The Verdict: This week’s parma is the final chicken parmigiana in my test sample of fifty this year.  The Ferny Grove Tavern chicken parmigiana had the look and the taste at the beginning of a pretty good parma however it was let down by some quite undercooked sections of the chicken piece. 

Parma Pic:

Chicken Piece: When I started eating the chicken portion of this meal I was really quite impressed: the chicken tasted great and the crumb was crisp.  Unfortunately as I made my way through the chicken piece I found about a third of it to be undercooked in that it was cold and the crumb was soft.  This was the principal disappointment of this meal.

Tomato Sauce: I really enjoyed the tomato sauce on the FGT parma.  It tasted great.  Disappointingly whilst the sauce tasted great it did not cover the whole of the chicken piece.

Ham: The ham was another great element of this dish.  That said it suffered from both of the problems that the chicken piece and the tomato sauce had in that, on the one hand, it did not cover the chicken piece and, on the other hand, it was undercooked in sections.

Cheese: The cheese was the hero of this dish.  It was well melted and tasted great.  Unfortunately it is also did not cover the whole of the chicken piece.

Side Dishes: Both side dishes were pretty good on the FGT chicken parmigiana.  The chips were well cooked, crispy and had been well salted.  The salad was plentiful and had been dressed well.

Presentation: It wouldn’t be the last chicken parma of this quest for there not to be a problem with the placement of the elements on the plate.  The chicken portion of the meal was on top of a large portion of the chips.

The Venue: The Ferny Grove Tavern is on Samford Road in Ferny Grove right next to the Ferny Grove train station.  It is a large tavern with plentiful parking options.  It has a large bistro are with kids play room and an extensive menu. My parma cost $22.

The Final Word: The Ferny Grove Tavern chicken parmigiana had the potential to be really really good and on another day when the chicken piece had been properly cooked it might have challenged the top 5 in the race for the “Robert” Parma.  Unfortunately an undercooked piece of chicken meant this meal was major disappointment!