Alright, let me tell you about this thing we started calling the ‘parma club’. It wasn’t anything fancy, really. Just sorta happened.
It all kicked off a few months back. Me and a couple of mates were down the local pub, having a bite. I ordered the chicken parma, like I often do. And it was… well, it was rubbish. Dry chicken, sauce tasted like it came straight from a cheap jar, barely any cheese. Proper disappointment, that was. We got talking, didn’t we? Ranting about how hard it is to find a decent parma these days. Everyone thinks they can make one, but loads of places just mess it up.
So, Dave pipes up, “We should make it a mission. Find the best parma around.” Sounded like a laugh. We figured, why not? Gives us an excuse to get out, try different pubs and restaurants.
Getting the ‘Club’ Going
We didn’t make complicated rules or anything. Just decided that whenever a few of us were getting together for food, we’d try and find a place known for its parmas, or at least one we hadn’t tried before. Simple as that. We started keeping a little note on our phones, just jotting down the place, the price, and a quick score out of ten. Nothing too serious, just for our own reference.
First place we properly ‘reviewed’ was The Old Anchor. Heard good things. Went down there one Friday. The parma arrived, looked massive. Big plus straight away. Chicken was cooked well, juicy. Sauce was decent, plenty of cheese, nicely grilled. We all agreed, pretty solid start. Gave it a strong seven, maybe eight out of ten.
The Parma Trail
Since then, we’ve hit up maybe ten or twelve different spots. It’s been interesting, seeing the differences.
- Some places use that processed ham slice, others use proper leg ham. Makes a difference.
- Cheese varies wildly. Proper mozzarella and parmesan, or just some cheap cheddar blend?
- Then there’s the sauce – rich and chunky, or thin and watery?
- And the chips and salad on the side! Can’t forget those. Soggy chips are a crime.
We went to this one place, fancy-looking bistro. Charged nearly double what the pub does. And the parma? Tiny! Tasted okay, but for that price? Nah. Felt ripped off. Gave that a low score, mostly for the cheek of it.
Then there was a little backstreet pub, looked a bit rough. Went in, not expecting much. Ordered the parma. Bloody hell, it was amazing. Perfect chicken, gorgeous rich sauce, loads of beautifully melted cheese, crispy chips. Totally unexpected. That one’s currently top of our little list.
It’s not just about the food, though. It’s become a bit of a ritual. Gives us something to talk about, debate over. “Nah, The Old Anchor’s sauce was better,” or “Yeah, but the chicken was drier there than at Smithy’s.” Just daft stuff, but good fun.
Still Going
We haven’t found the ‘ultimate’ parma yet. Maybe it doesn’t exist. But we’re still looking. Got a few more places on our list to try. It’s just a simple thing, this ‘parma club’, just mates trying out food and having a chat. Keeps us busy, I suppose. And mostly, it gets us a decent feed. Most of the time, anyway.
