Where - 157 Swan St. Richmond
Price - $15 (Thursday parma night)
Website - www.richmondsocial.com.au
Reviewers – Lee, Nikki & Tony Q
It's not often we are on the ball enough to get to a pub when it is this brand spanking new. Opening its doors in the final days of September, walking into the Richmond Social still smells new. Like a new car, but with more booze.
The old Vaucluse Hotel is unrecognisable, and definitely for the better. Richmond Social is an open, inviting and all round cool pub in which to drink away the day. With a spacious outdoor area (I hesitate to call it a "beer garden" as I don't remember seeing any trees), super inviting front bar with three massive TV's adorning the wall, and a ridiculously huge bistro up the side - Basically whatever mood you're in you'll find a comfy spot to pull up a chair.
We snagged a table in the front bar. Standard menu parma runs $23 for dinner, however Tuesdays at the Social is a different beast entirely -
$15 parma night? Yes please! It was a quiet review this week, only three participants, I indulged in a Mexican parma last week at Barton Fink so opted for the traditional, as did reviewer Nikki. Reviewer Tony, however was a little more brave and went for the Mexican.
The tap list at Richmond Social is plentiful, as you can see above (the Organic Steam Ale from Mountain Goat really hit the spot last night). Something for all tastes with even more options in the fridge.
After a 15 - 20 minute wait our food arrived from the kitchen. Apologies that I didn't get a photo of Tony's Mexican, but you get the idea.
The schnitzel was of a decent size, thick enough, and real chicken. Surprisingly good quality for a $15 cheapo parma. The crumbs weren't too thick and the schnitzel on its own carried a decent flavour.
Unfortunately our experience was a little marred by overcooked chicken. What could have been a spot on schnitzel was quite dry, and caused the crumbs to flake away quite a bit.
If the overcooked schnitzel was a point to the negative, the toppings on the Richmond Social parma absolutely saved the day. a heaping of flavoursome, perfectly grilled cheese blend complimented this parma perfectly. The ham was tasty and almost pancetta-like in texture.
I could have used a lot more napoli, It was hard to detect and didn't help at all with the dryness of the chicken.
The chips were pretty good. A decent serving, mostly out from underneath the parma and dusted with seasoning. Could have used some dipping sauce but overall a fine side to the dish.
The garden salad was unexpectedly enjoyable. On the surface it looked like a plain old garden salad, however all the ingredients were fresh and it was very well dressed from top to bottom.
“An overall great meal for the price. Chicken was a little dry but the Mexican toppings compensated for that well”
“I loved the toppings on the parma however I wasn’t a big fan of the chicken. It was a little dry and the crumbs kept falling away. Nice fresh, well dressed salad and tasty chips. ”
For $15 I'd have this parma again any day. It had its faults, sure, but for the price I'm willing to overlook a few quibbles. This parma for full price, however, I may not be as forgiving.
If I were to visit Richmond Social again I'd definitely try one of the novelty toppings instead of the Traditional - Reviewer Tony seemed to enjoy his a lot more, as the extra toppings on the Mexican parma helped to compensate for the dry chicken.
I really liked Richmond Social. It's got a great, fun vibe with plenty of room to stretch your legs. The $15 parma Thursday is a bargain, and despite a few missteps we all walked away pretty satisfied with our meal. Worth a crack.