Where? - 740 Mount Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds.
Price? - Thursday parma night - $15.90 with pot
Website? - http://www.thejunctionclub.com
Reviewers – Carly, Fridge, Kim, Lee, Nikki, Pat, Shanan
We first visited the Junction back the year 2010 - it was our 32nd review, which you can refresh your memory on here. From memory it was a decent enough parma - Didn't blow us away by any stretch, but for a $12 parma & pot special six years ago it was okay.
Then, a few weeks ago, I was tagged in an Instagram photo and the following exchange ensued...
I've gotta admit, that parma looked good! I checked the website for the menu and found this description -
I'm an absolute sucker for a parma with prosciutto, so I was sold. We set the location, headed to the Junction, grabbed a table and were greeted by a surprising development when we sat down...
It was parma night again! How fitting that the two times we visit the Junction its on Parma & Pot night. I was a little thrown, as the "traditional" parma on the menu didn't come with the aforementioned prosciutto, but we decided to jump into parma night menu none the less. I opted for the traditional but the Mexican was also a popular choice, with a bolognese or two thrown in for good measure.
Beer selection at the Junction hasn't improved much since 2010 I'm afraid - If you're not a fan of VB, Carlton Draught or Pure Blonde I'm afraid you're out of luck. Bulmers pints were on special for $8.50 each so that was the drink of choice (aside from the pot of draught included with the parma)
About 20 minutes after ordering the meals started arriving from the kitchen. As is tradition with redo's, lets first take a look at the 2010 parma before jumping over to last night's...
The 2010 Junction parma night parma -
The 2016 Junction parma night parma -
I'm gonna start with a negative, but first up the schnitzel was rather small - Definitely smaller than the full priced parma featured in the Instagram pic, but the chicken was good quality. Pure chicken breast, thick enough, but not overly so, and coated with a solid layer of crumbs, without overcompensating. All up it was quite a decent foundation for a budget parma.
The toppings on the traditional were tasty, however those who indulged in the novelty varieties seemed to be happier with their choices. The napoli was fresh and flavoursome, there was a great coverage of cheese with a tasty blend, the ham was ... there, but didn't do a whole lot for the flavour profile, something smoked, with a bit more punch (like prosciutto, maybe?) would have really helped this dish along.
The chips were fantastic. Beer battered but thinner than your common steak chip (but still thicker than fries) these chips were on point. Crunchy on the outside with pillowy goodness inside and thoroughly seasoned. Definitely the star of the dish and almost worth the price of the parma alone.
The salad was okay. Nothing to write home about but not offensive by any means - A garden salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion and grated carrot in a splash of balsamic dressing. I could have used some more dressing and some more "flair" overall with the greens - But they did their job.
“The Mexican parma had plenty of topping and the chips were awesome - A quality feed”
“Great chips, decent parma, average salad”
“Good feed, comes with a pot as well... Happy days!”
“Chips were awesome, parma was tasty... Great value for money”
“Bolognese sauce was delicious”
For only $15.90 with a pot this was quite a tasty meal for the price - and even more so if you indulge in the novelty toppings. Thursday parma nights are quite rare these days (They usually only appear Monday - Wednesday), so if you're on the hunt for a decent feed that won't break the bank then this is definitely one to consider.
This review was pretty firmly just relating to the Thursday night parma night at the Junction, which I think is pretty fitting as the first time we visited was also for their novelty parma night. After being suitably impressed with their discount option my curiosity has piqued as to what the full priced version is like... Definitely one to try another time.
In the meantime though, we were all quite happy with the Junction's parma night special, a marked improvement on its 2010 counterpart and a great cheap feed on a Thursday night.
Pros
- Quality parma for a great price
- Free pot
- Novelty options
Cons
- Mediocre salad
- Traditional parma could use a little more punch