The Verdict: Much like last week when I could just tell the quality of the chicken parmigiana I was about to imbibe the second it hit the table, so it was again this week and this week I could immediately it was a good one! Frankly: the chips were great, the salad was great and the chicken was … You guessed it … great!  We have a new leader!

Parma Pic:



Chicken: The Calamvale Hotel’s chicken parmigiana possessed a well crumbed and well cooked chicken fillet .  The fillet was middle of the range size wise and was not too dry. 

Tomato Sauce: The tomato sauce on this Parma was the best and the most I have had so far of the 8 Parma’s trialled to date.  It was very tasty and there was a heap of it well distributed across the whole of the chicken fillet. 

Ham: As distinct from recent weeks where the ham has regularly been a disappointment, tonight’s ham covered the chicken fillet fulsomely and complimented it well.  If I had to be critical (and I am searching here) it was a little on the thin side. 

Cheese: The chef at the Calamvale Hotel got the cheese 100% right.  It was well melted, covered the chicken fillet well and was very flavoursome. 

Side dishes: My review here is simple … The chips and salad with this chicken parmigiana were the best I have had so far! The salad was abundant and fresh albeit included a bizarrely singular tomato wedge.  The chips were just exceptional: crispy, hot and seasoned.  

The Other Stuff: $26 for this Parma was about right given its quality and the abundance of the meal.  The Calamvale Hotel is in Brisbane’s Southern suburbs. It is a large Hotel that is attached to a shopping centre through which access is gained (this is important because the entrance is not well marked and if you are following a GPS you will be led down the wrong path). 

The final word: We have a new leader in the Calamvale Hotel chicken parmigiana and it is going to be tough to beat! Importantly did you notice the size of the plate? I have long been hoping for a chicken parmigiana to be served to me on a large square plate and I got it.  The best final statement I can make is to show you how I left my plate: 



Postscript: I normally try to make these reviews more pithy. That is easier to do when the Parma is bad. When it is as good as this one was it is hard to make jokes about it!