either - But that's only in addition to the bolognese as well, I'm not going to be switching to Team Parmo any time soon.

Oh, and there were pasta sheets! I almost forgot the key ingredient that turned this dish from Parma to Larma. Like I said earlier they didn't go too thick with the lasagne, which I liked, but from my count there were about two layers of pasta sheets in with the rest of the lasagne toppings.

The chips are a little different to when we last tried the Duke parma. Gone are the hand cut potato planks and in their place was a hefty serve of seasoned crinkle cuts. I don't know what it is, but I've always had a soft spot for a crinkle cut chip, and although I didn't enjoy them quite as much as I did the old hand cut variety, these were still a mighty fine side. Well seasoned, well cooked and served nowhere near the underside of the Larmagiana.

The salad was a surprise. Fresh and crisp, I believe it was Reviewer Stefo who coined the term for this kind of parma back when we visited The Aviary, best described as a "Sal-Slaw" (hybrid of salad and coleslaw). It was fresh and crisp with a light, tangy dressing - a perfect palate cleanser to break up the Larmagiana, which, lets face it, is a heavy dish.

“Loved the bolognese. Great flavours top and bottom. So big I couldn’t get through it! ”

— Nikki

I really enjoyed the Larmagiana, The Duke has a winner on their hands here (although are we sure Larmagiana is the right name? I was calling it a Parma-sagne before I realised what they wound up calling it and kind've think my name is better).

I'm not sure if its a permanent addition to the menu or just a limited time thing, but I'd definitely recommend heading down and giving it a crack - A definite must for any parma (or lasagne) lover to try.

The search continues...

#328 - 'Brunswick Street Cider House'

Where - 386 - 388 Brunswick St. Fitzroy

Price - $20

Website - http://www.theciderhouse.com.au/

Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Nikki, Stefo

UPDATE 15/11/18 - THE CIDER HOUSE IS NO MORE, IN ITS PLACE NOW LIES SAINT CHARLIE, A NEW PUB WITH A NEW PARMA. CHECK OUT HOW IT WENT HERE!

Brunswick Street is a bit of an untapped resource.

By my count we've reviewed 6 pubs along Brunswick Street in the years we've been doing this - Which may sound like a lot for any other street in Melbourne, but when you consider that there at approximately ten million pubs in the stretch between Alexandra Pde and Victoria Pde, I think it's a spot we should probably spend a little more time at.

Enter the Brunswick Street Cider House. I'm not sure when exactly they put a parma on the menu, but it was definitely some time in between whenever I last checked and when I checked again this week. I had always liked the vibe of the Cider House, so without further adieu we loaded up the parma bus and headed to Fitzroy

We arrived a little early (around 6:30) to a deserted pub, I'd say they were quiet because of the biblical storm that was just predicted to sweep through Melbourne this weekend - People were at home nailing boards to their windows in preparation for the squall.

We grabbed a seat and checked the menu - I think you'll see below why the parma at the Cider House caught my eye...

Doesn't that sound amazing?! All of those toppings sound like a win.

We ordered at the bar and waited for our grub to arrive.

As you'd expect from a Cider House, the Brunswick Cider House has a lot of cider... In house.

Eight different ciders on tap to tickle any fancy along with 2 or three beers also on tap if for some reason you find yourself at a cider house not feeling like a cider - Along with a handful of options (both cider and beer) in the fridge.

about 20-25 minutes after ordering our meals arrived from the kitchen...

On the surface it looked good! solid cheese melt, plenty of bacon and good coverage of napoli... But I'll get to the toppings next.

We picked up our cutlery, tucked in, and the Cider House parma's biggest failing was revealed... It was super thin.

Plump chicken around the edges of the schnitzel camouflaged it a little when it was on the plate, but the middle of the schnitzel thinned out quite a bit.

Other than that it was real, unprocessed chicken, cooked well and pure white, devoid of any gristle. One complaint came from Reviewer Nikki - Her schnitzel was quite a bit smaller than the other three at the table. Same thickness issue, but about half the size of the others.

The toppings are what attracted us to this parma, and to be honest they really shone.

As I mentioned briefly above the cheese blend was on point. Great coverage and grilled to golden brown perfection.

While not as smokey as I was expecting, the lashings of bacon were greatly appreciated. The thickness of the bacon was at points thicker than the schnitzel itself ... Kind've a bittersweet observation, but I'll take it.

The "apple cider napoli" was a bit of a contentious one. It definitely isn't a traditional napoli sauce as the sweetness of the cider is quite dominant. I enjoyed it after getting used to it, but if you don't like sweet napoli you may not be a fan.

Chips were great. Beer battered, piping hot, well seasoned and cooked perfectly. A bit of aioli to the side would have completed the picture, but in the meantime these were a damn enjoyable side.

The salad... not so much. It was just lettuce and rather dry on the dressing. It was okay for what it was (it was indeed advertised as a rocket salad on the menu so its not like they didn't deliver on a promise), but it did feel like a bit of an afterthought.

“The cider napoli really stood out, was quite different and very tasty. Chips were good too”

— Cale

“I was a little unde-cidered on the cider napoli. It was a different flavour and, whilst not offensive, I did find it a little sweet and overpowering”

— Stefo

“The schnitzel was already thin and then mine was smaller than everyone else’s! Good toppings & chips though. Salad was quite dry. ”

— Nikki

For $20 I wouldn't be running back to the Cider Bar, but at the same time if I found myself there I wouldn't be against trying the parma again. Overall it's good qualities outweigh the bad, but I wouldn't be going out of my way to try it.

If the chicken thickness was a fluke that could be attributed to an off night then this parma has a lot of potential, however in the state it was delivered last night it didn't quite do it for me, great toppings aside.

Good ciders though!

Parma - 6.63

Chips - 7.38

Salad - 5.08

Value - 6.43

Total - 6.43

The search continues...

#327 - 'District 5 @ The Ascot Vale Hotel'

Where - 477 Mt. Alexander Rd. Ascot Vale

Price - $15

Website - http://www.ascotvalehotel.com.au/

Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Stefo

This week is a bit of a weird one. when we review a pub that has already been done, we call it a Redo (Like when we went to the Royston , then back to the Royston). However If we revisit the same building but it has changed owners/names, we consider it a new review (Like when we went to Miss Libertine and then Captain Melville).

But what are the rules when a pub retains its name, but rents out it's kitchen to a third party? The pub name is still the same, but the people behind the food have changed. As is the case with this week's review. We visited the Ascot Vale Hotel back in 2013 (It didn't do very well) but now District 5 Bistro have moved into their kitchen and we had heard they were doing better.

I think my ruling is to treat this as a new venue, but with echoes of a Redo (I'm still going to compare it to what we had in 2013). If you disagree feel free to leave a comment below and let me know.

Anyway.

I really didn't enjoy our parma at the Ascot the first time we had it. Other than sporting a relatively thick chicken breast it had absolutely nothing going for it. I can still taste the dry, gritty, almost sandy bolognaise sauce that topped it all those years ago - So when I heard that District 5 had taken the helm I was all to eager to head back and see if they'd improved.

As I mentioned in our first visit, the Ascot holds a special place in my heart as they bought the furniture from the Prince of Wales Hotel after they closed. The tables and chairs on which the parmas at the Ascot sit once supported the greatest parma ever to exist, and a guess a piece of me hopes that some of that magic will bleed through into the food at the Ascot.

Well nearly 5 years since our first review and the Prince of Wales furniture is still there. Looking a little worse for wear these days, but it was great to see that they're still kicking.

The Ascot Vale Hotel is a bare bones pub. I want to call it a "dive bar" but in the most loving way possible. It's dark & dank, but it has a bit of charm.

I was expecting to arrive to an empty pub at 6:30 on a Thursday evening, yet as we grabbed a table in the bistro the pub was filling up fast. Maybe it had gotten better?

Filled with a renewed sense of hope we checked the menu...

... and ordered at the little podium in the kitchen. It's not often that you get a choice of steak sauce built into the cost of the parma, so that was a nice little touch from the get go.

The tap list at the Ascot, like the pub, is pretty bare bones. Carlton, Guinness, Cascade Light and a cider are your options. I was surprised to see some love for Clifton Hill beers in the fridge, but if you're after a craft beer experience you're definitely in the wrong pub.

The District 5 bistro uses a buzzer system that vibrates and lights up when your food is ready to be collected. Feelings on this system seems to be mixed, but I didn't mind taking the three steps from the table to the window to grab my parma.

After we ordered, waiting for the buzzer to buzz, I noticed that almost everyone around us was tucking into a steak, not a parma. It would seem that parmas at District 5 are secondary to the big draw - their all day, every day $12 porterhouse special. I felt left out as the steaks actually looked quite good, and for only $12 that is one hell of a bargain.

As I said I'm treating this one as a quasi-redo, so lets look at the 2013 Ascot parma before jumping into our review of the 2017 District 5 parma...

The Ascot Vale Hotel parma in 2013

The District 5 Bistro parma in 2017

Well. Gone is the horrible bolognaise, so that's a good start. The schnitzel, however, has taken a definite dive in quality. Downgraded from 2 relatively thick chicken fillets to one Coles-Deli-Window factory made schnitzel. The crumbs were thick and the chicken was thin.

It was cooked well, and not nearly as dry as its 2013 counterpart, but the parma at District 5 was definitely getting off to a rocky start.

Unlike the toppings on the 2013 parma that were actively unpleasant, the toppings on District 5's parma were simply okay. Plenty of napoli sauce and cheese, good coverage and well grilled - But like the schnitzel it was all prefab, either from a can or a bag.

There was ham included, but I had to check three times to see if it was actually there, it didn't add anything to the flavour parma at all.

I mentioned earlier that we got to pick a flavour of steak sauce when we ordered our parma - The steak sauce was probably the best part of our meal. What would have been boring, unseasoned chips were rocketed back to life by a rich, thick gravy (peppercorn sauce, in this case). My only regret is that the serving of chips wasn't bigger, as the chip and sauce combo was my favourite part of the meal.

The salad tried, but in the end missed the mark. It was big enough, there were some ingredients in it other than lettuce (not many), and it was topped with a rich, creamy dressing - but the leaves themselves were dry as could be and quite wilted. Overall not a very pleasant experience.

“A cheap parma for a cheap price. Not great but it filled a hole - Great pepper sauce though”

— Cale

“For the price you really can’t complain, but I would rather pay more for a quality bird”

— Stefo

As the general vibe of the quotes above tends to mirror - This was a cheap parma for a cheap price. You won't walk away hungry, but at the same time I would have rather chucked in an extra $5 for some quality ingredients.

Seeing as the peppercorn sauce was pretty much our favourite part of the dish, I really want to head back to District 5 and try their $12 steaks. I feel that if this website was titled SteakDaze and not ParmaDaze our review of District 5 would have fared much better, as the $12 steak special seems to be where its at.

I didn't actively dislike the parma at District 5, which is a definite improvement on our last visit - But there is still mammoth room for improvement, and I don't think I'll be hurrying back for a parma any time soon.

Parma - 4.50

Chips - 5.17

Salad - 4.00

Value - 6.67

Total - 4.97

The search continues...

#326 - 'Richmond Social'

Where - 157 Swan St. Richmond

Price - $15 (Thursday parma night)

Website - www.richmondsocial.com.au

Reviewers – Lee, Nikki & Tony Q

It's not often we are on the ball enough to get to a pub when it is this brand spanking new. Opening its doors in the final days of September, walking into the Richmond Social still smells new. Like a new car, but with more booze.

The old Vaucluse Hotel is unrecognisable, and definitely for the better. Richmond Social is an open, inviting and all round cool pub in which to drink away the day. With a spacious outdoor area (I hesitate to call it a "beer garden" as I don't remember seeing any trees), super inviting front bar with three massive TV's adorning the wall, and a ridiculously huge bistro up the side - Basically whatever mood you're in you'll find a comfy spot to pull up a chair.

We snagged a table in the front bar. Standard menu parma runs $23 for dinner, however Tuesdays at the Social is a different beast entirely -

$15 parma night? Yes please! It was a quiet review this week, only three participants, I indulged in a Mexican parma last week at Barton Fink so opted for the traditional, as did reviewer Nikki. Reviewer Tony, however was a little more brave and went for the Mexican.

The tap list at Richmond Social is plentiful, as you can see above (the Organic Steam Ale from Mountain Goat really hit the spot last night). Something for all tastes with even more options in the fridge.

After a 15 - 20 minute wait our food arrived from the kitchen. Apologies that I didn't get a photo of Tony's Mexican, but you get the idea.

The schnitzel was of a decent size, thick enough, and real chicken. Surprisingly good quality for a $15 cheapo parma. The crumbs weren't too thick and the schnitzel on its own carried a decent flavour.

Unfortunately our experience was a little marred by overcooked chicken. What could have been a spot on schnitzel was quite dry, and caused the crumbs to flake away quite a bit.

If the overcooked schnitzel was a point to the negative, the toppings on the Richmond Social parma absolutely saved the day. a heaping of flavoursome, perfectly grilled cheese blend complimented this parma perfectly. The ham was tasty and almost pancetta-like in texture.

I could have used a lot more napoli, It was hard to detect and didn't help at all with the dryness of the chicken.

The chips were pretty good. A decent serving, mostly out from underneath the parma and dusted with seasoning. Could have used some dipping sauce but overall a fine side to the dish.

The garden salad was unexpectedly enjoyable. On the surface it looked like a plain old garden salad, however all the ingredients were fresh and it was very well dressed from top to bottom.

“An overall great meal for the price. Chicken was a little dry but the Mexican toppings compensated for that well”

— Tony

“I loved the toppings on the parma however I wasn’t a big fan of the chicken. It was a little dry and the crumbs kept falling away. Nice fresh, well dressed salad and tasty chips. ”

— Nikki

For $15 I'd have this parma again any day. It had its faults, sure, but for the price I'm willing to overlook a few quibbles. This parma for full price, however, I may not be as forgiving.

If I were to visit Richmond Social again I'd definitely try one of the novelty toppings instead of the Traditional - Reviewer Tony seemed to enjoy his a lot more, as the extra toppings on the Mexican parma helped to compensate for the dry chicken.

I really liked Richmond Social. It's got a great, fun vibe with plenty of room to stretch your legs. The $15 parma Thursday is a bargain, and despite a few missteps we all walked away pretty satisfied with our meal. Worth a crack.

Parma - 7.17

Chips - 6.83

Salad - 7.13

Value - 8.5

Total - 7.26

The search continues...

#325 - 'Barton Fink'

Where - 816 High St. Thornbury

Price - $18 for regular, $20 for mexican

Website - http://www.bartonfink.com.au

Reviewers – Fridge, Lee, Nikki, Stefo

Named after a 1991 Coen Brothers movie, High Street's Barton Fink instantly struck me as a cool little pub I could waste away hours in. 

I normally try and start these reviews with an interesting story of how this pub came to be on our radar, but to be honest this week it was a case of "What haven't we tried around Thornbury", followed by a little bit of Google-fu. I picked it because it didn't strike me as the kind of bar that would serve a parma. From the aesthetic of the place it seemed more like the kind of pub that would serve dip platters and toasties - I mean, they do have both of those on the menu, but seeing a parma was a surprise. 

I expected Barton Fink to be a little hole-in-the-wall, but it was surprisingly spacious inside. Plenty of tables if you want to sit in and enjoy the live music, and opening out to an unexpectedly nice beer garden out the back. 

We snagged a table and checked the menu. I wasn't expecting options ... There were options. 

I'm not normally one to go with the novelty toppings, but I am a sucker for a good Mexican parma. We split the load and got two of each. 

Also worth noting that while the menu says its an extra $1 to add ham on the classic parma, we were told that the menu is soon to be updated with the surcharge removed. 

We started with a serve of onion rings to whet our appetites. Quite good. I had never had onion rings with sweet chilli sauce before but the flavours worked well together. A good start so far!

Quality beers on tap. Steam Ale & Two Birds to name a couple, with Hawke's available in cans from the fridge (among other things). Plenty to choose from. 

Before we get to the parmas I want to apologise for the photo quality this week - Barton Fink was rather dark inside and didn't lend itself to the fine art of parma photography. I cranked up the brightness in post as much as I could in an effort to save them, but I freely admit they aren't my best work. 

The Mexican

The Classic

Getting the worst out of the way up front - the schnitzel was probably the most disappointing element of the dish. As you can see from the photos below the crumbs were quite thick and the chicken inside seemed to have shrunk in the cooking process, leaving a loose shell of crumbs around the chicken inside. It was a little dry and flavourless. As far as foundations go this one started off quite shaky.

Luckily, for the Mexican at least, the toppings did their absolute darnedest to save it. Completely smothered in sour cream, salsa, guacamole and spicy jalapeños, the mountain of stuff atop my parma brought it back from the brink ... If anything I'd say it was bordering on topping overload. 

Close call, Barton Fink ... Close call. 

I've been on the fence about putting this in the review, but in the interest of full disclosure I'll cover it quickly - There was a bit of a snafu in the kitchen when we ate at Barton Fink. Nothing major, but one of the classic parmas came out with sour cream on it as if it had been half prepped as a Mexican. Props to the staff however, when we brought it to their attention they replaced it ASAP, apologised profusely and even threw in a free cocktail for the wait. Mistakes happen, but the staff's response in handling it was all class. 

Anyway, on to the sides. 

The serving of chips was absolutely massive. Served hot and liberally seasoned with chicken salt. We don't get chicken salt often, but it was a more than welcome change. A fine side to the dish. 

The garden salad was simple. Crisp, flavoursome and heavy on the red onion just how I like it. I don't have too much else to say about it other than that... Yep! It was a good one!

“Parma was nice. I got the Mexican, the toppings were a little overloaded, but still nice. Was good to have wedges as a change, Salad was tasty... A very cool little bar with some great live music”

— Fridge

“Enormous meal! I had the classic and personally enjoyed the parma. I found the taste of parsley a tad overpowering but it was on the subtle side. There were plenty of chips (at least half the plate) covered in a large amount of chicken salt - Was a good decision to ask for a side of (complimentary) aioli to balance the flavours.
Didn’t think the salad was anything to write home about, but it was inoffensive. ”

— Stefo

“would have enjoyed this parma much more had it not been for the quality of the schnitzel. Everything else was great ... and huge servings! ”

— Nikki

The ingredients to the Barton Fink parma weren't of the highest quality, but I'll be damned if they didn't use every available square inch of plate space. Nobody walked away from the table hungry as all the servings on the plate were more than generous. $18 for the regular and $20 for the Mexican is pretty good considering the sheer amount of food delivered, however I'd rather chip an extra few bucks their way to up the quality of the schnitzel used as a foundation. 

I liked Barton Fink. It was a very cool little bar that I'd happily head back to. From the live music to the beer garden to the Twin Peaks Pop! vinyls over the bar its definitely a place I'd return to. 

The parma was close to being great but stumbled at the starting block and didn't quite manage to catch up. I'd give it another go in the hopes that things improve. 

Now I'm going to check if Barton Fink is on Netflix. I like the Coen Brothers (Fargo FTW) and if the movie is good enough to have an entire pub named after it, surely its worth checking out! 

Parma - 6.25

Chips - 7.25

Salad - 6.75

Value - 6.75

Total - 6.65

The search continues...

#324 - 'The Wandi Pub'

Where - 580 Morses Creek Road, Wandiligong

Price - $28.50

Website - http://www.thewandipub.com/

Reviewers – Darren, Johno, Lee, Mel, Nikki

If you missed the last couple of days, this week we have been going back-to-back with reviews from Victoria's Alpine Region. Starting with the Happy Valley on Wednesday, the Snowline Hotel Yesterday and finishing things off today, and trust me ... We saved the best for last. 

On the final day of Alpine week we have the Wandi Pub! (Or the Wandiligong Hotel ... or the Mountain View Hotel, depending on which sign out the front you prefer to read).

To be honest the Wandi pub popped up out of nowhere. Unlike yesterday's visit to the Snowline the Wandi Pub hadn't been recommended to us at all, until another ParmaDaze reviewer was up in the area a few weeks ago, stumbled onto it and recommended we give it a try. 

Unsurprising, considering its location, but the Wandi just screams "country pub", with most of the inside of the pub seemingly constructed from corrugated iron and trees (not wood, full on trees)

To the right of the front bar is a dining room that seems to be going for a slightly finer dining experience than the pub proper. We grabbed a table in there and checked the menu -

$28.5 is definitely pricey for a chicken parma, so to have any chance of earning a decent score the Wandi pub was going to have to bring both the noise and the funk. 

Outside and surrounding the Wandi lies a massive beer garden... Actually "garden" seems like to small of a word to accurately describe the area - It's more like a beer field than anything. with an outdoor stage for entertainment, I'd have to call this one of the best spots for a bevvy in the sun I've seen for quite a while. 

Absolutely huge and worth the trip alone. 

Tap list at the Wandi was enough to satisfy most beer drinkers. Hawkers, Bridge Rd, Brick Lane, Coopers, and a few more options on tap and in the fridge. 

After a 15 minute wait our parmas arrived...

Don't be deceived by it's size - They say good things come in small packages, and this is definitely the case for the Wandi parma. 

I honestly have trouble faulting it. The earlier statement that it was a little small is probably the only thing I can think that I have against it. The schnitzel was cooked to absolute perfection. Kept thick to retain its juiciness, just how we like it, and crumbed just enough to add a delicious crunch and nothing more.

On the first bite I knew this was something special. On to the toppings.

Holy crap where do I start. The Yack free range leg ham is an absolute triumph. Thickly cut and laid on with gusto it was (if you'll excuse the cliche) the absolute star of the dish. 

The napoli saucee was abundant, rich, chunky and packed with flavour and the cheese was perfectly browned with a sharp bite that brought everything together. 

This was the best parma I've had in quite a long time. Fingers crossed the sides could hold up their end of the bargain. 

Fat chips! Just shy of perfection. A generous serve, piping hot, crunchy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside - The only way to improve them would be the addition of a gravy or dipping sauce of some kind. A fine addition to an already fine parma. 

As far as salads go the Wandi's was pretty impressive. Packed full of ingredients and dressed from top to bottom before being plated (how it should be done). I'd normally want a seperate bowl but the genius way in which the Wandi parma was plated kept everything seperate without anything needing to be in top of everything else. 

“Even though it was pricey I’d happily pay it again and recommend it to anyone as it was a fantastic tasting parma with top quality ingredients. Without a doubt the highlight of the year for me.”

— Nikki

Value. This is the tough one as on any other day I'd say $28.50 for a parma would be a bloody outrage, However for this parma ... I think I'm okay with it. Everything on the parma was top notch made from the highest quality ingredients. You could taste the extra cash paid in the parma as you ate. It loses a couple of points for being so pricey - But to be honest I'd pay it again any day of the week, and would have no qualms giving it my seal of approval for others to do the same. 

I feel a little guilty rating a parma that is a 3 hour drive out of Melbourne so highly, as it is a legitimate pain in the ass for anyone who doesn't already live near/visit the region often to get to - But honestly, this one is worth the trip. It more than deserves its honour of Best Regional Pub in Victoria 2017 from Time Out, and is definitely one for any parma lover to put high on their priority list. 

And with that we wrap up Alpine week! Hope you enjoyed our little experiment to get some more regional Victorian pubs checked off the list, with the quality of the parmas we discovered I'm calling it now as an unmitigated success, and don't worry - We'll be back to something a little closer to home next week.

See you then!

Parma - 9.63

Chips - 9.13

Salad - 7.30

Value - 7.68

Total - 8.67

The search continues...

#323 - 'Snowline Hotel'

Where - 237 Great Alpine Rd. Harrietville

Price - $25

Website - http://www.snowlinehotel.com.au/

Reviewers – Johno, Lee, Mel, Nikki

If you missed Yesterday's introduction, this review is the second of three in a back to back barrage of reviews coming at you from Victoria's Alpine region. One yesterday, one today and the finale tomorrow. Be sure to check them all out!

Ahhh the Snowline. If I had a dollar for every time someone recommended me the Snowline I would have, I dunno ... What's 2 or 3 bucks a week for the last seven years? Behind the Toolshed in Noojee it is without doubt the most recommended parma we've had. It always held near-top position on the now not-sure-if-it's-still-being-updated parma.com.au, and to be honest this was the pub I was most excited about visiting during our weekend away to the Alpine region. 

Expectations could not have been higher. Lets see how it did. 

Every time I heard about the Snowline in the past it was always referred to as the "Harrietville Snowline", so much so I thought that was the name of the pub, imagine my surprise when I saw the signage that it was just the "Snowline" and the "Harrietville" is just where it was, kind've like how I always thought the pub at Melbourne Central was the "Melbourne Central Lion Hotel" and not the "Lion Hotel" that happens to reside in Melbourne Central. I'm not very bright. 

The weather wasn't as kind to us on our visit to the Snowline as it was on yesterday's trip to Happy Valley, so rather than enjoy the sunshine we quickly huddled into the pub, snagged a table in the already quite busy dining area, and grabbed a menu.

Sounds good to me! We quickly placed our orders. 

The pub itself is hard to describe. Picture a backpackers for skiers combined with the dining hall at a school camp you went on in grade 6 and you're halfway there. It's got a dimly lit, laid back bohemian vibe that is both inviting and super easy to get lost in. The Snowline isn't like any pub I've been to in Melbourne, and I liked it. 

After ordering I spotted a break in the rain and quickly snuck outside to the spacious deck to grab a pic - A shame that the weather wasn't better as this looked like a damn fine place for a drink in the sun.

For a country pub, I would describe the beer list at the Snowline as good bordering on excellent. Options from Coopers, Bridge Rd, and the nearby Bright Brewery and others on tap, along with an expanded selection in stubbies if the tap list doesn't tickle your fancy. 

For a pub that was heaving with hungry customers I was surprised at how quickly our food arrived - Ten minutes wait and our meals fell before us. 

First up the schnitzel - It was big on the plate, but not "holy crap look how big this thing is". Real chicken breast that appeared quite thick but  on closer inspection that seemed to be in part due to some liberal use of the crumbs - Not criminally over crumbed, but thick enough to irk me a little... Although we are up in the mountains, maybe the chicken just needed some extra layers. 

The dish was served piping hot and cooked well, The chicken could have been juicier, but it was full of flavour and quite enjoyable with or without the toppings. 

The toppings were a bit of a mixed bag. The Mt. Beauty ham was pretty damn tasty and laid on quite thick, just how we like it. Great coverage of flavoursome cheese (although a little oily in parts), that was grilled to golden brown perfection. 

The biggest disappointment with the toppings on the Snowline's parma would be the napoli - or lack thereof. It was somewhat visible when the plate hit the table but it was all but undetectable while eating the parma, to the point where I couldn't even tell you if it was good or not, if this was a grade 6 school camp I'd be marking the napoli as absent for the day. 

The chips were a marked improvement on Happy Valley's. We upgraded to beer battered this time around and these ones were actually seasoned. Although served a little cold, as if they had been cooked separately to the parma and plated up at serving time - they were crisp, in abundance, and a decent side to the parma. 

If you're a fan of capsicum, the garden salad to the side of the parma was pretty good, if capsicum salad isn't your thing then you probably won't be as pleased. I liked the salad, it was fresh, crisp and not overdressed. Nothing outstanding, mind you, but a fine addition to the meal

“Pretty good, but not blown away like I was expecting”

— Nikki

There is a lot of value in here for $25. All the ingredients used were top notch and applied liberally - Considering the price if this one is the same price I paid for yesterday's parma and it is a marked improvement on that one then I'd definitely be happy to shell out another 25 clams to have this one again.

Might be a case of overblown expectations, but I was underwhelmed with the parma at the Snowline. I was more than hyped to be floored by this parma and burst through the doors singing its praises but ended up walking away thinking "Yeah ... That was pretty good I guess".

The pub has an outstanding, fun vibe and is definitely worth stopping in on your way up the mountain, it's not perfect, but as long as you don't go in with sky high expectations like the ones I had there is a lot of good to be discovered here. 

Parma - 7.90

Chips - 6.5

Salad - 6.65

Value - 7.00

Total - 7.19

The search continues...

#322 - 'Happy Valley Hotel'

Where - 4994 Great Alpine Rd. Ovens

Price - $25

Website - http://www.happyvalleyhotel.com.au

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

For quite a while now I've been promising to get out a little further, to leave our Thursday-night-10km-radius-from-the-CBD comfort zone and check out some of the parmas that regional Victoria has to offer. But which pubs do we pick? Even if we pick a town or region there are just too many pubs out there to get to them all. 

So welcome to my idea. We picked a region in Victoria, did a bit of a road trip over a weekend and basically chain ate parmas until it was time to come home, managing to hit up three pubs in Victoria's Alpine region over the course of a weekend.

Here's the fun part, rather than bank these reviews and dole them out over the next three weeks, I hereby declare it "Alpine Region Week", and will be posting a new review today, tomorrow and Friday. 

So strap in! The first pub on the Agenda - The Happy Valley Hotel in Ovens, Victoria. 

The Happy Valley hotel, a name so sugary sweet that I almost got diabetes reading the sign, is an odd little spot. The other two pubs we will get to this week both came highly recommended - This one I had never heard of, but driving past it catches the eye as a fantastically inviting country pub. The abundant green grapevines snaking their way across the facade is a fantastic visual, making this a very hard pub to drive past without stopping in for a cold one. 

The Happy Valley pub is a bit of a dichotomy. The front bar screams old school country pub straight out of the 60's (apart from a few modern touches). A place you could pull up a pew and forget your troubles for a few hours. Walk to the back, however and it feels more like a cafe than a watering hole. You could forget you are in a pub entirely if you wanted to, making it a much more modern experience, at the expense of a bit of it's charm. 

We took a seat in the back room and checked the menu -

Looked good to me! 

It's also worth noting that the Happy Valley has an impressive and spacious beer garden. Plenty of seating, protected for the weather and set up with an outdoor stage for live entertainment, I could really see this pub getting quite enjoyable on a Friday or Saturday night. The Sunday lunch crowd, however, was a little less rowdy. 

It's a country pub, so you aren't going to be blown away with the selection of beers. Draught, Furphy, VB ... And I did hear a rumour that they pour a mean Guinness. 

About 15 minutes after ordering our parmas arrived -

The schnitzel quality was top notch. Thick and juicy, just how we like 'em, and served steaming hot to the point I had to let it sit for a few minutes. The crumbing had a little trouble gripping the chicken and flaked away quite a bit, but this was a minor complaint. 

It wasn't huge, but big enough that nobody would walk away hungry. Overall a solid foundation to the dish. 

Unfortunately, other than the top notch schnitzel, things took a bit of a turn from there. 

The toppings were quite bland. No ham on the parma meant that all the responsibility for flavouring the dish fell on the cheese and the napoli - But neither of them were strong enough to drive this parma home. 

Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of cheese and heaps of napoli, but neither added much to the flavour profile, making this a parma that was well prepared on a technical level, but not really memorable once the plates were cleared.

The chips followed in the same vein as the parma. They were fine, standard pub chips - But it didn't feel as if any love was put into them. No seasoning, no salt, no dipping sauce, just chips. 

They were cooked well and plenty of the plate - But like the parma, completely forgettable. 

The salad looked great on the plate, and I'll always appreciate a side bowl - However the execution of this one was also a bit of a disappointment. All of the ingredients were piled into the bowl and topped with a massive sploodge (its a word, shut up) of very thick, rich dressing. It needed to be tossed. The first forkful of salad was 90% dressing and 10% salad, the second forkful was about 50/50 and the third and remaining forkfuls were just dry salad leaves with no dressing whatsoever. The parma and chips were forgettable but still pleasant. I'll be remembering the salad for the wrong reasons. 

“Could have been great. Would have loved a slice of ham and some seasoning on the chips. ”

— Nikki

It's always hard to assign value to a parma that I didn't overly enjoy. I walked out with my hunger sated with an overall pleasant meal. Would I pay another $25 for the experience? I wouldn't rush to, but at the same time if I found myself at the Happy Valley again I could be convinced to give it another crack.

The front half (and beer garden) of the Happy Valley is a great pub - it's a slice of history that is definitely worth dropping in on your drive and experiencing at least once, however when I walked through to the dining area I felt as if the personality had been sucked out of the room - Too many renovations have pulled all of the life out of the place and it has become just another anonymous cafe the likes of which you'd expect to find in Parkville or North Melbourne.

This review is coming off harsher than I had intended. It wasn't that bad. The parma had an A+ schnitzel as a foundation, but just faltered when it came to the toppings and the sides. Not bad by any stretch, but not great either. 

Parma - 7.1

Chips - 5.8

Salad - 5.5

Value - 6.5

Total - 6.40

The search continues...

#321 - 'Little Peacock'

Where - 10 - 14 Hope St. Melbourne

Price - $17

Website - https://littlepeacockcafe.com.au

Reviewers – Kyle, Lee, Nikki & Shanan

UPDATE 10/10/19 - IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT LITTLE PEACOCK HAS CHANGED ITS NAME TO “LITTLE HOPE EATERY” AND HAS REMOVED THE PARMA FROM THE MENU. SO LONG, LITTLE PEACOCK!

We don't normally do the cafe thing on ParmaDaze, and we definitely don't do the cafe-that-closes-at-4pm thing at ParmaDaze - However when I heard that one of the chef's from our current #1 spot holder and 2016 Golden Chook winner The Birmingham Hotel had spun off into his own cafe and was also serving parmas... We had to make an exception

As it stands our mission to find Melbourne's perfect chicken parma doesn't exactly pay the bills - Which means that the ParmaDaze review team have a full time jobs outside of their quest, so to get to Little Peacock during opening hours we had to forego our standard 7pm on a Thursday parma night and opt for a Saturday afternoon visit instead.

Situated on the ground floor of a brand spankin' new apartment complex on Hope Street Brunswick (just off busy Sydney Road). Little Peacock looks like any other Brunswick cafe. We arrived just after noon and the place was already a buzz with activity. Cappuccinos were flying out of the baristas hands, plenty of people were sitting around enjoying a lazy smashed avo and the front counter was constantly stacking up Uber Eats deliveries. For a relatively new establishment they are already doing quite well. 

We grabbed a table and checked the menu to find ... No parma. Not to worry, the Little Peacock parma is currently residing on the specials board by the kitchen window. Great news for us, bad news if you want it delivered via Uber Eats as it's not technically on the menu (Yet. I have been assured that it will be migrating to a more permanent menu spot shortly).

We placed our orders and awaited the arrival of our parmas.

This is normally where I talk about the range of beers available to pair with our chicken - Unfortunately Little Peacock hasn't quite got their liquor license yet. There are notices posted on all windows around the pub and it doesn't look like it's going to be too far off before you can grab a beer with your bird, but at the time of this review we were a bunch of teetotallers. 

15 or so minutes after placing the order our parmas arrived from the kitchen. 

Well well well. This sure looks familiar! 

The chef from the Birmy did more than just bring his skills over to his new cafe - He brought the parma as well! Right down to the wooden board it is served on this looks exactly like a Birmy parma. But does it taste the same? Does it measure up to our highest rated parma to date?

We quickly gathered our cutlery and tucked in. 

The schnitzel was spot on. Thick. Juicy. Cooked perfectly with just the right amount of crumbs retaining the crunch that we love. Fantastically sized (you're not going home hungry) and great quality, pure chicken. A fantastic foundation on which to build a parma. 

The toppings, for the most part, were also just as good as a Birmy parma. So much ham it's bordering on ridiculous (look at the photo above and you can see - so much ham).

The cheese blend was spot on - Gooey and grilled to perfection with a sharp bite doing its very best to shine through. Great coverage and perfectly cooked. 

The napoli is where things at the Little Peacock start to differ from it's Birmy counterpart. The Birmy's napoli is rich, chunky, stacked up high and bursting with flavour (most notably garlic. The Birmy parma is an insanely garlic-y parma. Vampires should stay away) - Unfortunately I didn't quite get this from the napoli on the Peacock parma. It was close. But everyone at the table agreed that it was somewhat lacking in that final punch that drives the Birmy parma home. 

The chips were delightful. Not quite the same as the Birmy's, but decent in their own right. Crispy and hot, herb dusted and a communal tomato sauce pot was supplied for the table when our parmas were delivered. 

The salad was fresh and crisp - Well dressed and flavoursome. I could have done with a few more ingredients (where is my cucumber?) but overall it was a win. 

“Beautifully crumbed, plenty of toppings on the parma but the napoli could have used a bit more flavour. Lovely chips and a cool little cafe”

— Nikki

“Tasty salad, decent parma and a good price!”

— Kylie

“A good sized feed, felt the napoli sauce was missing a bit of a kick”

— Shanan

The Little Peacock's parma is priced at an entirely reasonable $17 - a full $5 cheaper than it's Birmy counterpart (although the Birmy does offer their parma for $12 on a Tuesday night, which the Peacock does not). I'd gladly have it again ... It's kind of a relief that this parma hasn't made it to their Uber Eats yet because if I could get this parma delivered I'd probably never leave the house again. 

The Little Peacock parma is like a really good tribute band that plays at a local. Sure its not quite up to par as the original, but it's still damn impressive and could probably have its own solo career one day - Plus you don't have to travel as far and the tickets are cheaper. While the Peacock won't be knocking the champion off it's perch it is still a damn fine meal in its own right and deserves a place in our top 10. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. 

Parma - 8.38

Chips - 8.00

Salad - 7.88

Value - 8.75

Total - 8.28

The search continues...

#320 - 'The Edinburgh Castle Hotel: Redux'

Where - 681 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056

Price - $19 (small), $24 (large)

Website - http://edinburghcastle.net.au

Reviewers – Al, Bearder, Grace, Janet, Lee, Nikki, Matt, Tony

The Edinburgh Castle is one of those pubs that I've always thought never got a fair shake. We visited back in 2012, and although it was our 102nd review the review team for the night was inexplicably infiltrated by a bunch of prosciutto-haters that brought the Castle's final score down. 

There is no room for prosciutto hate in a person's life. It took a few years to shake them, but we have ditched those horrible people and once again headed to the Edinburgh Castle to see if their parma holds up (or has even improved) after 5 years. 

The front bar of the Edinburgh Castle is as spacious as it is busy - Drawing in an eclectic array of patrons from all walks of life. Mums with prams toast their drinks with hipsters and senior citizens - It's a true menagerie, but its a great atmosphere and a hell of a lot of fun. 

We had the foresight to book ahead (recommended, this place gets packed), so our table was waiting for us when we arrived. Checked the menu and (even though there has been a few $ price bump in the five years since our last visit) spied our target for the evening...

We worked our way to the dining room and placed our food order at the food-order-booth. The dining room is a much more intimate (and quiet) space, but it doesn't quite have the atmosphere of the front bar. The beer garden out the back is also pretty great and definitely worth checking out on a summer night. 

The tap list at the Edinburgh is nothing short of fantastic. Hawkers, Feral, Pirate Life, Two Birds, 2 Brothers, 4 Pines (it's starting to sound like a sesame street counting game in here). The list goes on and on and on. Very impressed. 

After a 20 minute wait our parmas appeared from the kitchen... As is tradition with redo's lets compare the 2012 parma with its 2017 counterpart...

2012 -

At the very least I hope my photography skills have improved in 5 years.

2017 - 

Much better! 

Okay - First up, I really dug the schnitzel at the Edinburgh. After a few weeks of so/so schnittys it was nice to find one that was undoubtedly real chicken breast. Although it was a skosh on the dry side it was a thick, pure, high quality piece of chicken.

The crumbing was fine also - A little on the soggy side but not criminally so. Overall this was a pretty damn good foundation for a parma. 

Hello prosciutto, my old friend. 

As I stated in our last review - If you don't like prosciutto, you won't like this parma. If you do like prosciutto, you're in for a treat. Crispy, salty and applied liberally - The prosciutto on this parma was an absolute star. 

Back in 2012 we mentioned this parma was extremely cheesy, almost too cheesy. I didn't get that at all this time around as they have backed off the amount of cheese to a much more sane level. Still great coverage and grilled to perfection. Complimented the dish well. 

If I had to critisize the toppings my negativity would definitely fall to the napoli sauce - There just wasn't enough of it. I mentioned the schnitzel was already a little dry, and the lack of a juicy napoli didn't help matters either. It seemed fresh and quite tasty, but a few extra spoonfuls would have worked wonders. 

The chips were pretty good, Well cooked, well seasoned and a decent serving mostly out from underneath the soggy death of being wedged under the parma. But at the same time I wasn't blown away. Maybe a dipping sauce or something would have helped. I'm quibbling on minor issues. They did their job well. 

The Salad was pretty much on the same level as the chips (After 320 reviews I've noticed a trend that the chips and salad are usually on par with each other). It had plenty of ingredients and was rather tasty - but a heavy-hand on the olive oil left it a bit wilted. As with the chips it was good, but not great. 

“The salty tang of the prosciutto brought this parma to life! Not perfect, but would definitely have again.”

— Nikki

“A great parma. I didn’t like the chips they used to have and I’m not a massive fan of the new ones either - But the parma is good enough to make up for it”

— Bearder

I'd happily pay another $24 for this parma again. A little pricey, yes, but high quality chicken breast and liberal application of toppings is worth the price alone. A couple of tweaks and this parma could be top tier. 

I'm not sure if our tastes have evolved or if the Edinburgh Castle's parma has improved (maybe a bit of both?) But if you're a fan of prosciutto this is definitely one to try. If you're on the fence the "small" parma is only $19 so a relatively cheap outlay to test the water with. 

I like the Edinburgh. Good pub, good food, great beers and very cool beer garden. In my opinion one of the better pubs on Sydney Rd. and definitely worth a crack if you're in the area. 

Parma - 8.13

Chips - 6.11

Salad - 6.25

Value - 6.25

Total - 6.97

The search continues...

#319 - 'Garden State Hotel'

Where - 101 Flinders Lane. Melbourne

Price - $20

Website - http://gardenstatehotel.com.au/

Reviewers – Lee & Matt

Readers that have been with us a while (and have a ridiculously good memory) will remember that we tried to visit the Garden State Hotel once before, back in August of 2016 - However the gods weren't on our side that night, we couldn't get a table at the absolutely packed pub, and we wound up doing an impromptu redo of Transport instead.

Well it's been over a year since that night, surely the hype around the Garden State has died down a little by now - Right?

Having been burned before we took no chances. Rather than our usual 7:00pm Thursday catch up time I snuck out of work just after 4 in the afternoon and was cosied up in a booth by 4:30. Good thing too, as Garden State was filling fast. 

If you've yet to visit Garden State, do yourself a favour and make it a priority. The guys at Sand Hill Road know how to make a stunningly unique pub experience with design work that is unparalleled in the Melbourne pub scene.

You will never see Garden State this empty. 

We had our booth, some pre-game chips and pork buns, and were ready for the main event. We checked the menu and located our target for the evening -

The tap list at Garden State is impressive. I won't bother listing them all here as whatever I write will probably have rotated out by the time you read this, but take a gander at their Now Tapped listing to get an idea of what I mean. What more could you want?

Before we get to the parma, I need to lay my first criticism of the Garden State. The floor staff need to calm down with the removal of empty glasses and plates from the table. As we were finishing our pre-parma bucket of chips we were asked no less than four times in the space of 2 minutes if we were done with them yet. Here's a rule of thumb Garden State - If there are still chips in my bucket of chips, then I'm not done with my bucket of chips - I understand that we were three people in a booth that you probably wanted us to clear out of to make room for a bigger party, but take a breath. Let us finish our food in peace. 

Okay. This is interesting. I wish I had've put a fork or something in the frame for a size reference, but both the plate and the schnitzel it lay upon was quite small. It was a compact little dish - The schnitzel was thick enough that it didn't feel like a rip off or anything, yet I think that the parma pictured above is not quite indicative of reality, even though it was presented quite well, and looked great (albeit miniature) on the plate. 

Okay. The schnitzel. Hand crumbed (crunchy crumbs - on point), hammered minimally to be served quite thick (how we like it at ParmaDaze), and juicy throughout. 

However I don't know if they used thigh meat, or left the skin on the parma before crumbing - But my chicken had a lot of fatty gristle through it, a massive turn off, and to be honest, for me, pretty much ruined what could have been an outstanding little parma. 

Despite the let down in chicken quality the toppings were mostly solid. Plenty of fresh, flavoursome ham and chunky homemade napoli were probably the highlight. 

Not a huge fan of the cheese, I find mozzarella on its own to be quite flavourless and bland - would have much preferred a blend. 

The chips were fine. The same as we had as an entree. Nothing to write home about, but they did the job. Hot, fresh and well salted.

I didn't think I would enjoy the salad as, to be honest, it looked quite bland - However the strong citrus dressing that was used elevated this basic greenery to the next level. I was enjoying it immensely ... Then a member of the floor staff came past and snatched my plate before I was done. They really wanted us out of that booth. 

“While everything was alright, this, it’s not one I will remember. The serving was on the small side, not filling for me, and I found nothing special with the toppings, chips or salad. The salad dressing was a standout - a cleansing, acidic taste that was quite refreshing.”

— Matt

Would I pay $20 for the parma at the Garden State again? Probably not. The pork buns and other entrees we had before the parma were great, and I can't see myself opting for the parma over something like that again. 

With a couple of tweaks the Garden State parma could be fantastic, with the quality of ingredients they put into the toppings this dish could really shine with a top tier schnitzel underneath - It pains me to say, however, that in it's current state I can't recommend it.

Go to the pub, definitely go to the pub. The Garden State like all of the Sand Hill Road pubs are an experience unto themselves, and are a must-visit to all pub lovers in Melbourne. 

Parma - 5.23

Chips - 6.22

Salad - 6.25

Value - 4.78

Total -5.54

The search continues...

#318 - 'Foresters'

Where - 64 Smith St. Collingwood

Price - $5

Website - http://www.forestershall.com.au/

Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Stefo

Sitting around the table at Foresters last week discussing how this review would go, we tossed out the idea of the entire article consisting of one line -

"It's only five dollars"

However we decided that would be a bit of a dick move to our readers. People come to ParmaDaze for long form reviews, not tweets. So rather than a single line review we're giving the Foresters Five Dollar Parma the full treatment.

First up, Foresters is an impressive establishment. An unassuming facade gives way to a beautifully restored, two level pub (and yes, you can sit in the clam shell).

At 6pm on Thursday they were already getting surprisingly busy, so we wasted no time securing a seat and checking the menu

Not much else to say! Oh, other than there is a choice between chicken and eggplant, for the vegetarians among us. 

We placed our order at the bar. 

The beer list at Foresters is something that has to be seen to be believed, I'd even go as far to make the (totally unfounded and unresearched) statement that they have the most comprehensive tap list that Collingwood has to offer. A must for any craft beer lover, Check it out for yourself.

After about 15 minutes of waiting, the moment finally arrived. Please be aware that Foresters is a horribly dark pub, I did my best to lighten up these photos as best I could, but the results aren't perfect -

The schnitzel is exactly what you would expect for a $5 parma, namely an oversized chicken nugget. As heart shaped and processed as you can get. But you know what? I didn't hate it. Using the cheap as buggery ingredients they had they still managed to pump out a piping hot, fresh schnitzel. 

The toppings were on par with the schnitzel. When we ordered we were offered the option of adding some extra toppings to the parma for an additional cost (ham, salami, etc.), I didn't do this, as I wanted to try the pure $5 parma experience, but it is definitely something to consider if you don't mind chucking them an extra buck or two. 

The napoli and cheese could have used a bit more coverage - If I were them I'd be doing everything in my power to cover as much of the schnitzel as possible - But like the schnitty the toppings, while completely plastic, were prepared and served well.

The chips were chips. A surprisingly decent serving for what we paid, but they were just chips none the less. Could have used some salt - and the lack of salt shakers on the table made it a little difficult to remedy this issue. Like the parma they were served hot and well cooked.

The "Salad" was two cos lettuce leaves doused with a cream dressing. At any other pub I would have thrown the plate across the room at this point, however our mantra of "it was only five dollars ... it was only five dollars" kept me calm and centred. 

“It was $5. For that price, I’d come back. ”

— Cale (A man of few words)

“For $5 there is very little to be offended about here! Like, seriously, it’s $5! It’s not pretending to be fancy - I’d definitely go back to have another. It’s an enjoyable, cheap feed with good beers!”

— Stefo (Who was a little enthusiastic with the exclamation points this week)

For a value score this is hard to fault. It's $5. You can't even get a quarter pounder meal for that price anymore.

The parma at the Foresters won't rate well because there is only so much the "Value" score can do - However this is one of the rare occasions where I would actually reccommend trying a low scoring parma. If you understand what you're going in for from the get go then it's hard to be disappointed. The worst thing that will happen is that you have a few fantastic beers in a great pub with a so/so parma to soak it up. If you keep your expectations low you might be pleasantly surprised.

It's only five dollars.

Parma - 4.83

Chips - 4.17

Salad - 2.67

Value - 9.33

Total - 5.17

The search continues...

#317 - 'The Drums Hotel'

Where - 613 Sydney Rd, Coburg

Price - $18.50 for the full serve, $14.70 for a half serve

Website - http://www.drumshotel.com.au

Reviewers – Grace, Lee, Shanan, Stefo & Tony

The Drums hotel is one of those pubs that’s been around forever. Established in 1875 up the Coburg end of Sydney Road it has been wetting the whistle of thirsty patrons for over a hundred and forty years, and while it has been around for well over a century we hadn’t gotten around to visiting - To be honest driving past the Drums it looked a little corporate - With all of signage for pokies and the TAB bigger than the signs of the name of the pub itself I had all but written it off as another pokies palace and had little confidence that they would serve up any sort of decent parma. Until recently, when Reviewer Stefo sent me a message from the Drums...

A peek behind the curtain at the rigorous ParmaDaze pub selection process...

It actually looked okay. He vouched for them, and suggested we give them a proper ParmaDaze review - The following week we were walking in the doors of the Drums Hotel. 

Inside the Drums I was surprised at how much atmosphere it had. I was expecting a sterile pokie den but was genuinely surprised at how inviting the pub was. It had the standards - TAB, Bottle shop and gaming room, but I was surprised to find a cosy lounge, a spacious bistro with a veritable museum of old pub paraphernalia and a spacious bluestone lined front bar with big screen TV and plenty of space to pull up a chair for a quiet pint. 

The pub was filling fast so we grabbed a table and checked the menu - It’s worth noting that the Drums offers up a half serve parma for $14.70 while the full sized parma clocks in at $18.50 - Unfortunately the Italian Parma that we were sold on was no longer available when we visited the Drums. Sad times.  

We placed our order at the bar, along with an order for an entree we spied in the menu ... The perennial favourite - Bad Boy Chips.

As usual, the Bad Boys hit the spot. Such a good chip, and presented well with a side of aioli and sweet chilli sauce. 

The tap list at the drums was relatively small. Furphy, Carlton, the locally brewed Coburg Lager, VB, Cascade Light and Coopers Pale. If you feel like something a little craftier the stubby range could have what you are after. I spied Mountain Goat Pale, Barrow Boys, Pentridge Pale and Stone & Wood Pacific, White Rabbit and Hawkers at the very least - So you should be able to find something you like. 

It's also worth noting that the little cake & coffee area between the front bar and the bistro serves up what they claim to be "Coburg's Best Vanilla Slice". I don't know how competitive the Coburg Vanilla Slice scene is, but I will say that they looked damn tasty. 

When we ordered the staff apologised and said there was going to be a wait - I braced myself for a long wait, but it turned out to be only 20 minutes or so before our dinner arrived. Perfectly acceptable. 

The parma, as a whole, was presented quite well - Everything had a lot of space to breathe on the plate. Without hesitation we picked up our cutlery and tucked in. 

The Schnitzel was served piping hot - Mouth burning hot, and it retained its heat throughout the meal, no time under the heat lamps for these parmas, they were served fresh out the gate. 

The chicken was hammered a little thin for my liking but not criminally so, and the crumbs were laid on quite thick. My biggest gripe with this parma was it was quite oily throughout. As I ate it the pool of oil left on the plate continued to grow, and the flavour of the oil permeated the dish throughout.

The toppings were a bit of a mixed bag. The cheese blend was spot on. Gooey and tasty with just the right level of golden brown. I was surprised to find a slice of ham included for a relatively inexpensive parma - However I couldn't quite taste it as I ate, it's flavour lost among the others on the plate, as was the napoli, I could see it on the parma, but couldn't taste it as I ate. 

Bad Boy chips these were not. I enjoyed the wire cage they were served in but beyond that these were pretty unremarkable. Cooked well and a decent serving, but criminally under-seasoned. Not bad ... Not great. I would have happily paid extra (as reviewer Shanan did) to swap out the standard chips for the Bad Boy chips we enjoyed before our parmas. 

The side salad was a lot like the chips - A large serving that was presented well, but stumbled somewhere in execution. The dressing didn't hit all of the leaves and those left without were quite dry and a little bitter. It did the job, but didn't blow me away by any means. 

“A few minor improvements and this parma could be great - More flavoursome ham and more of it along with a much needed salad makeover would see this parma scoring much higher.”

— Grace

“Parma was quite thin, but overall an okay meal”

— Tony

“Good feed, it was worth paying the extra $1.50 to have Bad Boy Chips”

— Shanan

“This thing doesn’t appear huge but bloody hell it’s filling!”

— Stefo

As far as the value for money on the meal, anything under twenty dollars for a parma in this day and age is rare, so a parma for just $18.50 is refreshing to see. For that price I could see myself having this parma again should I find myself back at The Drums - To be honest, however, I'd rather chuck in an extra $1.50, bring the price up to an even $20 and substitute out the lacklustre chips that came with the parma for the outstanding Bad Boys we received as an entree. 

All in all I was wrong about the Drums, What looks from the outside like a lifeless pokie cave is actually a surprisingly decent and inviting pub. The parma wasn't outstanding by any stretch - But it also wasn’t bad, and I think with a simple tweaks it could be greatly improved.  I wouldn't travel far for it, but if you're nearby it might be worth stopping in and checking it out.

If only for Coburg's best Vanilla slice. 

Parma - 6.30

Chips - 4.90

Salad - 4.20

Value - 6.60

Total - 5.66

The search continues...

#316 - 'The Cricketer's Bar @ Hotel Windsor'

Where - 111 Spring St. Melbourne

Price - $24

Website - http://www.thehotelwindsor.com.au/

Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Matt, Nikki, Stefo & Tony

With all our visits to the Imperial Hotel over the years my brain never managed to connect the dots as to where I thought the Windsor Hotel was. I knew it was near Parliament station somewhere, maybe behind Parliament house? Or further down Spring Street... I never put together that the beautiful Renaissance Revival architecture building I spied many times directly across the road from the Impy rooftop was, in fact, the Windsor itself.

It had been a while since we visited the CBD (funnily enough our last visit was for the Impy redo back in May), I was itching to get back to the big smoke to try another parma so I googled around for a pub in the city that we were yet to try and the Cricketer's popped up. I have it on good authority that the Queen reads ParmaDaze weekly* - So surely the Windsor's wouldn't lend their name to an inferior parma! 

We loaded up the parma bus and ventured into the Cricketer's Bar to find out. 

First things first - The Cricketer's Bar is an awesome little pub. It's cosy, quaint and oozing history (the Cricket memorabilia lining the walls is worthy of of a museum). Table space is limited so we pulled up seats along what is possibly the widest bar in Melbourne - A meter at least of bar space separates the patrons from the bartenders. It's a slice of history I am so happy to see still exists in our fine city. 

Proximity to the 'G makes me think that it would get quite cramped on game day, While it was busy on the Thursday night that we visited we had no issues pulling up a pew at the bar. 

We checked the menu and located our target for the evening -

The tap list at the Cricketer's is pretty standard (Carlton, Creatures, Squire, Furphy etc.) with the addition of one rotating craft beer tap for those after something a little different - Check out what's on rotation when you visit as it seems to change monthly. 

When nature calls after a few beers (as it tends to do) the walk to the gents' will take you through the halls and down into the bowels of the Windsor Hotel - It's a great walk, very pretty, if you want to experience the Windsor Hotel it's worth checking out, even if you don't have to go so badly. The Ladies' is closer, but you still need to walk across the sprawling hallways of the Windsor, so it's worth the trip. 

The schnitzel was bordering on the small side, but pure chicken breast throughout - Unfortunately when it was served the chicken was quite dry and a little stringy - Not the best start to our parma experience. It was crumbed well and had the appropriate crunch, it just wasn't award winning on the inside. 

The toppings were a mixed bag. The cheese was plentiful and flavoursome, although could have used a few more minutes under the grill. The thick cut ham was appreciated and made its presence known. The napoli sauce, however, was pretty much pure tomato paste. It was quite strong and overwhelmed a lot of the flavours trying to punch their way through. 

The chips were also fine - Didn't blow us away or anything but there was a decent serve (despite the above aerial shot showing a lot of white space on the plate, we managed to rescue them rather quickly). They were cooked well, just could have used a bit more seasoning to finish them off.

The fennel salad was, without doubt, the best thing on the plate - Surprising, as I normally hate fennel and any dish that uses it as an ingredient - However here its use was subtle. It paired with the fresh, well dressed salad perfectly - And the healthy whack of freshly shaved parmesan thrown in for good measure really elevated this to a salad that we will remember for a long time to come. 

“The best part of the meal was the salad ... So that says a lot!”

— Tony

“I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of parma offered here, although I seemed to have lucked a better serving than the other reviewers. The chips reminded me of what was once the norm for a ‘pub’ parma - Or perhaps that was due to sitting at the bar like old times. Enjoyed it all, will definitely keep in mind when I’m out and around the Windsor Hotel area, looking for a good value lunch”

— Matt

“The best thing on the plate was the salad - The rest of the meal left a lot to be desired unfortunately”

— Stefo

“A pretty average parma - For the price we paid I would expect more. Great little bar though.”

— Cale

“Liked the pub but the parma just missed the mark. Amazing range of Cricket memorabilia though. ”

— Nikki

I'd hesitate paying another $24 for the parma at the Cricketer's. It's a passable parma, however with the Imperial across the road serving up one of the best in Melbourne it is really hard to justify not crossing over there and putting your hard earned dollars to better use. 

Don't get me wrong, I loved my visit to the Cricketer's Bar. It's an iconic institution that is just as vibrant in 2017 and it was in 1898. If you've ever visited a sports bar you can think of the Cricketer's as the genesis of that kind of pub.  It's a slice of Melbourne's History that simply must be experienced, especially if you are a Cricket fan. The parma didn't blow us away by any stretch but it's worth trying at least once if only to experience this classic Melbourne pub. 

Parma - 5.50

Chips - 5.58

Salad - 7.08

Value - 5.17

Total -5.77

The search continues...

*Not really. Please don't sue, I was pro Monarchy in the '99 referendum!

#315 - 'Stuzzi'

Where - 325 High St. Northcote

Price - $25.90

Website - https://stuzzirestaurant.com.au

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

Although we tend to avoid the cafe/restaurant parma scene as much as we can, Stuzzi has had enough buzz around it recently that it has become impossible to avoid. 

Their big draw is on Monday nights, when they hold "Parmageddon Monday" - 42 varieties of parma for just $15...

That's an impressive list!

But if this isn't your first time at ParmaDaze you'll know that most of the time we are parma purists - Novelty toppings don't rev our engine as much as a good standard parma done well. Also, our parma night is on Thursday, and as we are firmly creatures of habit, Parmageddon Monday wasn't an option. 

Instead we resolved to check out the parma at Stuzzi on one of the other 6 days of the week, Not the $15 special but the standard menu variety. 

We arrived at Stuzzi on a Thursday night, grabbed a table and ordered up our parmas. 

The restaurant itself is quite pleasant. It's a big space with plenty of tables and a quality bar dividing the large room. Stuzzi is first and foremost a cafe, with the walls, bar, and glass cases lining the walls temptation patrons with a plethora of cakes, milkshakes and other dessert items. 

The tap list was fairly simple. Carlton, Pure Blonde, Steam Ale, Peroni, Grandridge and Cider - Surprisingly though, as well as pots and schooners, Stuzzi also offered any of their tap beers in impossibly tall beer towers, going for between $45 and $50 depending on the beer - Something I would expect to see at The Sporting Globe, not at a quiet little Northcote cafe. 

Quick as a flash, our parmas arrived from the kitchen. 

On the plate, Stuzzi's parma looked impressive. With a massive schnitzel on one side, a hefty serve of chips (90% of which had their own space on the plate and not underneath the parma) and an impressive looking portion of greek salad - We eagerly grabbed our cutlery and tucked in. 

The schnitzel was hammered quite thin, I was worried at first as the edges were reaching credit-card levels of thickness, however it thickened up in the middle to a much more respectable size. I normally prefer a thicker parma - The less pounded with the mallet the better in my opinion - However many prefer a thinner schnitzel with a bigger circumference (much like the thousands that get pumped out of Mrs. Parmas on a daily basis). 

After a few bites it became clear - This was a very traditional Italian style parmigiana. Not traditional as far as using eggplant instead of chicken, but traditional in the thin, pan fried schnitzel with no ham and minimal toppings. Serve it with a side of spaghetti and it'd be very similar to the many Chicken Parmesan's we have come across on our trips to the USA.

While not what we usually get, the combination of quality house-made schnitzel, flavoursome napoli and perfectly grilled cheese worked very well. I was expecting Big Parma Syndrome to kick in, but I found it mostly enjoyable the whole way through... I say mostly as the thickness of the schnitzel (or lack thereof) gives this parma a half-life of about 10 - 15 minutes before all heat has escaped and it has started to get cold. If you find yourself at Stuzzi don't stop and dilly-dally while your parma is on the table - scoff it down as soon as you can!

The beer battered chips were delightful - Fresh and crispy. Could have used a little more seasoning but otherwise perfectly fine. After the behemoth of a parma I had just ingested I honestly couldn't get through them all, this is a big feed.

The salad looked great on the plate but fell a little short when it came to the crunch - The lettuce, while fresh, was dry and the drizzle of dressing over the top doesn't impress nearly as much as a salad that has been dressed and tossed before plating, to ensure the dressing love gets passed around appropriately.

“Great flavours to the parma but it got cold fast. Eat it quick!”

— Nikki

As I mentioned at the start, the real deal at Stuzzi seems to be on Parmageddon Mondays, just one look at their Instagram reveals a gorgeous gallery of novelty topped available for Monday consumption - A staggering 42 different types of parma for $15. After seeing the quality of the standard parma I'd call this an absolute bargain, and definitely one to check out (although from what I can see the Monday night parma comes with McDonald's style fries, not the beer battered chips we received last night, they're an extra $4).

As for the parma we had? There's no denying it was a huge meal, and nobody at the table walked away hungry - $24.90 is on the pricier side of things, but to be honest I'd happily pay it again for the good, honest feed we received. 

Stuzzi is a weird one. While not perfect it's a hefty feed prepared with quality ingredients. Would I have preferred it with a slice of ham? Probably, although it was just fine without. Parmageddon Mondays is definitely the time to drop in. It's a family friendly venue with a large, inoffensive menu - so if you're looking for somewhere to catch up with the rello's for an event (*cough* Father's Day Sunday *cough*) then its definitely one to remember. 

Parma - 7.50

Chips - 7.00

Salad - 6.00

Value - 6.75

Total - 6.95

The search continues...

#314 - 'The Clare Castle Hotel'

Where - 354 Graham St. Port Melbourne

Price - $24.00

Website - http://clarecastle.com.au/

Reviewers – Fridge, Lee, Nikki & Stefo

I came across the Clare Castle Hotel when I heard someone refer to it as "Port Melbourne's best kept secret for the past 100 years". Best kept secret is right because in the nearly 8 years I've been running ParmaDaze it has managed to completely sail under my radar. 

I like to do a bit of research on our targets before we visit, but the online presence for the Clare Castle is minimal - Their Facebook Page is quiet, the Instagram is the same, It's almost if they are going out of their way to remain mysterious.

And of course, I couldn't accept that. So last night we loaded up the Parma Bus™ and headed to Port Melbourne, and the oh-so intriguing Clare Castle Hotel. 

Nestled beside the Graham Street bridge you could blink and miss the Clare Castle, however they are in good company, with both the Colonial Brewery and Starward Distillery now only a stone's throw away.

The best way I can describe the CC is an old school country pub that just happens to have landed in the middle of Port Melbourne. It is absolutely dripping with old world style and charm. 

Walking into the front bar, if it weren't for the TAB machines and LCD Screens, you could swear you were stepping back to the 80's. From the sports memorabilia to the ashtray trough at the bar, the Clare Castle is a pub out of time. 

Through to the bistro, however, things take a much classier turn. White tablecloths are abound, there's a crackling open fire and the walls are covered in some fantastic art of Melbourne and surrounds. 

The Clare Castle's primary interest appears to be steak, with jaw dropping steak selection headlining the menu, as tempting as a hearty, well cooked piece of steak would be, we managed to tear ourselves away - finding the parma listed under "Old Favourites", along with other old school pub classics such as lambs fry, housemade rissoles and crumbed lamb cutlets. 

Sounds delightful. I do believe I shall partake. 

As you'd expect from an old school pub such as the Clare, the tap list was pretty basic. Carlton, Blonde, Great Northern. There were a few more options in bottles behind the bar (Not often you see VB Longnecks for sale at a pub these days) but if you're a fan of craftier beer options you're probably going to be disappointed.

The schnitzel was impossibly fresh, pure white and insanely juicy - I suspected we would get top notch ingredients with this parma and was not disappointed.

Decently sized but not huge. The crumbing was applied sparingly, which was great - however the moisture in the schnitzel took away the expected crunch that we enjoy with our parmas, hardly a criticism though, the schnitzel was piping hot, fresh, and laid fantastic groundwork for the toppings above. 

The cheese was gooey and delightful. Applied in abundance with a subtle tasty bite. The napoli tasted as fresh as if the tomatoes were plucked out of the ground this morning and the ham was applied liberally. An expertly executed parma. 

However I can't help but feel that the toppings were missing something. The cheese, the ham and the napoli were all technically great - But the Clare Castle's parma needed something to drive it home. Maybe a stronger smoked ham, or a dash of tobasco through the napoli - Something to give it a bit of personality. Don't get me wrong, this was a super enjoyable meal, it just needed a bit of flash to make it a home run. 

The beer battered chips were great. Well seasoned and piping hot - I couldn't help glance over to the other tables with the massive hand cut, house made potato wedges that accompanied all of the steaks, and wonder what I could do to get those beauties with my parma - They should really share the love with those things... But the beer battered ones we received were fine none the less. 

When the plates hit the table the salad looked like a bit of an afterthought - However I was pleasantly surprised to find a well dressed, fresh garden salad with a decent amount of non-lettuce ingredients thrown in, including a liberal whack of capsicum - a most enjoyable side. 

“Juicy, Tasty - Nothing offensive at all. Just needed a little more “zing””

— Stefo

“Chicken was nice and juicy but could have been a little bigger. Napoli was lovely, just didn’t have the punch I was looking for. Chips were alright. ”

— Fridge

“A very enjoyable meal overall. Could have been a little bigger and had a little more flavour, but pretty good!”

— Nikki

I'd happily shell out another 24 clams for the Clare Castle's parma - There is no denying that they use top notch ingredients to turn out a top tier meal. If $24 is too rich for your blood, however, I did notice that the parma in the front bar clocked in at $18, and all the meals looked like they were coming from the same kitchen - Might be worth a crack in there if that is more your speed - But I was happy to shell out the extra cash for the much nicer atmosphere of the Bistro. 

I love old school pubs, and a visit to the Clare Castle is like a trip through time. The pub itself is almost a tick in every box, and is a few craft beer taps away from being the perfect local watering hole.

The parma is definitely worth checking out, however, if I were to head back I don't think I could look past getting one of the outstanding looking steaks - And I fully intend to head back this weekend and try one of them for myself. 

Parma - 6.88

Chips - 6.25

Salad - 6.38

Value - 6.75

Total - 6.63

The search continues...

#313 - 'The Baden Powell Hotel'

Where - 61-65 Victoria Parade, Collingwood

Price - $23

Website - http://www.badenpowellhotel.com.au/

Reviewers – Grace, Lee, Nikki & Tony

The AFL footy season is winding up for the year, so its probably not the best time to talk about an MCG-adjacent footy pub - But I suppose if your team makes the finals this year you've got another month to get in and check it out. 

I've been aware of the Baden Powell for a while, however I had mentally written it off as a "non parma pub". Having skimmed the menu once or twice in an effort to find parmas to review the parma at the Baden Powell eluded me ... Because it was in disguise. 

Despite the Baden Powell's website claiming that they do a "ripper parma", and their Wednesday $15 parma night being called a "Parma Night" - The Baden Powell doesn't actually have a parma on the menu...

Fancy. 

Once I realised that the "Chicken Cotoletta" was basically a gourmet parma we loaded up the parma bus and headed to the Baden Powell. 

To be honest, when I saw that the Baden was seemingly trying to hide the fact that there was a parma on the menu I was expecting an upmarket gastropub. Tablecloths, sommeliers, the whole shebang - Imagine my surprise when I found the Baden Powell to be a down-to-earth, quality pub. 

We grabbed a table in the bistro, checked the menu (pictured above) and ordered our meals. 

While waiting I had a bit of a snoop around the Baden, as their website claims that they have the “Best Beer Garden in Collingwood” I figured it was worth some investigation. 

I’ve gotta say, they’re not far off. While the front bar of the pub seemed a tad crowded (I can imagine it particularly packed on game day), the beer garden was a spacious, open affair with separate bar, plenty of tables and big screen TV’s to catch all of the action. Will definitely back in summer for a pint in the sun. 

The tap list is impressive. Ranging from “Caaarlton” (literally how it’s written on the chalkboard) to craft, with something for all tastes in between.  

After a 20(ish) minute wait, our Parma arrived from the kitchen... 

Well this is different.

All of the discussion for this Parma is in the toppings, but lets talk schnitzel first.  

It was fresh, perfectly cooked and had a fantastic home-style taste to it. Not too thick and not too thin, it was big enough with a light layer of crumbing which carried a fantastic crunch. A great foundation for the dish.  

The toppings are where things get interesting - First of all, yes, there is cheese on this Parma - its hidden under the generous lashings of the star of this dish - the ham. As soon as the plates hit the table the fragrance of the smoked ham wafted forth. It was thick cut, flavoursome and utterly delightful. 

The Baden Powell has forgone a traditional Napoli sauce in favour of a freshly cut tomato salsa. Imagine what you’d get on a bruschetta, that’s what they’ve put on this Parma.  

A bit of a contentious point around the table, some liked it, some thought a more traditional Napoli would have suited the dish better. I thought it was a fresh twist, great if you’re in the mood for something a bit different.  

The chips were pretty standard. Decent enough serving, adequately seasoned, but nothing to write home about. 

Long time readers of the site will know that I’m a sucker for cheese through a garden salad. Nothing makes a salad as delicious as stripping out all nutritional value one might gain by stirring through a handful of Parmesan. I was a huge fan of this one.

“A different type of parma with the cheese under the ham, but a tasty parma, and the toppings all worked well”

— Tony

“Loved the ham and the beautiful quality ingredients, however I think if the salsa was swapped with a chunky home-made Napoli it would have been amazing. The salad was nice however the chips definitely need a revamp”

— Nikki

Would I happily pay another $23 for this Parma again? I think so. It was different, but I definitely enjoyed every mouthful. The ingredients were great quality all around and it was definitely a filling dish. Wednesday night at the Baden Powell is $15 “Gourmet Parma” night, so if you’re on the fence about if you would like their take on a Parma then this is definitely the night to check it out. 

I liked pretty much everything about our visit to the Baden Powell Hotel. The pub was cool (beer garden especially), the tap list was solid and the Parma was very tasty and definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a unique take on the dish. Oh, and it’s walking distance to the ‘G if you’re heading to the footy this weekend.

Parma - 8.33

Chips - 6.00

Salad - 7.17

Value - 7.17

Total - 7.40

The search continues... 

#291 - 'The Water Rat Hotel'

Where? - 256 Moray St. South Melbourne

Price? - $24

Website?  http://www.thewaterrathotel.com.au/

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

I've had a question in my mind for a while, I have posed it on Twitter a few times but never got a suitable response, and that question is "Where would I find Melbourne's highest parma?" Now calm down Cheech, by "highest parma" I simply mean the highest from ground level I would be able to partake in some chickeny, cheesy, tomatoey goodness. I thought I was onto something when The Imperial opened their rooftop deck, however after I found they made the shocking decision to not allow their parmas above ground level my dream of a parma with a view was crushed

Then a few weeks back my dream was re-ignited. I spied a post about the Water Rat Hotel their Twitter page, advertising that the sun was shining, the beers were cold and (most importantly) that they had a meals going on their rooftop deck. I pulled up the Rat's website and checked the menu...

Parma - confirmed. Rooftop deck - confirmed. ParmaBus - warming up. 

We arrived at the Water Rat a little before 7 on Thursday and was surprised to find it relatively quiet. The pub itself is beautiful. Recently renovated with a spacious front bar and an intimate dining space out the back. We made a beeline for the stairs, ascended, and (past the very striking function space) found the rooftop deck.

Now, being on the second floor I don't think it's going to win any awards for highest parma, but the sun was shining, the view of our gorgeous city was grand and the pint of Stone & Wood in my hand was ice cold. Happy days. The only thing that could improve this scene? A decent parma. 

Back down the stairs we trotted and placed our orders at the bar. I was delighted to confirm that it'd be no problem taking our meals on the deck, so we headed back up and basked in the Melbourne sun while waiting for our meals to arrive. 

I mentioned Stone & Wood but there are plenty of other beer options on tap at the Rat. From VB to Two Birds to Mountain Goat to Schofferhofe German wheat beer - There's something to suit everyone's fancy.

15 minutes after ordering I heard footsteps on the stairs ... The parmas were here!

The schnitzel, in short, was fantastic. It looked a little small on the plate, but that was due to all of the circumference going into the thickness of the chicken. Surprisingly thick and served steaming hot, The crumbs were non-intrusive and remained crunchy throughout - This schnitzel was everything you want the foundation of your parma to be. 

The toppings were mostly great as well. The napoli was heaped on with gusto and tasted freshly made with just the right amount of chunkiness. The cheese blend could have used a tad more zing to it but served the dish well and was grilled to utter perfection. The ham was there, but unfortunately was lost amongst the flavours of the other toppings - A minor complaint to an otherwise stellar parma.

I wish I could report that the sides were as on point as the chicken, but alas, this is where the Water Rat's falters a little. It's no secret that we are not fans of french fries (aka "maccas chips") beside a parma, although credit to them they were indeed served beside the parma and not underneath. For french fries they were okay. They needed a little seasoning but they were served fresh, hot and crisp at first - But the problem with fries is that they have a half-life of about 60 seconds before turning cold and rock hard. After enjoying the hell out of my piping hot parma I was left with a pile of cold, hard potato strips that weren't nearly as enjoyable as a good beer battered steak chip. 

The salad, like the chips, was okay but not great. It was fresh and well dressed (with some herbed dressing that made it taste more like a garlic and herb bread than a salad... weird), But I wish it had more to it than some leafy greens and a strip or two of grated carrot. 

“Loved the beautiful quality chicken and the toppings were tasty as well. The sides, however, definitely needed some love”

— Nikki

I would gladly shell out another $24 to enjoy this parma again. Despite my whinging about the sides this parma on that rooftop with the lovely view of the Melbourne city skyline was a damn enjoyable experience that I would be happy to repeat. Advertised around was the Water Rat's Tuesday $20 Parma & Pot night, which is a fantastic deal that you should definitely jump on should you be in the area. 

I enjoyed the hell out of my time at the Water Rat, I'll definitely be back for not only the parma but the majority of the rest of the menu as well, which also looked amazing. If they put a little more love into their sides this would be a real contender, but until then I'll put it in the category of "Pretty damn good". Oh, and if you have a suggestion of somewhere in Melbourne I'd find a higher parma, leave a comment below or follow any of the social media links below that to get in touch and let me know!

Pros

• Fantastic schnitzel, served piping hot
• Quality toppings

Cons

• Chips & salad need some work

Parma - 8.50

Chips - 6.50

Salad - 6.25

Value - 7.00

Total - 7.35

The search continues...

#290 - 'Bobo's Diner'

Where? - 294 Lygon st. Carlton

Price? - $29.90 for the King Parma

Website?  https://www.bobosdiner.com.au

Reviewers – Lee, Nikki & Stefo

It's Twenty-Seventeen! And ParmaDaze is back with a new look website and yet another year of the hunt for the perfect parma ahead. 

For the first parma of the year I wanted to find something special. The bar had been set pretty high as the first parma of 2016 was our current highest rated parma of all time, The Birmingham Hotel - Tough to beat! 

Bobo's Diner has been on our list for quite a while, I was aiming to get to their Ivanhoe location some time this year (they also have spots in Chirnside Park and Frankston), but it wasn't until a lazy lunch on Lygon (say that ten times fast) during the Christmas break that I noticed that Bobo's opened up a fourth restaurant smack dab in the middle of Carlton.

I had heard stories of Bobo's. Tales of gigantic parmas that were nigh on impossible to finish. Whispers of parmas so huge the menu carried a warning before they were ordered. It had to be done, and what better time than the first parma of 2017. We washed the leaves off the parma bus, loaded it up, and headed to Carlton.

It's hard to pin down what Bobo's actually is. Like a lot of places on Lygon Street it's not quite a bar, not quite a restaurant and not quite a cafe, yet a little bit of all three. I guess the closest thing you could pin it down as is what is written on the window, a Diner.

The menu at Bobo's is stuffed with classic american diner fare. Wings, Hot Dogs, Ribs, Subs, Fried Chicken, Burgers and a sinfully decadent dessert menu - It almost seems out of place to have a selection of parmas available, yet in the centre of the menu, as promised...

They are some insane sounding novelty options (and some insane prices)! Unfortunately none of the review team were quite ready to tackle one of the novelties just yet. We were all boring and ordered up a round of King Parmas for the table.

If you like American beer then Bobo's is the place for you. Only a couple of taps (Coors, Blue Moon & Cider) but a heap of bottled options - 15 that I could count, no less than 7 from the USA (Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn, Samuel Adams to name a few). Some more options on tap might be nice, but there was more than enough to make do. If your tastebuds feel like taking a trip beyond fermented malt, hops and grains Bobo's has a massive cocktail menu, including a selection of "adult" booze-laden milkshakes. 

Shortly after placing our order the waitress came around and swapped out our standard knives for steak knives ... I took this as a sign that we were about to encounter something massive, like the room full of ammo and health packs before a boss fight. About 20 minutes after ordering the parmas arrived at the table.

We're gonna need a bigger knife.

The rumours were true... This thing is a behemoth.

At least two hearty schnitzels fused together, I gathered up my cutlery and tucked in. The chicken beneath the mountain of cheese was pure chicken breast. The schnitzels were slightly overcooked, which led to some dry chicken within but not criminally so.

The crumbing had a solid crunch cut there were one or two slightly burnt spots, although with a schnitzel of this size there were a lot more not burnt spots than there were bunt spots.

"Holy crap thats a lot of cheese" was my first thought on the toppings of this parma. the mammoth schnitzel was topped with a mountain of gooey cheese - Far more than any human should ingest in a single meal, hell it was more cheese than a human should ingest in a week's worth of meals. The gooey goodness was grilled to perfection and complimented the schnitzel well. 

The ham was also plentiful, you can see from the photo below that it looks like nearly half a pig sitting atop this chicken - Unfortunately the ham itself lacked any real flavour, if you couldn't see it on the fork it'd be tough to detect it was there just from the taste. 

The napoli sauce was the only element of the dish I could have used more of, as I mentioned the schnitzel was a little dry, and a heaping of napoli would have helped compensate for that - unfortunately it was either in short supply or had soaked entirely into the crumbs as I couldn't really find any beyond a few pockets here and there on the back of this massive schnitzel (lets call those "red zones")

We have a phrase at ParmaDaze that you can check out in our FAQ & Glossary, we call it Big Parma Syndrome, a phenomenon that occurs with parmas that err on the side of massive wherein the bigger a parma gets the less overall flavour that comes along with it. Although it started strong, about halfway through this parma the BPS started to set in, there was nothing wrong with it, but it just got a little boring - perhaps I should have gone the novelty topping route after all to keep things interesting. 

The chips were pretty standard pub chips. Well seasoned with a few sauce options on every table (tomato, mustard & hot sauce). Serving them not underneath this behemoth of a parma was a master stroke, as you'd never see them again if they wound up under there. 

The salad was disappointing. It looked as if a massive bowl of salad was made in the morning that served everyone's plate with a fresh slice of tomato thrown on top to keep it looking fresh. Everything below was wilted and off colour. Not that I had much room for salad after that massive parma, but it would have been nice to be able to break up the cheese onslaught with something fresh and crisp.

“Massive. A meal for two if you’re a small eater like me. Not walking away from this one hungry, thats for sure! The salad needs a spruce up”

— Nikki

“This thing is stupendously big to the point of being unhealthy. It needs to be toned down considerably”

— Stefo

This is quite possibly the biggest parma we've had outside of a competitive eating setting, but its also the most expensive parma we've had outside of a competitive eating setting. $29.90 for the king parma blows out to $34.90 if you want one of the novelty toppings - But in saying that you are getting two parmas worth of chicken for the price. 

On Wednesday night Bobo's offers their King Parma and a pot for only $20. If its as utterly massive as the parma we consumed last night I'd say this is one of the best value parma deals around (behind signing up to a Parma Knight's membership ... hint hint). As the waitress collected our plates we were given the option to have what was left wrapped up to take home. For the frugal this parma for $20 on a Wednesday could conceivably feed you for two or three days depending on your opinions of reheating food.

If someone asks you where to find the biggest parma around, this is it. The Bobo's King Parma might not be the most flavoursome or have the juiciest schnitzel - It's not going to win any "best parma" awards, but it fills a very specific niche - If you're after a meal so big that you'll be clutching your stomach in pain on the ride home (and thats without another $5 of pulled pork or nachos with chilli con carne layered on top), then this is definitely one to check out.

Pros

• Massive. Unbelievably massive.

Cons

• Expensive.
• Disappointing salad
• Big Parma Syndrome

Parma - 7.00

Chips - 7.00

Salad - 3.40

Value - 5.67

Total - 6.01

The search continues...