The Verdict: Keeping with the theme this month of visiting pubs recommended to me by readers, I am pleased to say that the recommendation of the Wickham Hotel proved to be a very good one. The chicken portion of this meal was massive and is the new front runner for the “Clive” Parma award. Truth be told this Parma might also have challenged for the “Robert” Parma if only it had have gotten a couple of small things right! 

Parma Pic:

Chicken: The chicken on the Wickham Hotel chicken parmigiana was the biggest I have eaten so far this year. It was so big that I was a little worried that it would be impossible to cook it well but I was wrong: this piece of chicken was excellently cooked and tasted great.

Tomato Sauce: With such a big surface area to cover there was always a risk that the sauce with this dish might be a little bit under in volume and so it proved.  Whilst the sauce covered the chicken well it was spread a little thinly. All that said on the taste side of things, this tomato sauce ticked every box.

Ham: It is always easy to pick out a high point in a meal and the ham in last night’s Parma was it.  Two large piece of ham covered this very large piece of chicken and, taste wise, balanced out well the strong chicken flavours.  

Cheese: My only complaint with the cheese on the Wickham’s Parma was that in areas of the chicken it did not quite cover it.  The size of chicken piece was problematic in this regard. Again though, the cheese was well melted and complemented the other parts of the dish perfectly. 

Side Dishes: Not for the first time in the last 19 weeks, this was a chicken parmigiana let down by one of its side dishes: the salad.  It was drowned in dressing to the point where, by the end of the meal, some of the salad elements had fused with the dressing into a gelatinous blob that I could not eat.  The chips, on the other hand, vied with the ham for the highlight of this meal: crisp, well salted and very tasty! 

Presentation: Anyone looking at the picture will be able to tell you that the plate was just too small for the meal presented.  If one needs another hint as to why this is here it is: the first time I tried to cut into the chicken chips started falling of the plate.  Much like a barman trying to serve a schooner in a thimble this plating was never going to work. 

The Venue: This was the first time I had been to the Wickham but I will definitely be back.  The Parma Consigliere and I both commented at how good the space out in the carpark / garden bar was and coupled with good food, great service and reasonable prices it ticks all of our boxes for a mid week pub meal.  My Parma cost $18 (don’t be disheartened if you miss it on the menu: it is on the specials menu which appears to be a permanent menu). Two further comments about this venue:

1. Wednesday night is movie night in the Garden bar.  Ghostbusters was on last night and people were flocking in.  What a great idea! 
2. The Parma Consigliere purchased our second round and returned to the table very impressed by the generousity of the staff in not charging her for my soft drink because I was the driver in our couple.  That is just brilliant service.  

The Final Word: Whilst this Parma will not be the “Robert” Parma winner it was a very large Parma that was also pretty good in an iconic Brisbane pub venue.  That ticks a lot of boxes for me and I will definitely be back for another Parma at this venue.  I can’t give higher praise than that really!