Ahhh, the humble parmigiana (and before we get any further, let’s be clear: it’s parma not parmi). Comprising chicken breast with a layer of tomato paste and cheese – and maybe even a slice of ham, if you’re feeling fancy – it’s the fail-safe pub meal that you know will never disappoint.
But where exactly can you find the best parma in all of Victoria? Well, at the recent 2024 AHA State Awards for Excellence, the winner of the highly coveted Parma of the Year award was revealed – and the result may surprise you.
The Middle Hotel in Korumburra, South Gippsland has taken the crown, beating out 15 other finalists with a perfect score. The key judging criteria included the quality of the produce, tenderness and appearance, topping-to-meat ratio, presentation (Was it constructed well? Was the cheese grilled?) and the quality of the side dishes, aka crispy chips and a fresh salad. You know, all the things we hungry punters look for when smashing a parma at our local.
According to the Middle Hotel’s head chef, Mark Smith, the secret to the perfect parma is in the top-notch ingredients.
“It’s got to be the quality of the chicken, the quality of the crumb, the Napoli sauce has got to be a nice, flavoursome Napoli, good quality ham, and the cheese we use is a cheese blend,” said Smith.
If you ask us, we’d be making a booking – stat. With news of Victoria’s best parma starting to spread, there’s no doubt going to be plenty of people keen to sample the winning chook. Order it with a pint of beer and you’ve got yourself a dish made in pub heaven.
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