#346 - 'The Grand'

Where - 333 Burnley St. Richmond

Price - $24

Website - https://grandrichmond.com.au

The Grand is a pub that has flown under my radar. I don't get to Richmond very often so just stumbling across pubs in that area is rare - However when a few friends organised a catch up I figured it would be the perfect time to bank a review before our upcoming trip overseas (By the time you are reading this I'll be somewhere above the equator, check our Facebook or Instagram for more info)

To be honest the Grand doesn't feel like the kind've pub that would even have a parma. The dining room is a fine dining gastropub affair, with menu items such as Tortelli di patate con funghi, burro e salvia and Bollito misto con lenticchie, salsa verde e finocchio brasato. The Public Bar however, is a bit of a more laid back affair. The cosy lounge area in front opens up to bright glass room and spacious beer garden. 

Everyone turned up, we grabbed a seat and checked the menu...

Well, menu, you've got one thing right - I do want a parma. This is a menu that screams confidence in their product, fingers crossed they've got the ability to back it up. 

As for beers on tap it was a small but robust selection. Stone & Wood, Mountain Goat were there kicking things off strongly, backed up with a few more adventurous selections, including a stout and saison. If nothing on tap tickled your fancy the fridge behind the bar housed a few more boutique options - Definitely something for everyone to wet their whistle's at the Grand. 

We ordered our meals and about 15-20 minutes later the parmas hit the table.

Schnitzel thickness varied around the table but overall it was pretty good. decently sized and real, unprocessed chicken breast (mine seemed to be two smaller schnitzels fuzed together as opposed to one big one).

I wasn't a huge fan of the crumbs, they had a strong store-bought vibe and were a little bit soggy, in contrast to the chicken itself which seemed a little dry. Not an offensive schnitzel, yet nothing too exciting either. 

The toppings were overall quite tasty. Cheese blend was on point and the napoli was fresh and plentiful without tasting canned. The toppings definitely helped elevate a so/so schnitzel. 

The one omission? No ham. I stand by the claim that a good parma doesn't need ham if the rest of the elements are perfect (the parma that started it all was ham free and it was perfection on a plate). The toppings on the Grand Parma were great, they raised what would have been a pretty bland schnitzel to new heights - But it would have been even better had they thrown a slice of ham/prosciutto/bacon/something into the mix.

I make no attempt to hide my bias against shoestring fries. It's a dislike that runs down to my bones. However I can appreciate when a shoestring is done right, and these were shoestrings done right. Well seasoned, nice and crunchy, served hot and there were plenty of them. If you're gonna have shoestring, this is how you do shoestring (although some dipping sauce would have been nice)

The salad looked like it was mostly an afterthought at first glance, however on digging deeper I was pleasantly surprised. The cucumber was fresh, it was well dressed and the addition of marinated capsicum was the absolute highlight, if they dialled back the amount of lettuce leaves and upped the amount of capsicum, onion and cucumber this would be a damn fine salad 

“Parma size was good, chips were plentiful and shoe string style. There were a lot which made the value better but $24 is still fairly high up for a Parma. Salad was alright. Didn’t have much dressing but not bad.”

— Nick

“I’m a sucker for shoestring fries. They don’t belong on a plate with a parma, but they were at the appropriate crispy/soggy boundary that satisfies me.

For the parma itself, the sauce and cheese were all that saved it for me. The schnitzel left a little to be desired. Not cold, not overcooked, not burnt... not much of anything notable.

Salad was fresh, lettuce heavy, but the addition of roasted capsicum was a nice surprise.”

— Chris

“Parma was simultaneously dry yet soggy enough for the crumbs to fall off. Massive omission not having ham featured. The Napoli was tasty but there wasn’t a lot of it. Cheese coverage left a bit to be desired but was melted enough to be stretched to cover bare patches. Decent size though.

The shoestring fries were perfectly cooked, which is a rare feat for shoestrings. The salad was actually great; substituting huge wedges of tomato for roasted capsicum was a great idea and the dressing was tasty.

Overall not worth the $24 though considering how confident they were about it on the menu. If it had ham and were juicier it would have been bang on for the price.”

— Emi

“Parmi was hamless and simultaneously dry yet somehow soggy. Chicken was nice and thick. Salad was adequate decoration.”

— Nick

As far as value goes I think Reviewer Emi hit the nail on the head - Not quite worth the full $24. If it had ham I'd say it'd be worth the price, but as it is I'd say this is a $20 parma ... maybe as high as $22. As far as I can see the Grand doesn't offer any sort of parma night (although Wednesday Duck Night does look delightful).

Overall the Grand is a super cosy pub with friendly staff and a fantastic beer garden and I have no doubt that the food coming out of the dining room is phenomenal. 

The parma was good, but it missed the mark in a few areas and just fell short of greatness. I'd say it's worth a visit if you're in the area, fingers crossed they add a slice or two of ham in the future.

Lets face it... You know we WANT it!

Parma - 6.82

Chips - 7.10

Salad - 6.80

Value - 6.56

Total - 6.82

The search continues...

Crossing the Road #5 - 'Frank's Ristorante'

Where - 324 Keilor Road, Niddrie

Price - $24 + Delivery Fee

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

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

Well hello everyone. As we haven't done a "Crossing the Road" yet in 2018, a little refresher. "Crossing the Road" is a review category dedicated to delivery parmas, the ones we would never get to if we stuck to pubs alone ... Let's be honest, delivery parmas are usually pretty terrible, but lets call this an effort to find that diamond in the rough. 

For as long as I can remember, there has been Frank's. For as long as there has been a Niddrie there has been Frank's, and I'm pretty sure in the infinite vacuum of nothingness that existed before the earth as we know it formed, there was Frank's. 

Growing up I always remembered Frank's as a seafood restaurant and thus not of much interest to ParmaDaze, however it seems to have pivoted in recent years to a more Italian vibe. It has been on our list to try since I noticed recently that they do a parma, but the fates were against us this week and we were unable to get to the restaurant itself ... Luckily, I noticed they also list on Uber Eats, so as we don't really score Crossing the Road reviews, lets call this a trial run to see if Frank's is worth an official, in house, ParmaDaze review. 

Wow. Top billing in the app! According to Uber Eats the "Cotoletta alla Parmigiana" is the most recommended item available at Frank's. (Also, who is ordering a $42 steak delivered... That can't be good, right?)

This isn't the first time we've run across a "Cotoletta", the first time being late last year at the fantastic Baden Powell Hotel, So po-tay-to/po-tah-to, if its a schnitzel with cheese and napoli on top I'm happy

A few clicks later and our order was placed. Frustratingly Frank's doesn't seem to offer any sort of beverages (alcoholic or not), so you've got to be pre-prepared on that front.

We wre originally estimated at 30 mins delivery, in reality it was about 45 minutes before the parmas arrived at our door. We unpacked. 

Three plastic containers, one salad, one parma, one chips - Definitely not the norm for the parma as it didn't quite fit the container and was a little wedged-in. 

Once the lids were popped everything looked pretty good. Salad looked fresh, parma looked plump and the chips looked thick, I'd be darned if they weren't our favourite Bad Boy Chips, or at least a very close facsimile.

On Crossing the Road reviews we know that delivery food never looks good in delivery containers, so lets plate this bad boy up so we can really see what we're working with 

Looks good, we quickly tucked in. The schnitzel was pure white, thick and juicy. The crumbs were a little soggy, but I'm sure that's the fault of the 20 minute drive in a plastic container and not the fault of anyone at Frank's. 

The toppings were quality - Rich napoli and a tasty cheese blend, with plenty of coverage of both. I don't think there's anything in the definition that says a Cotoletta can't have ham, as the Baden Powell had a lovely smoked ham that was the absolute best part of that dish. The Frank's parma was a fine dish without ham, but a slice or two would have really elevated this dish. 

The chips were great, but suffered the same soggy fate as the parma, would have been fantastic fresh from the fryer but by the time they arrived were no longer in their prime

My biggest problem with the Frank's parma & chips? It was cold. Now I know cold food is pretty much a staple of the Uber Eats experience, but it was particularly depressing in this case as the dish had so much potential to be great, it was just marred by poor temperature control. 

The Salad, the one element of the parma that was supposed to be cold, fared pretty well. Other than the chunk of tomato that really should have been sliced thinner than an orange-wedge, the cucumber was fresh, the onion was crisp, it was well dressed and the lettuce survived relatively un-wilted. As far as delivery salads (which are normally universally shit) go, this one was okay.

The price tag of $24 for this one seemed fair. It was filling and the ingredients weren't at all skimped on, and with the glory of coupon aggregator sites you can usually find a 10%-15% off Uber eats floating around.

My criticisms of the parma at Frank's all seem to be the fault of the transportation process and not of the restaurant itself, which has cemented my decision that we will definitely be visiting the restaurant itself for an in-house review some time in the next few months. Until then it's probably worth a crack, either delivered, pick up or eat in! 

The search continues...

#345 - 'Charles & Gamon'

Where - 2 Gamon Street. Seddon

Price - $20 (Chicken or Eggplant)

Website - https://www.charlesandgamon.com.au

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

We've been meaning to visit this week's pub for a while now. From memory it was scheduled to be our last review of 2017, but got pushed due to some issue I'm having trouble remembering six months later. So it got bumped back to our To-Do list where it waited until this week, when I received a glowing review from a reader, urging us to check it out. I bumped it up our list and last night we visited Seddon's Charles & Gamon.

If you're thinking from the above photo that Charles & Gamon looks like the ground floor of somebody's house has been converted into a pub, then you are correct! As far as I can tell Charles & Gamon is the ground floor of somebodies house, converted into a pub. Proof to all the men out there that you can start serving beers out of your man cave and people will turn up. Don't let your dreams be dreams. 

Upon arrival at C&G we walked past the beer garden which, while it looked quite inviting, would have been a little too chilly for us to choose for our meal this brisk May evening. We ventured inside and grabbed a table. I was expecting a relatively small bar however Charles & Gamon is roomier inside than I had expected. A mix of high tables, low tables, booths and couches filled the room, offering the full gamut of seating options. We grabbed a high table in the corner and checked the menu - 

Although having an Vegetarian friendly eggplant parma is good to know, tonight our sights were set (as always) on the chicken. 

The menu at C&G is a wide spectrum of options. If you're feeling fancy you could try the likes of Duck Liver Parfait, Kangaroo Tartar or Braised Beef Tongue, right alongside more traditional pub fare such as a Cheeseburger, Parma or Bangers & Mash.

Beers selection on tap at C&G is slim, but adequate. Stone & Wood Pacific Ale and local brewery Hop Nation struck my eye as standouts amongst the four taps available, with plenty more options available in bottles should you be feeling adventurous. 

Our parmas arrived about 15 minutes after ordering, and my word, did they look fantastic on the plate...

Before continuing to the photos themselves, be aware that Charles & Gamon is quite lowly lit - Nothing but Edison bulbs and tea light candles as far as the eye can see - Which, while great for setting a mood, isn't very conducive to good food photography, so be gentle. 

We grabbed our cutlery, tucked in and were greeted with pure, white, juicy chicken breast. Thick, well cooked and the crumbs were thin and crispy - On looks alone it was near perfection. 

Then I started eating it, and on first bite I knew this was gonna be a parma that divided the room. 

There was a spice through the crumbs. A sweet spice. At first I thought they had used candied or maple bacon like the parma at nearby Smokehouse 101, but on trying the bacon on its own I couldn't detect it, followed by trying the napoli on its own ... Nope not there, through the process of elimination I had narrowed it down to the crumbing on the schnitzel. I want to say it was cinnamon, possibly nutmeg? Whatever it was it was a divisive choice that split opinions on this parma down the middle. 

The toppings on this parma were phenomenal. The three cheese blend was impossibly gooey and flavoursome, the bacon was thick cut and an absolute triumph, and the napoli was plentiful and rich (and the extra dollop on top of the parma was a nice touch, something unique that we have not yet seen before) however every bite was overwhelmed by the mystery spice.

It penetrated the dish. After a few bites I had adjusted and wasn't too offended by its presence, however some of the review team with a less-than-positive outlook on cinnamon could barely get through the meal. My preference would be that it not be there, but I could get through the dish and appreciate the other elements for what they were, yet for others it was a deal breaker and ruined the meal entirely. 

The chips were spot on. Beer battered, well cooked, piping hot, crunchy and not served underneath the parma - Pretty much a tick in every box (a little shy on seasoning, some salt & pepper shakers on the table would be appreciated).

The garden salad was mostly fine. Leafy greens with some tomato and onion. It was crisp and fresh however the dressing used was very sour and could be backed off a little, but mostly a refreshing palate cleanser for the meal. 

“This parma had the potential to be a 9 or 10, but the addition of nutmeg/cinnamon through the crumbs completely ruined the dish for me. Would much prefer regular crumbs as the sweet and savoury flavour combo just didn’t work for me. ”

— Nikki

A parma with ingredients of this quality for only $20 is insanely good value. Weird spice aside this is a pure chicken breast with thick cut bacon, a mountain of high quality cheese blend alongside a decent serve of chips and salad. Hard to walk away from this one hungry, and for only $20 that is quite a bargain. 

From the crumbs to the salad, the parma at Charles & Gamon is one of bold flavours. They have taken some risks, not all of which have paid off. As Reviewer Nikki said in her comment above, this parma has the potential to be top tier - Maybe even make it to our top ten, however the addition of the mystery spice completely overwhelmed the dish, they have the makings of a phenomenal parma here but they just took it one step too far.

As for the pub itself It is a cosy little spot with super friendly staff and a great atmosphere - If I lived nearby I could definitely see this becoming my local (On a night like that one I was eyeing the mulled apple pie cider on the menu pretty hard). If I heard the mystery spice was removed from the crumbs I'd happily go back for a redo any day of the week, otherwise I have to drop my recommendation to possibly worth a try... maybe? 

Parma - 5.50

Chips - 8.75

Salad - 6.00

Value - 6.5

Total - 6.45

The search continues...

#344 - 'The Pizza & Grill Co.'

Where - 2/10 Camp Road, Campbellfield

Price - $23.95 Classic Parma, $25.95 Mexican Parma

Website - http://pizzagrill.com.au

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

We don't get out Campbellfield way very often ... To be honest it's rare that we have a reason to. Decent pubs are few and far between this far north, so when I get recommended a spot that actually looks decent it's top priority to check it out. 

From the outside the Pizza & Grill Co Building looks suspiciously like it could have once been a Pizza Hut, however doing a bit of research turns up no proof of that. in 2009 it was Il Divo (an Italian Restaurant), in 2014 it was Il Ciccio (another Italian Restaurant) then around late 2016/early 2017 it was revamped as the Pizza & Grill Co. I found one mention of it possibly being a "Hartee's" burger joint in the '70's, but I can't substantiate that beyond rumour. 

Either way, it looks pretty good now. Massive space, plenty of seating, and they're really leaning in to the Sports Bar vibe with TV's as far as the eye can see. 

Walking into the Pizza & Grill Co. it hit me instantly what this place was. An American Chain Restaurant. If you've ever been to Chili's, The Cheesecake Factory or Applebee's State-side then you'll know exactly what the Pizza & Grill Co. feels like on the inside... I also got a very strong Sporting Globe vibe, in fact If I had to pick an Aussie Pub/Restaurant to compare it to, Sporting Globe would definitely be it. 

We were shown to our booth and checked the massive menu. Past the chicken wings, jalapeño poppers, mozzarella sticks, chilli fries, burgers and giant pizzas we found the main event...

And below that also appeared a Mexican parma option...

Now regular readers will know that I'm normally a parma purist, and the promise of triple smoked ham definitely piqued my interest, however I am also a sucker for a good Mexi-parma, and the promise of "rustic hot salami" won me over. I went for the Mexican, Reviewer Nikki got the traditional. There is also a "Parma Burger" on the menu, which I have heard is pretty decent, but we didn't get to it on this trip unfortunately. 

There are 8 taps going at the Pizza & Grill Co, but there's nothing pouring to get too excited about. First up we have "3 Brats Lager" Which I am assuming is an in-house brew as it's cheap, I've never heard of it before and right now, trying to Google it returns zero results for a brewery called 3 Brats. Following that we've got Carlton, Fat Yak, Minimum Chips, and Coors for the full strength, Cascade for the light with Bulmers and Canadian Club bringing up the rear for those who don't feel like a beer, all available in pot, pint, jug and a 2.5L beer "tower" sizes. 

Plenty more options in bottles, with an expectedly American leaning (Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Coors, Miller, Budweiser, among others) If you're in for a big sesh there are buckets of 4 beers all available at around the $25 - $30 mark. 

Now, our parmas came out insanely quickly. Scarily quickly even. I didn't have a clock on it but I don't think we waited longer than five minutes before our food was in front of us, I'd have to assume there was at least some sort of pre-preperation involved, as everything was cooked pretty well. 

The Traditional

The Mexican

Still reeling from how quickly our parmas arrived, we tucked in. To be honest I was expecting a lukewarm, dry precooked schnitzel (how else could it be out so fast?) but to be honest I was pleasantly surprised. The crumbs were a little too thick for my liking and the was slightly dry, but neither to an extreme that would put me off the dish.

The schnitzel was quite big, engulfing the large plate. It did seem a little bit manufactured and fast-foody, but was real chicken and not at all processed. It was piping hot on the plate and, while not perfect, was a decent foundation to the dish. 

The Mexican toppings were the right choice as they are where this parma shone for me. The rustic hot salami was applied liberally and with the addition of chilli flakes and heaps of jalapeños this was definitely on the hotter side of the spectrum as far as Mexican parmas go (and if you want to punch it up a notch the Pizza & Grill Co. has a selection of hot sauces available at all of the tables).

Switching from this one to trying the classic definitely felt like a step down in the flavour department, but I suppose it's like going from the hot tub to the swimming pool - The pool always feels colder than it actually is. Reviewer Nikki, who had the majority of the standard parma, was also pleased, commenting that the smokiness of the liberally applied ham was one of the highlights. In both cases the house made special "Pomodoro Sauce" was fine, but not too different to many of the other parma napoli's out there. 

Chips were fine, needed a bit of help in the seasoning department but like the parma were served piping hot. Not a whole lot to say about them to be honest, pretty standard pub/restaurant chips. 

The salad was fresh & crisp, but almost definitely pre-made in bulk and kept in the fridge ... But, like the parma and my suspicions of that being pre-prepared, if its still tasty and they can get away with it without negative effects, good on 'em. 

“Was very concerned with how quickly the parma arrived ... But was pleasantly surprised that it seemed pretty fresh and was quite tasty. Chips need a bit of work. ”

— Nikki

As far as value goes the Pizza & Grill Co. standard parma clocks in at $23.95 and the Mexi at $25.95. A bit pricey but it was overall quite a large meal that I definitely didn't walk away from hungry. As far as I can tell there aren't any parma specific discount nights on the cards, but there are a few cheap drink specials to look through. 

The Pizza & Grill Co. feels like a chain restaurant without the chain (There seems to be only one location so far). They no doubt going for a "Sporting Globe" vibe, however my one issue with this is there doesn't seem to be any standing room in the restaurant - It's all sit down tables and booths. There is a front room on the other side of the bar that would be perfect as a standing room bar area, yet it is furnished with more tables instead. If they had some room to stand and catch the footy it'd definitely a place I'd consider dropping into to catch a game. 

To be honest I went into this review with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The Mexican parma was choc full of flavour that I'd be happy to try again (not to mention the burgers and pizzas I saw going around looked top notch also). If you're in the area and have yet to give it a try I'd say its definitely worth popping in for a feed. 

Parma - 7.88

Chips - 5.58

Salad - 6.50

Value - 6.90

Total - 7.05

The search continues...

Special Attempt - 'Pizza Parmas @ The Imperial - Video Review'

We have long heard rumours of the existence of the pizza parma. Not to be confused with a parma pizza, which is basically a standard pizza with parma stuff on top - the pizza parma is a chicken schnitzel, hammered out to the size of a pizza, covered with parma toppings and sliced like a pizza into convenient hand sized triangles. I am aware that the menu for the Impy still calls it a "Parma Pizza", but I have made the executive decision to call it a Pizza Parma, as a Parma Pizza is already a thing

Social media posts of the creation started popping up pretty regularly, however they always seemed to be a little too far for us to visit on Thursday parma night. A few weeks back I shared a post on our facebook page that a pub in Perth seemed to be the first pub in Australia attempting the pizza parma, and shortly after I received a message from our friends at Melbourne CBD’s Imperial Hotel letting me know that they had a similar item in the works that would be appearing on their menu soon.

We have quite a history with the Imperial, taking out our golden chook award for 4 consecutive years, for a long time we considered them the best parma Melbourne had to offer. After a change in management the quality of the Impy parma did drop slightly, however we still consider it to be one of the best parmas available in our city.

For this review I’m gonna skip the usual description of the pub as we have already covered it many times (Click for latest review) although the new renovations still look fantastic, So lets skip straight to the Pizza parma. 

We arrived at the Impy on a Saturday arvo, grabbed a seat, checked the menu, placed our orders and before long the fabled pizza parma was sitting in front of us. 

First things first - This meal is designed to be shared. I tried to tackle it solo and try as I might still left two slices on the plate. It’s a beast.

As for the dish? I’d say super enjoyable! although the chicken is slightly thinner than its non-pizzafied counterpart the experience is pretty much an impy parma that you don’t need a knife and fork to tuck into. I thought I’d hate the cherry tomatoes and rocket dumped on top, but it does succeed in giving the parma a bit more dimension as well as making it feel a little more like a pizza and not just a schnitzel you’re eating with your hands … which you kind’ve are. 

My one criticism? I miss the chips. The Imperial has always had such fantastic chips accompanying their parma and their absence from the parma pizza was definitely noted - The next time I try the pizza parma I’ll definitely get a side of chips to round out the meal. 

All up the pizza parmas at the Imperial Hotel is a unique take on a parma that is definitely worth trying the next time you find yourself in the city, On its own it costs $27 And if you can find someone to split it with you can get the pizza parma and two pots for $32 … or there’s nothing stopping you going solo and keeping both beers for yourself. 

Also, between recording the video review and posting the Imperial have announced they are now doing the Pizza Parma in 4 different varieties. So much choice!

I’ll definitely be back to try this one again, be sure to check it out!

The search continues...

#343 - 'Commercial Club Hotel'

Where - 344 Nicholson St. Fitzroy

Price - $18

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

Reviewers – Lee, Nikki & Stefo

When we decided to visit the Commercial Club this week my initial thought was "Haven't we done this pub already?". We drive past it a lot and I have always filed it away in my brain as already visited, however I searched the site and could find no mention of us ever visiting the Commercial Club... To be honest I think I was confusing it with The Empress, a pub we reviewed in 2016 that is about 1km up Nicholson Street from the Commercial Club. 

Once I realised that there was a pub in Fitzroy we had yet to review it was made top priority - We loaded up the Parma Bus and headed to the Commercial Club Hotel. 

On the way to the pub I wasn't too sure what to expect - Was it gonna be a down-to-earth old school back streets local? or a shiny, newly renovated, gastropub?

Turns out, its a little bit of both. The Commercial Club retains its old world charm while still feeling well maintained. The front bar has the mandatory-for-a-Fitzroy-local old Fitzroy footy jumpers hanging over the bar yet the large glass entryway that leads to the beer garden out back has a distinctively modern vibe. They're riding the line and for the most part it works. 

The pub was filling up pretty fast so we grabbed a menu and checked for our target - 

Much like the pub itself, the menu straddles the line between the old and new school. Historic pub staples like spag bol, bangers and mash and a burger join the parma, along with a more gastro Cape Grim sirloin salad and a bunch of options for the vegeterian, vegan and gluten free patrons. All super reasonably priced as well.

Tap list at the Commercial Club was streamlined, but adequate. Young Henrys, Barrow Boys, 4 Pines, 2 Birds, Guinness and Napoleone Apple Cider on tap as well as a few more tinned and bottled options behind the bar. Not boastful, but you should be able to find something you like. 

After a 20ish minute wait the parmas arrived...

My initial thought when I saw the parma hit the table was "Oh crap, it's tiny!" - Luckily though, looks can be deceiving, as the Commercial Club parma made up for its small circumference with an outstanding, almost not-even-hammered thickness.

It was served piping hot, juicy and well cooked. The crumbs had a decent crunch however there was a little bit of flake away, and although it seemed small on the plate it was surprisingly filling. 

The toppings were fine. Great coverage of ham and cheese with a peppery flair on top. The one thing I would love with the Commercial's parma would be a slice or two of smoked ham on top. This parma is begging for a piece of quality ham to really drive it home (Maybe the option of ham for an extra $2? Just sayin!)

The cheese was grilled perfectly and the napoli was fine (could have used a little more chunk). Overall the combination of quality chicken breast and toppings supplied made this pocket rocket of a parma super enjoyable. 

If the parma was good the chips were outstanding. Not buried underneath the parma, plenty of them, fresh, steaming hot, beer battered, super well seasoned and even tomato sauce supplied for the side. Excellent work on the chips!

The salad was the Commercial Club's biggest misstep. It just felt like an afterthought. A pile of dry leaves with one lone wedge of cucumber, a bit of a dissapointment after the outstanding parma & chips

“Juicy succulent chicken, delicious chips and a great price - It’s hard to be disappointed with this meal BUT I would have loved a bit more love given to the salad in terms of a bit more dressing.”

— Stefo

“A very cool pub. Would have loved a bit of ham on the parma and the salad needed a bit more attention, but overall super enjoyable.”

— Nikki

In 2018 finding a parma priced under $20 instantly has my attention, and the parma we received at the Commercial Club for $18 is just outstanding value. As far as I can tell they don't offer a specific parma night, but to be honest at just $18 it doesn't need to get any cheaper.  

If you're after a quality feed that won't break the bank then Commercial Club is definitely one to check out. The pub has a super friendly, locals pub vibe that could easily become your second home should you live in the area... Definitely worth a visit.

Parma - 7.73

Chips - 8.33

Salad - 3.00

Value - 8.17

Total - 6.99

The search continues...

#342 - 'The Yarraville-Footscray Bowling Club'

Where - 339A Francis St. Yarraville

Price - $24.90 Standard, $25.90 Club Parma

Website - https://www.yarravillefootscraybowlingclub.com.au

Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Nikki, Stefo

Okay, I'm gonna try and go this entire review without making a Crackerjack joke. Wish me luck. 

The story of how we came across the parmas at the Yarraville-Footscray Bowls Club isn't too interesting, but it can't hurt to fill you in. 

On one of my many scrolls through the photos tagged with #parma on Instagram I came across this image -

"Hmmm, parma at a bowls club" I thought to myself. Not only that, Parma at a bowls club that looks pretty decent! Fresh Salad. Those chips look well cooked & seasoned, and, if you can look past the ring of fruit atop the pictured parma, it actually looks like a decent bird!

As far as I can remember we have yet to do a bowls club, so we loaded up the parma bus and headed out to Yarraville.

We arrived shortly after 7pm on Thursday and expected to find a relatively quiet bistro. Why would a bowls club be busy on a Thursday night? We walked through the door to find the bistro (pictured below) absolutely packed to capacity ... If you're keen to try this parma it might be best to call in a booking beforehand. 

Luckily enough the super friendly staff at the Club said it was fine for us to grab a table in the lounge but still order from the bistro menu. 

We grabbed a couple of pints from the bar, sat down at our table and checked the menu...

I thought it was gonna be an easy decision, but down at the bottom of the menu the club also snuck in this little extra...

I like the term "club parma". I don't think I've seen it before but reckon it should take off. Living in a world where a pub has their standard parma to please the crowds as well as a "club parma" for which they have the opportunity to get a little creative is a world I would be happy to live in. 

We placed our orders at the bistro. 3 of us opting for the classic parma and Reviewer Stefo giving the Club Parma a crack. 

Kicking back while we waited for our parmas to arrive the weekly raffle draw started up. I was gutted that we arrived after ticket sales had closed, that prize of a lamb roast with a 6 pack of VB stubbies attached would have made my weekend. 

You'd be silly to walk into a bowls club expecting anything remotely craft on tap, so only the basics here. Carlton Draught, Dry, VB, Pure Blonde. It was all served cold and expertly poured. 

After a cheeky entree of Garlic Bread, the main event arrived about 20 minutes after placing the order...

The Club Parma

The Classic Parma

I didn't really know what to expect with a Bowls Club parma. Would it be a supermarket deli window pre-fab schnitzel or something worth writing home about (or at least writing a parma-themed blog about?) It could have gone either way, so imagine my relief when the schnitzel this parma was based on was a pure, white thick chicken breast. So juicy that my initial cut actually sprayed a little as if I was cutting into a chicken Kiev.

It was insanely thick and well cooked - My one (and only) gripe about the schnitzel would be the crumbing was quite soggy, to the point where the bottom layer flaked away almost instantly, However this is a minor quibble to an otherwise outstanding schnitzel

Great coverage with the toppings. Plenty of napoli, ham and cheese to go around. Although lacking a little in the flavour department everything was cooked & grilled to perfection and served steaming hot. The toppings were fine all around, although I think the salami, capsicum and olives of the Club Parma would have brought the parma to another level, Reviewer Stefo agreed. 

The parma was good, but the chips were the standout of the dish. Crunchy on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside and extremely well seasoned. Hard to fault beyond the need for some sauce, kicking myself that I didn't think to order a side of gravy to go alongside this parma. 

The salad was fresh and light, reminded me of a garden salad you'd make at home to accompany a barbecue on a summery weekend. Not outstanding, but by no means unpleasant.

“Super juicy and fresh. Great chips. Crumbs were a bit soggy for my liking but overall a very tasty parma. ”

— Nikki (Classic Parma)

“Very decent for a bowls club! Plenty of food on the plate. Great chips. Would definitely have again if I was in the area”

— Stefo (Club Parma)

“Not a bad parma. Chips were the standout. A bit pricey for a bowls club parma - thought it could be a little cheaper.”

— Cale (Classic Parma)

$24.90 did strike me as a little pricey, especially for a parma at a bowls club, but at the same time I've never seen a bowls club so well staffed (I counted 5 people on the floor alone, not counting the kitchen), so its understandable that they've got to pay wages - and I don't mind throwing a few extra dollars on my meal to support the Club.

They do run a Wednesday parma night for $13.90 which, if the parma remains the same quality that we had last night, is insanely good value, and I would urge everyone to stop in then and check it out (if you do, let me know if there is any quality drop!)

If you're after a quality, home style parma in a relaxed environment then the Yarraville-Footscray Bowling Club is definitely one worth trying out should you be in the area. If you have kids there is a "Kids Zone" set up at the back of the bistro with some video games and such. Quality chicken, expertly assembled and a bargain on Wednesdays. 

Of course, the most famous game of bowls was between Sir Francis Drake and Lord Howard in Plymouth Hoe in 1588, with the Spanish Armada sailing up the English Channel...

Parma - 7.25

Chips - 8.13

Salad - 7.00

Value - 6.08

Total - 7.14

The search continues...

#341 - 'Father's Office'

Where - QV, 249 Little Lonsdale St. Melbourne

Price - Regular $18, Jumbo $28 (Classic Parma - More for novelties)

Website - http://fathersoffice.com.au

Reviewers – Daniel, Kim, Lee, Nikki, Pat

Father's Office has been around for a while, and I had always heard pretty good things about it - However they never had a parma available until recently, when they announced a full range of "signature parmas" were being added to their menu. 

Snuggled within the maze that is the QV complex in the CBD, Father's Office is a pretty cool escape from the madness of the Melbourne city. 

There are a few options for seating at the pub. There is the main bar area, a slightly more swanky dining room (although I think the menu is pretty much the same) as well as a balcony area overlooking the state library that seems to be the most popular place to score a spot. 

We arrived without a booking to find the pub pretty packed with punters taking advantage of happy hour, but were lucky enough to snag a table in the bar area. We checked the menu for the new range of "signature parmas"...

Reading down the menu everything looked pretty standard. "Naked, yep, Classic, good that's there, Oooh Mexican with chilli, that sounds nice. Cheesebur.... what?..."

Cheesburparma. I looked over the bar and they had a large image of what exactly a "Cheeseburparma" looks like...

Hmmmm...

A cheeseburger/parma hybrid. The crazy bastards actually did it. 

I had to get it. I had to know what a cheeseburparma tasted like. Nobody else at the table was as brave as I, but between us all we managed to get at least one of all the parmas on the menu. 

The tap list at Father's Office is pretty extensive. When I saw the large copper pipes extending down from the roof I thought "Oh great, more unpasteurised Carlton Draught", but it turns out that Father's Office are the hipsters of the beer-through-copper-pipes world, as they did it before Carlton Draught made it cool, and a feature of half the pubs in Melbourne. 

The standards on tap are Follies Girl Lager, Heineken, Kirin, Furphy, Thunder Road, White Rabbit, Tiger, Monteiths Barber Lager, 150 Lashes, Kosciusko Pale & Grumpy Bastard along with some rotating taps of other craft beers (I was on the Colonial Draught most of the night, a very tasty drop). 

After a 20(ish) minute wait our parade of parmas arrived from the kitchen...

Naked Schnitz

The Mexican

The Classic Parma

The Cheeseburparma

Okay. I'll get to the burger part in a sec but first lets focus on the schnitzel ... It wasn't great. It was real, unprocessed chicken breast, however it had the utter arse cooked out of it and was quite dry by the time it hit the plate. In the case of the cheeseburparma the schnitzel actually turned out to be secondary to the whole experience, but those who had the plainer options (the classic and the naked) enjoyed their meal significantly less. 

I guess you would call the "toppings" of the cheeseburparma the whole mother flippin' cheeseburger that is sitting on top of the schnitzel, and to be absolutely honest, it was a damn tasty burger. I'm not in the burger reviewing game, but the beef patty was cooked just right, they were super liberal with the cheese, bacon and greens. I wasn't a big fan of the schnitzel underneath so the burger was probably my favourite part. Did it work as part of a parma? Kind've. It wasn't so much a parma as it was a cheeseburger with a bit of schnitzel at the bottom, definitely more burger than parma. 

Opinions around the table of the other novelties varied. The Mexican got top marks, also due to the quality toppings on the schnitzel, however those that went the naked or the classic parma were less impressed. The dry chicken being much more apparent when there wasn't a stack on toppings above to distract.

The chips were probably a highlight of the dish. Plenty of them, all served with an itty bitty pot of aioli, along with a liberal shake of spicy seasoning really elevated these chips to the next level. My one criticism is that they could have been served hotter - Fresh, these chips would have been amazing. The ones here were served warm as if they had been sitting out for a while.

The salad was an extra $1 charge, which seemed to be a "we can't be bothered making salads" tax  as the salad we got for our extra gold coin donation wasn't very good at all. Small, wilted and absolutely drowning in oil it wasn't at all worth the extra cash. 

“The Mexican toppings were very tasty”

— Daniel

“The classic toppings were fine and the chips were great, but the overcooked and dry schnitzel really ruined it for me”

— Nikki

“I went the regular sized one, and it was a respectable size for only $20. Chicken was a bit dry and overcooked, but otherwise the Mexican toppings were good and the seasoning on the chips was tasty too”

— Pat

From what I can see Father's Office don't offer any sort of cheap parma night, but to be honest the prices are cheap enough as it is. Under $20 for the standard parma is rare these days, and $20 for the cheeseburparma seems too good to be true when it is essentially two meals in one. I wasn't a huge wrap for the quality of the food, but the price was at a level that I felt reflected what we received, plus the $15 jugs of craft beer for happy hour were greatly appreciated. 

If you can't make it to FO but still want to try the unholy abomination that is the Cheeseburparma, the other pubs in the Retail Savvy Group (the pub group that owns Father's Office) have the same parma menu on offer, so as well as at Father's Office it can be found at Asian Beer Cafe, The Shaw Davey Slum, The Bank on Collins and Fitzroy Social. I never thought I'd be able to say that five pubs in Melbourne are now offering a cheeseburger/parma hybrid, but I guess this is the world we live in now. Thanks Trump. 

I wouldn't recommend Father's Office for the classic parma or the naked schnitzel as the quality of the chicken isn't quite there but if you're a sucker for a gimmick I think the Cheeseburparma (and to a lesser extent the Mexican) is worth a try at least once, if only for the novelty factor.

Parma - 6.63

Chips - 7.38

Salad - 3.25

Value - 7.00

Total - 6.18

The search continues...

#340 - 'The Barwon Heads Hotel - Video Review'

I recently found myself on a trip to the Bellarine Peninsula. Rather than driving up and back on the same night (and having to stay sober) we instead opted for an AirBNB in Ocean Grove so we could hit the party, Grab a night’s sleep and on the way home the next day cross the bridge and visit a pub we have been meaning to review for a very long time, the Barwon Heads Hotel.

Until very recently Ocean Grove was a dry town, due to a ruling in the 1800’s no alcohol was allowed to be produced or sold - Luckily enough the Barwon Heads Pub, situated directly at the end of the bridge that connects the two towns had the thirsty patrons covered since it opened in 1935.

Ocean Grove’s booze ban is now a thing of the past but the Barwon Heads pub remains, and having been taken over by new owners it has undergone a bit of a facelift in the last year or so, and (according to the website) there are more improvements still to come. 

We arrived at the pub just as the kitchen opened, grabbed a seat in the bistro, checked the menu for our target and placed our orders. 

The exterior of the Barwon Heads Hotel looks fantastic. The sorely needed coat of paint has come up very well and,  the new beer garden area would have been a fantastic spot for a meal, if it weren’t so windy.

As far as beer on tap goes the Barwon heads pub had a few options. Other than the oversized copper tanks of unpasteurised Carlton Draught they also had Coopers, Great Northern, Carlton, Blue Point, Mountain Goat Steam Ale, Four Pines, Goose Island, little green cider and Pimms on tap. A pretty impressive selection for a country pub. 

The parmas arrived and looked pretty impressive on the plate. Cutting in the schnitzel was top quality. Pure white chicken breast and served piping hot. The crumbs were mostly fine but could have been crunchier, the bottom of the parma was quite soggy but other than that I’ve got minimal criticisms of the quality of the chicken. 

As for the toppings the cheese was laid on super thick and grilled to perfection. The napoli was fine however the aforementioned soggy crumbs soaked up a lot of it so I couldn’t quite get the full flavour hit a good napoli sauce should provide. 

7.5 for the Parma

Other than being served in this basket the chips were pretty standard. Nothing wrong with them, they were well cooked and the basket kept them clear from the sauna that was the underside of the parma, but they were desperate for some seasoning or some kind of dipping sauce. 

6.5 for Chips

The garden salad was fine, a lot of people don’t care about the salad but I appreciate when a bit of effort is put in. The salad at the Barwon was … okay, could have been fresher but the creamy salad dressing they used was pretty tasty, which helped it out a lot. 

6.25 for the Salad.

The parma at the Barwon Heads Pub clocks in at $25, which I used to be able to say was expensive for a parma, but over the past year or so has become the new normal. I enjoyed this parma but $25 does seem a little rich. The pub does run an $18 parma night on Thursday nights which is a much more agreeable price for the parma we received. 

6.75 for value. 

All up I enjoyed the parma at the Barwon Heads pub. It’s not perfect by any means but it was a tasty parma in a pretty cool pub. The bistro does feel a little dated, but with renovations on the way hopefully they can breathe some new life into the old girl, they’ve done well so far. 

Parma - 7.5

Chips - 6.5

Salad - 6.25

Value - 6.75

Total - 6.90

The search continues...

#339 - 'Railway Hotel'

Where - 280 Ferrars St. South Melbourne

Price - $26

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

Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Matt, Nikki & Stefo

If a mate ever tells you to "meet me at the Railway for a beer" you might want to consider cutting them loose as friends and making new ones that can be more specific with their plans. We have been to quite a few "Railway's" over the years - The Railway in Yarraville, The Railway in Brunswick, The Railway Club in Port Melbourne and even The Railway Friendly Hotel in Byron Bay. Long story short, this country isn't burdened with a shortage of Railways, and yet somehow, the Railway Hotel in South Melbourne has eluded us.

When I think about it, I think the aforementioned Railway Club Hotel in Port Melbourne and this one kind've merged together in my mind as the same pub, and once we reviewed one I had mentally ticked off the other as done, so when a few people recently asked me if we had checked out the Railway in South Melbourne my response was always a very unsure "I think so?", which drove me to check and confirm that no, this was one Railway that we had yet to try. (Side note, out of interest I checked to see just how far away The Railway is from the Railway Club, and they are only 1.3km apart, so I maintain that I had every right to be a little confused).

Our last few weeks of reviews have been a parade of beautifully renovated spaces, and while I've got nothing against a good renno, I was craving an old school pub. A down-to-earth old world backstreets local, so when I saw the above photo of a parma on a wine barrel beside a fireplace on the Railway's website I knew we had to hit it up for review this week. 

We arrived on Thursday night, pulled up a pew, grabbed the menu and spied our target for the night - 

We placed our order at the bar and awaited the arrival of our parmas. 

The atmosphere at the Railway was just what the doctor ordered. A true old school local pub that feels as if you stepped back into the 60’s walking through the door. It’s big too, with two bar areas, a bistro beyond that, a spacious beer garden beyond that, and an old school pool room complete with vintage Rolling Stones pinball machine. Much like the Doctor’s TARDIS the Railway Hotel is much bigger on the inside than it seems from the outside. 

Much like the pub itself the tap list at the Railway is old school, but respectable. Carlton, XXXX, Boags, Coopers, James Squire, Furphy, Little Creatures, White Rabbit, Sapporo & Heinieken with a few more options bottled behind the bar. Those who lean super crafty might be disappointed with what is on tap, but there’s plenty here to wet your whistle.

The chicken breast was startlingly white. I would have liked it a little thicker, but thats a minor criticism. The schnitzel was well cooked, seemingly pan fried as opposed to whacked in the deep fryer, and was sizeable enough that nobody walked out hungry.

The crumbing was razor thin, nothing to hide, however the bottom layer lost a bit of cling after serving and flaked away from the chicken while eating - But thats a minor quibble of an otherwise fantastic schnitzel. 

The toppings were another win. Plenty of cheese, ham and Napoli covered the majority of the schnitz. The cheese was grilled to golden brown, bubbly perfection, and was probably the best of the trio - Full of flavour. The Napoli, while solid, could have used a little more spice, it was fine, but lacked punch.

The ham was lost, The strong flavour from the cheese masked it to the point where I had to check if there was even ham on the parma - A slice of ham will always be appreciated, but something with a bit more flavour would really drive this parma home. 

I’m nitpicking though, overall the Railway served up a damn tasty parma.

Crinkle cut chips. Do I have to say any more? Probably. The decent serving of crinkle cut chips were cooked to perfection, could have been a little more seasoned when they hit the table, however the pièce de résistance was a veritable tasting paddle of chip dips delivered to us by the staff. Above and beyond and absolutely fantastic. And who doesn’t love a crinkle cut chip?

I'm not sure what the brown ones were on either side of the aioli. Chipotle maybe? Whatever they were, they were delicious. 

The seperate bowl for the salad was appreciated as always, at first bite I considered the garden salad a little under-dressed, however as I dug deeper into the bowl it became apparent that the dressing was merely hiding under the top layer of leaves. A respectable salad, but could have used a little more stuff, there was plenty of cucumber but rather light on tomato & red onion.

“A cool little pub & my parma was quite tasty. Loved the flavour of the cheese but my only criticism would be the layer of crumbs that were lost from the bottom of the parma. The accompanying chip dips were amazing.”

— Nikki

“After a hiatus of sorts, this serving had me struggling to finish, so it was great value. Chips were great, I appreciated them being served fresh, and the same for the salad. Parma was good and the cheese topping was particularly tasty”

— Matt

“Lovely old style pub. Very friendly staff. Bonus points for the platter of condiments - Would definitely come back”

— Stefo

“Crinkle cut chips for the win. Brilliant. Parma was pretty good also”

— Cale

I won't lie, $26 is on the pricey side of the parma price spectrum. The Railway runs a Tuesday $14 parma night which seems like an astounding price drop if the same size/quality of parma is delivered.

Gastropubs are fine, sinking millions of dollars into jaw dropping pub renovations is fine - But sometimes you want something untouched, something old school, the Railway Hotel in South Melbourne fits that vibe to a tea. Nailing the “Cosy backstreets local”, it is definitely one to try if you’re in the area. Although a little pricey I highly recommend giving the parma a crack (especially on Tuesday - if you try it on parma night be sure to let me know how it was).

Check it out!

Parma - 7.50

Chips - 7.40

Salad - 6.50

Value - 6.70

Total - 7.12

The search continues...

#338 - 'Kensington Food Hall'

Where - 520 Macaulay Rd, Kensington

Price - $24

Website - https://www.kensingtonfoodhall.com.au

Reviewers – 

When I got tagged in an Instagram post for the Kensington Food Hall I thought to myself "Oh, the place that was Tonik then Lost & Found must have changed owners again", I'll admit that thought made me a little sad, as I quite enjoyed Lost & Found - But luckily I was incorrect, as Kensington Food Hall was just a two doors down from where I initially thought it was. 

*UPDATE* After writing this sentence I did a little research and it turns out Lost & Found has closed down, and is now Mr. Griffiths, a burgers and poutine joint. Easy come, easy go!

The Instagram photo that started our journey to Kensington Food Hall

The Insta post caught my eye. Nice, crisp salad, plenty of fresh, chunky napoli that looked as if it would be right at home atop a pile of pasta. The cheese could use a little more time under the grill and I've never been big on shoestring fries, but if it's a decent parma those are minor criticisms. Worth checking out from the photo alone, we loaded up the parma bus and headed to the Kensington Food Hall. 

"Hall" is a very apt term to describe this restaurant. Long and skinny. Someone told me that the building used to be a noodle & sushi shop and I can definitely see the bones of that in the layout. 

Nice renovations though, and its not often you can pretty much watch your meal being cooked behind the bar, we toasted our first beers of the evening whilst listening to our parmas crackle away on the hot plate. 

We grabbed a seat and checked the menu -

Looks good to me!

The tap list at the food hall is relatively small, very small in fact, not so much a "tap list" as a single tap of the nearby Henry Street Brewhouse's Secret Pale Ale - A fine drop indeed. There are a few more options in the fridge (Little Creatures, White Rabbit, Corona, Asahi & Cascade). Although Henry Street do make a fine beer, an extra option or two on tap would be a nice addition. 

About 15 minutes after ordering our parmas appeared from the other side of the bar...

I'll be honest, I was concerned when this parma hit the table - Mostly due to the look of the provolone cheese, but I'll get to that in a moment. 

First up, the schnitzel... Surprisingly good. Pure, white chicken breast, well cooked and super juicy. The crumbs flaked off the bottom a little, which is usually a surefire sign of an overcooked and dry parma, but not the case here. The chicken could have been slightly bigger, but no complaints over the size of the dish (we all walked away quite full). All up it was a solid foundation to the dish. 

Now, the toppings are where this parma gets interesting. Let's work from the top down:

The Provolone cheese - A bold choice. Super unique and something we have never seen on a parma before. Despite looking as if someone had laid craft singles across the top of the chicken before putting it under the grill it actually carried a pretty great flavour that complimented the dish quite well. It was super gooey when the dish first arrived and I enjoyed it immensely - However, about 3/4's through the parma, as things started to cool down the provolone went a bit hard and lost it's gooey charm - Luckily I was mostly full at this stage and didn't really care that the cheese had lost its lustre, but it's worth noting. 

The Ham - Holy cow! ... I mean pig. Holy pig! The ham on the Kensington Food Hall's parma was a flavour explosion. Super strong smoked ham notes penetrated throughout the dish. Super fresh it tasted as if it was freshly sliced right before serving. Super impressive. 

The Napoli - I suspected the napoli would be fresh and chunky from the Instagram post that brought us here, and I was right. Although they laid it on a little to heavily for my liking and it was slightly more watery than I would normally like my napoli - it was super fresh and full of flavour. Another tick.  

The parma at Kensington Food Hall had a big "home style cooking" vibe. It tasted like the parma your mum used to make. Super fresh ingredients all around. A few faults, but definitely a unique, tasty dish. 

Serving shoestring fries is always starting on the back foot for me, but I maintain that if they're done well they can be just as good as an old fashioned pub chip. Unfortunately the fries at the Food Hall didn't quite do it for me. There was a big serve, but they were unseasoned and a little overcooked. Some dipping sauce would have been nice as well. Probably the weakest element of the meal. 

As suspected the salad was super fresh and flavoursome, the ingredients tasting as if they were plucked from the garden minutes before serving. Other than the crisp-ness of the cucumber it was a pretty standard garden salad, although they could ease back on the lime juice through the dressing as it was a little bit overpowering. 

“The smokey ham was the star for me. A decent little parma - Unique, but definitely worth trying”

— Nikki

$24 for the Kensington Food Hall's parma strikes me as a little pricey, but considering the quality of the ingredients used throughout the dish I can't really fault them for it. There aren't any cheap parma nights on the books that I'm aware of, but if one comes to my attention I'll update.

If you're after a parma that's trying something new then give the Kensington Food Hall a try, it's a quality dish with some really bold flavours that is definitely worth checking out. 

And let this review stand as proof that if you tag me in a decent looking parma on Instagram, there's a good chance we will drop everything to go and check it out! 

Parma - 7.00

Chips - 4.15

Salad - 6.75

Value - 7.25

Total - 6.62

The search continues...

#337 - 'Hightail'

Where - Collins Square, Docklands. 

Price - $23

Website - https://www.hightail.bar

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

I had heard whispers of Hightail for a while now, never quite knew where exactly it was, but murmurs of a massive pub that lets you order drinks via iPhone app definitely caused my ears to prick up.

From memory, when they opened I checked if they did a parma and, at the time, they did not. Flash forward to last week when I discover the newly opened "Hightail Grill" within Hightail itself is serving up our favourite chicken-based delight, and I knew it was time to check it out. 

As promised, Hightail is freaking huge. The website claims that it can seat 950 people, and I have no doubts that they can. Standing at one end of the pub you can't see the other side. Talking about it to a friend before we left they described it as "A food court where you can drink" - And I think that is the most apt description I have heard of the venue. 

We grabbed a seat and checked the menu. The app (which I will talk about shortly) does not yet have the Hightail Grill menu loaded on to it for ordering, so we placed our orders at the bar. 

As I mentioned, Hightail utilises the "100 Orders" app to allow patrons to order food and drink directly to their table (there is a Belles Hot Chicken, Bon Bon Boy and Mr. Burger on site that is listed on the app). I downloaded the app at the table and was greeted with a selection of Melbourne establishments that also use the app, such as Welcome to Thornbury.

Hold on, Last week's less than positive review of the Prince Alfred Hotel was also owned by the people that owned Welcome to Thornbury, and the app is called "100 Orders" while the pub group that owns it all is called "100 Burgers". The penny dropped. Hightail and The Prince Alfred are owned by the same people and I had no idea until we sat down at the table ... This is gonna be interesting!

The app itself is pretty cool. Food aside you can quickly and easily scroll through a list of all beers available, and with a few taps pay for your drinks, kick back and wait for them to be delivered to your table ... What a time to be alive. 

The parmas hit the table surprisingly quickly after placing the order - I'd say about 10 minutes after sitting down with my beer our meals were in front of us. And they looked good! Great chicken coverage, a golden brown melt on the cheese. We grabbed our cutlery, tucked in, and our biggest criticism of the Hightail parma was immediately apparent - It was stone cold.

Now, I'm no physics professor, but I'd say the laws of thermodynamics stipulate that if a parma is cooked fresh and delivered to your table in under 10 minutes that, when factoring in prep time, there is no possible way that it can cool down from the temperature required to cook it to the temperature at which it was served to us, as I'm not exaggerating when I say this parma (and the chips) were barely luke-warm. 

It was such a shame too as the chicken was thick and plump, pure white chicken breast. A little dry, but not horribly so. It had so much potential that was completely squandered due to it being served cold.

The toppings, honestly, had some fantastic flavours going on. The napoli was fresh and rich with strong notes of capsicum - A rare and unique flavour for napoli to carry. The cheese blend was also spot on - Perfectly melted with a strong bite, just how I like it. The ham was present but struggled to make itself known amongst the bold flavours of the cheese blend and spicy napoli sauce. 

But it was all spoiled, as it was all cold. 

The chips, like the parma, were also cold. I'm not huge on shoestring fries with a parma but there was a decent serving of them and they were relatively well seasoned. I can usually see past my prejudice for shoestring fries, but again ... they were stone cold. 

The salad, the only element on a parma that you want to be cold was actually the best part of the dish. I'm not big on tomato so seeing it omitted from the usual lineup of ingredients was a welcome change for me. Plenty of cucumber, carrot and radish slices to fill it out and topped with a liberal dose of a tangy sweet dressing. Very enjoyable. 

“This could have been a tasty parma, however being served cold completely ruined the experience for me.”

— Nikki

Hightail offers $16 parmas all day and night on Tuesday. For $16 I'd probably take the risk that what we experienced was an unfortunate blip in what could have been a great feed, but I won't be rushing back again to try it at full price. 

I can only venture guesses as to what happened to our parmas at Hightail. Are they pre-prepping the meals and hoping we don't notice? Did someone cancel their order and they had these ones sitting around left over? The only thing I know is that there is no way our meals came directly from the grill to us, they arrived far too quickly for that to happen and arrive so cold. 

If anyone from 100 Burgers is reading I promise we didn't do your pubs back to back on purpose and we don't have any sort of vendetta against your venues! The pub is great, worth a trip just to see a pub so impressively huge, and ordering drinks from your phone is an outstanding feature that I absolutely loved.

Such a shame too, as there are some fantastic flavours in this dish, had it been served hot this would have been an overwhelmingly positive review. 

Parma - 3.25

Chips - 3.25

Salad - 7.25

Value - 3.75

Total - 4.15

The search continues...

#336 - 'The Prince Alfred: Redux'

Where - 191 Grattan St, Carlton

Price - $23

Website - https://www.princealfred.com

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

UPDATE 09/08/19 - WE GAVE PA’s A SHOT AT REDEMPTION! CHECK OUT HOW IT FARED HERE.

I lost sleep last night. Tossing and turning trying to work out the best way to write this review. A little bleary-eyed this morning, but the best way I think I can present it is to go in with an attitude of full disclosure from the get go. 

This is going to be a little spoiler-y for the rest of the review, but last night, after the (fantastic and super friendly staff) saw the state in which our parma was presented and how much we had left of the plate as we were about to leave, they refunded our money on the spot - An unprecedented move, in over 336 parma reviews over the last 8 years we have never been refunded - A classy move and it really showed that the staff at the Alfred cared that we had a sub-par experience. 

Which is why it pains me so much that I am sitting here writing this review right now, as I know it's not gonna go well and I really don't want to give them a bad review. 

Anyway, lets start at the beginning. Back in 2011 we first visited the Alfred, and to be honest it was a bit of a dive. Well, dive is probably too strong of a word - It was the quintessential Uni pub. Pool tables, TV's, Barry machines ... sure it was a little dirty and the floors were tad sticky, but Uni students don't care about that. It was a little pub with great bones and a good heart. I was there a few times around 2011 as shortly after our review I tied the knot around the corner - In fact the Alfred is the pub at which I had my first drink as a married man (I think it was a Jäeger bomb ... Like I said, Uni pub).

Then it closed. Boarded up for quite a while as a new pub group took over and got to work fixing the place up. So, naturally when I heard that they had re-opened mid February (a month to the day from when we reviewed the parma) I made it a priority to head over and see how the old girl had scrubbed up.

Unrecognisable. The 100 burgers group (the team behind such spots as Welcome to Thornbury, The Mint and Brunswick Mess Hall) have done an absolutely stellar job with the retrofit - If you had've blindfolded me and taken me there I would not have known it was the same pub, and with the addition of a rooftop beer garden its honestly one of the best facelifts I've seen in a while. 

Word must be getting around, too, as the place was packed. We struggled to snag a seat at 7pm on a Thursday either upstairs or down - But after a pint at the bar some space cleared up for us to sit down and check the menu.

We placed our order and awaited the parmas arrival. They really have done well at the Alfred, even putting in an outside-facing cafe for passing students to get their coffee fix in the mornings. a Fantastic idea, although I'm sure all the staff are sick to death of the 8am "can I get a pint? hur hur hur" jokes already. 

Speaking of pints, the 9 drinks on tap run a pretty respectable gamut. The obligatory copper tanks of Carlton Draught that I think is now law to be installed in any pub established after 2016 loom overhead, as well as options such as Melbourne Bitter, Hoegaarden, 4 Pines, Great Northern and Goose island. Not too crafty (especially for Uni students these days) but enough to keep most people satisfied. 

About 15 minutes after ordering our meals they arrived at the table. As is tradition with redos, lets compare the 2011 parma to it's 2018 sibling...

2011 parma at the Prince Alfred

2018 Parma at the Prince Alfred

Don't say I didn't warn you. This is where things get bad. First up, the schnitzel was burnt to near black, not only that it was almost sticky. Caramelised. You know when you cook chicken skewers on the barbie and the marinade burns before the chicken cooks? kind've like that, as if the schnitzel had been brushed with some sort of sauce before cooking. 

Inside wasn't much better. The chicken breast was so overcooked all the moisture had been sucked out. We had trouble cutting through, even with the steak knives provided (Thursday night is $15 steak night) It was so dry. On the plus side at least they used real chicken breast. 

The toppings weren't much better. The cheese was a congealed blob, undercooked and with zero flavour. There were some leaves under the cheese but on top of the ham that added a bit of punch, however the green haze shining through the yellow cheese was very visually unappealing. 

Points for the slice of ham, but to be honest I couldn't really taste it, the char on the schnitzel overpowered most of the dish. There was minimal napoli, although I did detect a bit of a barbecue sauce tang throughout, but that may have been from the smear of sauce that they put on the plate before serving (see pic below). I can see what they were trying to do, but it kind've just looks like someone spilled some sauce on the plate before they served it. To be totally honest it felt as they were trying a little too hard to be fancy. A parma is a parma, it doesn't need zhushing up this much. 

The chips were this parmas saving grace. Beer battered, well cooked, well seasoned, served piping hot and a decent serving, the staff even brought out a bottle of sauce with the cutlery unprompted. Very well done. 

The salad not as much. Their "slaw" was pretty much shredded cabbage and some greens sprinkled on top. It was dry and in desperate need of some dressing. 

Tuesday at the Alfred is $15 parmas all day & night, but to be honest, in it's current state I wouldn't pay that much, let alone the $23 we paid (well, tried to pay, as I said we were given our money back after the staff saw what was plated up). 

I really wanted to like the Alfred. The venue is great, the staff could not have been friendlier in the situation (we tried to refuse the refund but they weren't taking no for an answer), and it's a pub that holds a lot of sentimental value. Everything was great ... Except for the parma. 

I don't normally do this but I'll make a declaration here - If the Prince Alfred wants to have a re-jig of their parma and let me know I will waive our rule of "Minimum of a year between redos". They've only been open a month, lets hope we can chalk this up to teething issues, call it a false start and try again soon. 

In the meantime, if you want to have a beer in a fantastically renovated pub you should stop in to the Alfred - Just avoid the parma. 

Parma - 2.25

Chips - 7.50

Salad - 2.75

Value - 2.50

Total - 3.45

The search continues...

#335 - 'The Last Jar'

Where - 616 Elizabeth St. Melbourne

Price - $24

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

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

With St. Paddy's day next weekend I thought it only fitting that we get a little bit Irish for this week's parma - And where better than the pub voted Time Out Magazine's Pub of the Year and Best Pub Food of 2015 (That I only recently discovered had a parma on the menu)? The old Arthouse Hotel - Elizabeth Street's The Last Jar. 

I've known about and enjoyed the Last Jar for quite a while, but as I mentioned above it was only just recently brought to my attention that they have finally decided to chuck a parma on the menu, so without delay we loaded up the parma bus and headed in. 

The Jar is a great, cosy, understated Irish Pub. I find some of them fall into the kitschy trap of covering the walls in pieces of old farming equipment - but The Last Jar keeps it classy. Nothing but old world charm and relaxed vibes (with quite a cool little rooftop beer garden tucked away upstairs)

We grabbed a seat and checked the menu for our target...

We placed our order at the bar, but in a ParmaDaze rarity we also ordered ourselves an entree, the curiously named "Irish Poutine" seemed too good to pass up. 

About 10 minutes after ordering the poutine arrived

Now before all you poutine-purists get up in arms about "They aren't real cheese curds!!" - Relax. Take the name "poutine" with a grain of salt, and consider the Irish Poutine more like "Irish curry chips feat. cheese"

And goddamn, they were good. I'm a sucker for McDonnell's curry chips at the best of times, but the cheese took them to the next level. We had to stop ourselves from gorging on the bowl as we knew a parma was just around the corner, but if the poutine was any indicator of quality - this parma was gonna be great. 

The tap list at the Last Jar was surprisingly varied. To be honest I wasn't expecting more than Guinness and Kilkenny, but imagine my surprise with Mountain Goat, Young Henry's and even a rotating guest tap made an appearance. Something for everyone at the Last Jar.

While we were willing ourselves to not finish the poutine, the parmas arrived...

The schnitzel was phenomenal. Impossibly juicy while coated in the crispiest of herbed crumbs (that packed a flavoursome punch) it was an absolutely great start.

Not a monster schnitzel in circumference, but insanely thick, pure, chicken breast more than made up for it. 

For the first photo I took 9 pictures of the parma and portrait mode decided to pull focus on the salad on all of them, so here's a less artsy-fartsy parma pic.

The toppings followed suit with the schnitzel and were also all top notch. The napoli seemed freshly made - Chunky and jam packed with flavour. The ham, while not knocking us out, carried a subtle smokiness that helped the dish along. The cheese was plentiful and well grilled. 

This was simply a fantastic parma. 

In the shadow of the awesome Irish Poutine entree, the chips underwhelmed - Don't get me wrong, it was no fault of their own, but after knocking it out of the park with the poutine, the cheeseless, curryless chips served with the parma failed to live up to their poutiney (it's a word! I swear) cousins. However, there were plenty of them, they were well seasoned, well cooked, served hot and crispy. 

The salad wasn't great. It all looked fresh and there was plenty to go around, but it desperately needed more dressing as the leaves on their own were quite dry. Nothing offensive, but failed to live up to the standard of everything else on the plate. 

“Loved the quality of the chicken & the crispiness of the crumbs. The salad needed more dressing. The chips were good, but the Irish Poutine entree was to die for ”

— Nikki

The Last Jar's parma screams quality. Everything put into this dish seemed the highest calibre of ingredient quality and I'd have absolutely no qualms shelling out another $24 for the dish we received. There aren't any specific parma nights that I know of (if there are please let me know and I'll adjust the review) but to be honest I'd happily pay full price again.

The Last Jar already has the reputation for serving up a quality pub meal, and they have once again smashed it with this parma. I highly recommend stopping in and checking them out (I'm sure there are a plethora of events planned for St. Paddy's day next week!) and definitely - Definitely - get the Irish Poutine ... You won't regret it. 

Parma - 7.83

Chips - 7.55

Salad - 6.00

Value - 7.75

Total - 7.39

The search continues...

#334 - 'The Workers Club'

Where - 51 Brunswick Street. Fitzroy

Price - $24 full parma, $21 halfa parma

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

Reviewers – 

I visit the Workers club exactly once a year, in May, on the annual post-GABS pilgrimage that takes us from the Royal Exhibition Building to somewhere in Fitzroy (We usually end up at The Fitzroy Beer Garden or Foresters) - But the Workers is always our first port of call. 

While it is usually a little fuzzy after an afternoon of drinking craft beers at the Exhibition Building, one thing I always do is check the menu to see if they have a parma, then proceed to make a mental note to drop in for a review sometime after we've sobered up - a mental note I promptly forget. 

Well it's been around 10 months since last year's GABS, but I finally remembered to check out what kind've parma The Workers Club has on offer. 

The Workers is a cosy pub. I'd call it a "backstreets local" but being on the corner of Gertrude and Brunswick St's is hardly "backstreets" - yet it retains that vibe. The Workers feels like an old school pub, yet modernised at the same time. 

The Workers is a pub of many rooms. Front bar (pictured above) is the main event, but there is a quieter dining room out the back, a band room for musical acts, a room seemingly dedicated to a lone pinball machine and a spacious beer garden out the back for beers in the sun. 

We grabbed a seat in the front bar and checked out the menu 

So ... How hungry are you? The Workers offers a full sized "Workers Parma" for $24 and a half-sized "Halfa Parma" for $21. (and a schnitzel ... but who wants a plain old schnitzel?)

There were only two of us dining at our Workers review, myself and Reviewer Nikki. I opted for the full sized parma while Nikki, who rarely finishes a full sized parma, thought the Halfa parma would be just right for her. We placed our orders at the bar and awaited the arrival of our meals. 

Tap list at the Workers has struck a perfect balance between traditional beers and craft options. A blackboard up beside the bar shows the current tap list (which, of course, I forgot to take a photo of last night), but with plenty of options for both the craft an non craft drinker, as well as a damn impressive selection of tinnies available, there will be something for any patron to wet their whistle. 

About 15 to 20 minutes after ordering our parmas arrived...

The Halfa Parma

The Workers Parma

First up - The Halfa Parma is literally that - Half a parma. The serving of salad and chips is exactly the same as the full parma, just with a half sized schnitzel (who'da thunk it?)

The schnitzel itself was impeccable. The purest white chicken breast, served juicy and piping hot. The Workers Parma was impressively sized. After finishing this beast I could barely move. The crumbing was light and crunchy where it needed to be, the chicken was cooked to perfection - To be honest I don't think I can fault this one. Schnitzel perfection. 

The toppings were mostly fantastic. Almost 100% coverage of cheese, grilled to an ideal golden brown. It took me a second to find the ham as it only covered about 3/4's of my parma, but when found it added a light burst of smokey flavour to the dish. 

Literally my only criticism of this parma is of the napoli. There was plenty of it and it was choc full of flavour - however it was quite sweet, almost as if a cup of sugar had fallen into the pot. It didn't ruin the dish, not be a long shot, but it definitely detracted from my enjoyment slightly. 

Chips were a triumph. Massive serving. Beer battered. Piping hot and well seasoned. People criticise pubs for stacking the parma on top of the chips, however with the size of the Workers Parma and the sheer amount of chips with it you'd need two full sized plates to fit them all un-stacked. Fantastic. 

The salad was pretty good, but not the strongest element of the dish by far. The garden salad was loaded with plenty of onion, cucumber, tomato and was topped with a tasty dressing, however it was still just a garden salad. Nothing bad about it at all, but nothing to write home about. 

“I ordered the Halfa Parma but should have ordered the full. I didn’t walk away hungry but the parma was tasty - I wanted more! A great quality meal though.”

— Nikki

I'd pay $24 for this parma again tomorrow I was completely happy with almost every element on the plate. As the quote above indicates, Nikki was a little less pleased - Talking later she said that she would have enjoyed a little more parma and a little less chips and salad, but followed it up by saying she should have ordered the full parma anyway. 

As far as parma nights go there isn't a specific one at the Workers, however Wednesday Nights offers all main meals for $15 - Parmas included, which is a fantastic deal in my book. 

I really enjoyed this parma. The more I reflect on it the more I realise how hard it is to fault. It was a fantastic feed that I urge you all to check out, and I'll definitely be stopping in for a parma after GABS in a few months. 

Parma - 8.88

Chips - 8.25

Salad - 6.60

Value - 7.50

Total - 8.02

The search continues...

#333 - 'Mr. Kronk's'

Where - 12-14 Napier St. Essendon

Price - $23

Website - https://www.mrkronks.com.au

Reviewers – Cale, Lee, Stefo

It has become a bit of a tradition over the many years that we have been reviewing parmas, to start each new review by regaling you, dear reader, with the story of how a particular restaurant came to fall on our radar. Unfortunately not all reviews have such a fascinating story. As is the case with Essendon's Mr. Kronk's, for the tale of how we came across this parma is, in it's entirety - 

A mate told me about it and we decided it looked pretty good. 

Captivating, no? We're in talks with Paramount and MGM for the film rights. 

But seriously, Mr. Kronk's was new, it was relatively local to all reviewers and from pictures I'd seen floating around online, looked like a pretty decent place. 

There is a bit of a dichotomy to Mr. Kronk's. The front building is your standard Essendon cafe, where you'd pop in for you morning coffee and smashed avo - But weave through the dining room, past the kitchen and out the back and, like Princess Jasmine on the magic carpet, you'll discover a whole new world.

Tucked away behind this unassuming Essendon cafe is a fantastic beer garden (which Mr. Kronk's claim to be Essendon's biggest - a statement I scoffed at initially as it didn't seem that big, but then couldn't for the life of me think of any bigger ones in the vicinity). Pallet furniture up the wazoo and a purpose built bar of its own up the back, one could get mighty cosy up the back of Mr. Kronk's on a sunny afternoon. 

We grabbed a table, checked the menu, spied our target...

... and placed our orders at the bar.

Tap list at Mr Kronk's isn't the strongest, but for what is essentially a container bar I wasn't too perturbed. Carlton Draught and Lazy Yak on tap with a few more options in fridges (Corona, Stella, Peroni, Beez Neez, Asahi, Furphy, Bicycle Beer, Mythos & Coopers light) along with a decent wine list and some cocktails on the specials board - Plenty of options to wet your whistle. However I'd by lying if I said I wouldn't have jumped on something a little craftier, had it been available. 

About half an hour after ordering our parmas arrived...

I had kept my expectations relatively low for Mr. Kronk's. Although it looked like a good spot we have been disappointed time after time with "cafe parmas" - Luckily, though, this was not one of those times. 

The schnitzel was top notch. Big, thick, pure chicken breast with the perfect thickness of crumb. The chicken was a little dry for my tastes, but that's a minor quibble. all up the schnitzel was a fantastic foundation to the dish. 

The toppings were mostly great also - Generous servings of prosciutto were the highlight (for those who aren't big fans of the saltiness that a lot of prosciutto normally brings to a parma, don't worry - this was a very mild prosciutto, still flavoursome, but not as big of a whack of salt as you would expect). Great coverage of cheese. It looked messy, but tasted great. 

I would have loved to round out my review with a glowing report to the trifecta of toppings, however my parma was very light on the napoli, possibly adding to my aforementioned critique of the dryness of the schnitzel. The other reviewers around the table didn't seem to have this issue though, so hopefully I just got a bit of a bung one. Again, a minor complaint - It was a tasty parma none the less. 

Who doesn't love crinkle cut chips? Instant points for crinkle cut over here. Not a huge serving but big enough and well seasoned, on their way to top marks had they not been served a little less hot that I'd normally like them, as if they'd been sitting for a few minutes before serving. Very enjoyable none the less. 

The salad was a bit of an afterthought. Lettuce and some tomato wedges. I would have loved some cucumber & red onion throughout. It was fine, just not writing home about it. 

“A very nice parma. Looked like a lot of effort went into making it - Was a decent size too. Crinkle cut chips for the win.”

— Cale

“Very enjoyable! Nice thick schnitzel and very tasty toppings. Would definitely have again.”

— Stefo

Our rule of thumb for value is "would be happy to pay that price for that parma again". $23 is pretty standard for a decent parma these days, and I cannot fault the ingredients used at all - everything was top notch. So, yeah, I'd happily drop into Mr. Kronk's for another parma at that price, no questions asked. 

I walked out of Mr. Kronk's pleasantly surprised. The beer garden out the back is a great little spot and something sorely needed for the area. The food was great, the drinks were good, it was an all around great night out in a cool venue that I recommend checking out should you be in the area. 

Parma - 7.83

Chips - 7.33

Salad - 5.50

Value - 7.17

Total - 7.13

The search continues...

#332 - 'The Quarry: Redux'

Where - 101 Lygon St. Brunswick East

Price - $22

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

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

I like the Quarry. We discovered it back in 2012 and since then we have revisited a few times (off the books, of course). With it's relaxed atmosphere it has always been a great spot to kick back with a few quiet beers, and with The Alehouse Project right across the road and the Thunder Road Brewery around the corner it has become a bit of a fixture in quite a few Brunswick-centred pub crawls.

Towards the end of last year I stopped into the Alehouse for a pint and to watch a bit of footy - Glancing across the road I noticed that the Quarry was closed for renovations - But didn't think much more of it until this year, when news came down the grapevine that they had re-opened their doors I was curious to see what the all-new Quarry had in store. So last night we loaded up the parma bus and headed to Brunswick East to find out. 

On arrival it was clear that the Quarry was still the Quarry - Same chilled vibe, even the attached bottle shop managed to stick around. I won't lie - I was a little bit shattered when I realised that their Big Buck Hunter machine was gone, however I will admit it's for the best that the kitschy "man stuck down a mineshaft" display had also gone as well.

We grabbed a table, check the menu...

And ordered ourselves some parmas.

As is tradition with redo's, first we'll look at the old parma before getting to the new...

The Quarry Parma - 2012

The Quarry Parma - 2018

I actually liked the 2012 Quarry parma - but the 2018 version is on a whole new level. 

First of all, its freaking huge. This behemoth of a bird engulfs the entire plate, and not just in circumference - Even though its big they managed to keep it thick as well. 

This was one hot schnitzel. When it first hit the table the extremely juicy schnitzel was scalding hot - and it managed to keep a piping hot temperature throughout the entire time we were eating it. 

My one criticism would be to the crumbs - They were soggy as all hell. A minor complaint considering how great the quality of everything else was, but the soggy crumb just slightly missed the mark for me. 

The toppings were fantastic all around. The napoli was rich, juicy, chunky and even had a little bit of spice to it.

The cheese was plentiful and grilled to a perfect golden brown, and the ham packed a strong smokey punch that really complimented the parma without overpowering it. 

I'll combine my critique of the chips and salad as they are both pretty much the same. While not bad, neither were on par with the fantastic parma that lay atop them. 

In both cases there was a generous serving, but the final product didn't wow me. Standard pub chips made me yearn for the wedges we got back in 2012, and while the garden salad had plenty of ingredients in it, the end result was a little wilted and flavourless. 

But as I said, neither were bad. Just not fantastic. 

“So full! Loved how thick and juicy the schnitzel was. The sides could have been a little better but overall a great feed! ”

— Nikki

As far as value for money to go this parma is insanely good. For $22 this is a parma that could easily serve two. I struggled to get through it and Reviewer Nikki gave up halfway through. We visited on Thursday but apparently the same parma is available for $16.50 on a Wednesday ($20 with a pot), which is absolutely outstanding value. 

If you're in the area and love a big feed then get down to the Quarry ASAP. The new and improved parma manages to ride the line between being huge and also full of flavour. The size and thickness of the schnitzel is almost unbelievable. With a little tweak to the sides this could be a top 10 bird. Definitely worth checking out. 

Parma - 8.88

Chips - 6.00

Salad - 6.00

Value - 8.45

Total - 7.64

The search continues...

#331 - 'GG EZ'

Where - 93-95 Queen St. Melbourne

Price - $16

Website - http://www.ggezbar.com

Reviewers – Lee, Matt, Nikki, Stefo

UPDATE 27/2/18 - I HAVE YET TO CONFIRM IT PERSONALLY BUT BOTH RUMOUR AND A LITTLE BIT OF INSTAGRAM SEARCHING HAS TOLD ME THAT GG EZ HAVE DONE AWAY WITH THE CONTROVERSIAL TARO CHIPS MENTIONED IN THE BELOW REVIEW. WILL CONFIRM AS SOON AS I CAN, BUT IN THE MEANTIME... EXCELLENT MOVE BY GG EZ!

It's no secret that I'm partial to a video game now and then. Other than parmas and beers, games are pretty much the only other thing that appears on the ParmaDaze Instagram, and I even briefly toyed with the idea of a ParmaDaze Twitch channel called ParmaPlaze (although I wouldn't rule it out entirely ... you should bookmark that link).

When I heard about GG EZ, Melbourne's first dedicated eSports bar, I thought it sounded like a pretty cool idea. When I heard that GG EZ, Melbourne's first dedicated eSports bar had put a parma on the menu I immediately put it on the docket as a must-try. So last night we loaded up the parma bus, headed to the city and descended the stairs into GG EZ.

The street level entrance to may look a little seedy, but once downstairs I was thoroughly impressed with the fitout of the pub.

Plenty of tables and a heap of TV's playing a wide gamut of professional eSports games (on arrival there was League of Legends, Hearthstone, Counter-Strike and a few screens playing the newly released Dragonball Fighter Z - which I was keen to check out, so that was a bonus. 

Pro level Counter-Strike tournaments being televised behind the bar isn't something you see every day!

We grabbed a seat and checked the menu - 

It definitely sounded interesting! I wasn't too sure what to expect with a "Korean style" parma, but I was keen to see what they would come up with. We placed our orders at the bar, kicked back with a beverage and took in some of the eSports on the screen.

I'll say it now - I was super comfortable at GG EZ, and if it wasn't a Thursday night and I didn't have to go to work the next day I could definitely lose quite a few hours to some pints and pro gaming.

3 beers on tap with an American flavour - Coors, Samuel Adams and Gage Road's Little Dove (Surprising to see Sam Adams on tap, I don't think I've seen that outside of the USA). I would consider it a pretty sparse selection if it not for a much more robust list available in stubbies (4 Pines, Furphy, Gage Roads, Kona, Omission, Stone & Wood, Two Birds and Yenda)

About 15 minutes after ordering our buzzers buzzed, and we collected our parmas. 

Unless you play PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds you might be a little confused as to why the PUBG parma is served in a heavy cast iron skillet, lets just call it an "in joke" and leave it at that. 

First up, the schnitzel was an absolute triumph. Thick and juicy with an unbelievably crunchy coating of crumbs that stole the show.  Served hot, it was a fantastic foundation on which to build the rest of a parma. 

The toppings faltered a little, but were still enjoyable. There was plenty of napoli, however it was a little on the sweet side for our liking. The cheese was fine, however I would have preferred a little sharpness to the cheese blend, other than straight up mozzarella. 

As I say about almost every parma served without a slice of ham - Some ham would have really helped this parma shine. 

Now. The chips. As you may have noticed from the photos above, GG EZ made a ... let's say controversial choice with their selection of "chips" to side this parma. Rather than standard fries or steak chips or anything made with a potato, GG EZ have opted for honey-butter coated taro chips. 

Look, I give them points for originality and trying something new, but when the side to your parma tastes more like a honey joy than a chip I'd rather save them for desert than keep them as a side to my parma. 

The salad was a bit of a mixed bag. Nothing but lettuce and it was a little wilted, however I found the house made dressing was quite flavoursome, and with a bit of tweaking (more than just lettuce) could be fantastic.

“Not a fan of the taro crisps as a side to the parma, but the sweet honey taste was nice - They’d be nice on their own as a snack while watching a game.
Loved the parma schnitzel, cooked to perfection and haven’t had such a crunchy crumb for a long time”

— Matt

“Value-wise you can’t go wrong ... as long as you don’t want fries.The chips as per advertised on the menu look like corn chips but taste like honey joys. Tasty, but not with my parma (which was actually pretty good btw)!”

— Stefo

“Loved the crumbs and quality of the schnitzel, but found the toppings to be a little bland. A blend of cheese and a bit of ham would really help. Points for creativity but wasn’t a big fan of the sides - Give me real chips any day.”

— Nikki

I feel like I've been a little harsh on this parma, and a lot of my criticisms can be negated with the knowledge that it was only $16. A price that low for a schnitzel of the quality we received is virtually unheard of these days. I plan on being at GG EZ again in the future, and would have very few qualms ordering this parma again.

I really enjoyed my trip to GG EZ, For someone who has been playing video games since my Dad borrowed his workmate's Atari 2600 in the mid 80's walking into GG EZ felt like coming home. 

The PUBG parma has a great foundation, and with a few tweaks could be pretty phenomenal - My one suggestion would be to add the option of swapping out the Taro chips for real chips. They have that option for the burgers and I would gladly sling them a few extra bucks for some real fries. 

Other than that it was a great venue and definitely one every video game fan should check out.

GG. 

Before getting to the scores below I will preface them by saying that this is one parma that is worth trying, regardless of score. The taro chips were not well received, which dragged down the total score quite a bit, so just be aware of that before reading on!

Parma - 7.25

Chips - 2.50

Salad - 5.25

Value - 7.75

Total - 6.00

The search continues...

#330 - 'Fat Chef'

Where - 16/235 Milleara Rd, Keilor East

Price - $23.90

Website - None that I could find, other than a Facebook Page

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

This week's review is 100% a case of me caving to peer pressure. We had planned to visit a different spot in Melbourne but after getting tagged, tagged and tagged some more in the below Facebook video, there was no way we could hit anywhere other than East Keilor's Fat Chef this week.

I mean, I'm not complaining too much - those parmas look absolutely phenomenal. However the fine print of the video revealed that those mammoth parmas - The Fat Chef 1KG parma challenge and the 500g Sou Chef parma - Are only available on Monday night. We've got a fairly big parma eating challenge on the horizon (Early Feb, keep an eye out for it!), so I was more than happy to visit on our usual Thursday night and check out Fat Chef's more sensible parma option. 

Fat Chef is in a weird spot. Attached to the Milleara Shopping Centre in East Keilor with both an external door and a door with a view through to Woolies inside, it's the kind of store you'd expect to find serving smashed avo and hedgehog slices - Not pints of Furphy, tomahawk steaks and 1kg chicken parmas. 

We grabbed a table and checked the menu -

The chat potatoes spied in the above video seem to be a Monday only thing also, the term "potato stix" thew me a little as they were something I'd never heard of in over 330 reviews. Curiosity was certainly piqued. 

An amazing looking set of beer fonts held quite a few options, however there was nothing too crafty on offer at the time. Pints of Furphy were on happy hour prices when we visited so that seemed like the best option, and it went down a treat. 

About 15 minutes after ordering our parmas arrived... 

It seems a little unfair to talk about the schnitzel first as that was probably the element of the dish I enjoyed the least. Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad it was pure chicken breast - Perfectly juicy and well cooked, However the crumbs carried no crunch and the chicken was quite dense in a way that is hard to describe - Reviewer Nikki probably articulated it best with her opinion of "It tastes really chickeny" (we are in the process of petitioning the Oxford English Dictionary to add "Chickeny" by 2019).

It had a decent thickness for the most part with a bit of thinning out toward the edges, probably a little smaller than I'd like but to be honest I'm struggling to find a criticism too damning of the Fat Chef schnitzel.  

The toppings had the look, taste and consistency of one thing - a Magherita pizza. Picture in your mind the last time you had a margherita pizza, peel the toppings off the dough and slap them on a schnitzel and you've got the Fat Chef parma. Great coverage of cheese and napoli were apparent, however a slice of ham was sorely missed.

Despite being presented beautifully this parma wasn't knocking us out of the park in the flavour department, and a good slice of ham would have really let this parma shine (especially since in all the video footage and facebook photos it seems like the Monday parma includes ham). I mean, the supermarket is right there, I can go and grab a slice if you'd like!

It turns out "Potato Stix" are another word for "chips". I'd normally complain about the use of such unnecessary word use on a menu, but when the Fat Chef "Potato Stix" are some of the best chips we've had in recent memory they can call them whatever the hell they want. 

These chips were an absolute triumph. Served in a mini fry basket totally seperate from the parma, well seasoned with salt and herbs and served with a tomato sauce pot on the side without even requesting it. This is as close to chip perfection as we have seen in a while. Bravo.

It has been a long, long time since we have seen this much effort put into a salad. Rocket, apple slices, cranberries, shaved parmesan and a super creamy dressing. It was unbelievably unique with flavours possibly not for everyone - but I absolutely loved it. Another win. 

“Very cheesy parma, but a little bland. Chips were near perfection and, while it wasn’t quite for me, I appreciated the effort put into the super unique salad!”

— Nikki

My brain is telling me that $23.90 is a little pricey for the meal we received at the Fat Chef, but when you factor in the ridiculously good sides accompanying this parma its easy to cut them a little slack. I'd definitely be back to try another Fat Chef parma, and if you want to shave a few bucks off you can get the 250gm version that we just reviewed for $20 with a pint thrown in on a Monday night - Fantastic deal. 

The Fat Chef is a rare case of phenomenal sides sitting beside a parma that, while good, fell just shy of the mark. With a bit of ham or something to give it a little extra punch it'd be in contention to walk among the best of the best - But even in it's current state it's worth trying, and if you've got a decent appetite head down on a Monday to have a crack at the 500g or 1kg options ... I know I'll be considering it. 

Parma - 6.50

Chips - 9.00

Salad - 7.75

Value - 7.00

Total - 7.35

The search continues...

#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...