How and where to get the perfect parma in Melbourne

It seems like chicken parmigiana has become as Aussie these days as the meat pie, sausage and bread, or a lamington.

In every pub in the country, whether an inner-city hipster hang-out, a down-at-heel watering hole, or the local RSL, a parma is guaranteed to be on the menu.

But what exactly comprises a perfect chicken parma?

In Victoria, there are a few important rules. In a nutshell:

• The chicken parma must be fresh. There is nothing worse than a microwaved parma.
• Chicken breast: thicker is better, never too thin.
• Bread crumbs, freshly made.
• Topping not too overwhelming; ham or prosciutto acceptable, mozzarella cheese, Napoli sauce or tomato paste.
• No novelty toppings; you can try too hard and traditional is best.
• It’s not an appropriate chicken parma without some sort of side salad, and not just a heap of grass that looks like it has been picked from the front lawn.
• Not too big – nothing that looks like it came from a nuclear power plant.
• Chips should always be on the side, never underneath.

This last point is debatable. Melbourne chef George Calombaris disagreed with me while chatting about this at his Brighton restaurant Hellenic Republic.

“That is controversial,” he told me. ‘‘I like the chips underneath, because you get a bit of the juice of the parma.”

No, chef, never.

There is nothing worse than soggy chips, and no wedges for me; only freshly made hand-cut chips. French fries are also acceptable.

Calombaris did have his perfect chicken parma, and it did sound delicious: “Chicken leg; deboned, cooked initially in duck fat until it is soft. Crumb it in Japanese crumbs, shallow fry it in a good amount of olive oil until it is really crisp.

“It’s got to have prosciutto or the cheapest ham and cheese you can possibly find.”

Yes, chef, that will do.

So where is my perfect parma? It took me a long time find it.

I have fond memories of going to the local pub with my parents in Healesville, where I grew up, and in my 20s, the Oxford Scholar opposite RMIT on Swanston Street, or The Richmond Club Hotel in Swan Street, Richmond.

But it wasn’t until I moved to Port Melbourne about five years ago that I found the “petite parma” at The Exchange, on the corner of Bay and Rouse streets. It used to be called the “ladies’ parma” when I first moved to the suburb.

At $22, it is not the cheapest parma, but it’s delicious, and sometimes it’s worth paying extra.

The chicken is freshly cooked and crumbed and is of a perfect thickness. The chips are generally always on the side, and ham is used instead of prosciutto.

• Go hunting for pub grub with journalist Luke Dennehy on Instagram: loveaparma

In Maryborough for lunch. Very old fashioned platting up for this Parma with one difference – bacon instead of ham! Initially I wasn’t so sure about that, but it worked. Eighties inspired chips can’t go wrong. #instapic #instafood #foodblogger #parma #chickenparmigiana #maryborough #queensland #yummy #foodadventures

A post shared by loveaparma (@loveaparma) on May 8, 2018 at 8:12pm PDT

Luke’s 10 best parmas

1. The Exchange Hotel, Corner of Bay and Rouse St, Port Melbourne
2. The Birmingham Hotel, Smith St, Fitzroy
3. St Moritz, Acland St, St Kilda
4. The Beach Hotel, Stuart Avenue, Jan Juc
5. The Grosvenor Hotel, Brighton Rd, St Kilda East
6. Mrs Parmas, Little Bourke St, City
7. Caulfield RSL, St Georges Rd, Elsternwick
8. Bobo’s Diner, Heritage Avenue, Chirnside Park
9. The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy St, Fitzroy
10. The Windsor Castle, Albert Street, Windsor