You can’t say you have had the complete Aussie experience if you miss out on a chicken parma at a pub.

 

I have always turned my nose up to chicken parmigiana or chicken parma.

Perhaps I think it’s just pub grub…nothing too exquisite, exciting or exotic that the pretentious foodie in me would like. It’s probably as humble and common as the chicken wings that our Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong queued up for at Redhill.

Or maybe I just think chicken parma is artety clogging and fattening. Breaded fried chicken breast + cheese + ham = recipe for putting on weight.

Eventually, I succumbed to chicken parma. Many cafes, restaurants, pubs, food courts, eateries have this on the menu (unless they’re fanciful or pretentious). Australia is just crazy over chicken parma.

The most important thing about chicken parma is size. It needs to be big to be that satisfying. The chicken breast is then breaded and crumbed and fried. The crumbs should be light, crispy with a nice orange/gold hue. The tomato sauce or Napoli sauce should be tangy and piquant enough to balance out the melted cheese with a gold hue and the fried chicken. Some places would add in a piece of ham, although this is arguable whether it is necessary.   

For the Singaporean – think chicken parma as your chicken cutlet slathered with cheese, Napoli sauce.

After last week’s chicken parma at Universal (which I will blog about in another post), I was left craving for chicken parma. Well, let’s just say, I didn’t want to wreck my brains on what to eat, and since T suggested going to a pub, why not? It was between one in North Melbourne and The Imperial at Bourke Street (the end). After checking out the menus, I thought The Imperial was more appealing and so The Imperial it was.

According to the website, The Bourke Street Imperial is the third oldest pub in Melbourne. It screens sporting games so it gets pretty crowded during such telecasts. It was when I arrived at around 7 on Saturday but we managed to get seats.

I had the pub’s specialty –The Imperial Parma (Hand crumbed chicken breast fillet topped with champagne ham, basil infused tomato ragout, and two cheeses served with beer battered fries and cherry tomato, rocket & parmesan salad). I washed the heaviness of the meal with a cider.

While the chicken parma didn’t look as massive as the one at Universal from last Saturday, it certainly made up in terms of taste and quality.

I’m not saying Universal’s was bad. The chicken was crispy and succulent. It was neither too soggy on the parts where the cheese was slathered on, nor did it feel too bready or dry. Thankfully the ham wasn’t too salty and the cheese wasn’t overpowering. The sauce added a nice kick and tang to the chicken so it didn’t require additional condiments or sauce. Oh, and I enjoyed the beer battered fries. Best chips ever.

 And a trip to the pub without a drink? No way. The cider was a nice refreshment with just the right alcoholic content to pair with the grub and for chilling on a Saturday evening. 

At $25, it is however a little pricey, but overall, the meal was satisfactory and I enjoyed the chicken parma very much. Not bad for a pub grub, and to bring myself a few notches down to enjoy simple everyday common nosh.