Where - 101 Lygon St. Brunswick East
Price - $22
Website - http://www.thequarryhotel.com.au
Reviewers – Lee & Nikki
I like the Quarry. We discovered it back in 2012 and since then we have revisited a few times (off the books, of course). With it's relaxed atmosphere it has always been a great spot to kick back with a few quiet beers, and with The Alehouse Project right across the road and the Thunder Road Brewery around the corner it has become a bit of a fixture in quite a few Brunswick-centred pub crawls.
Towards the end of last year I stopped into the Alehouse for a pint and to watch a bit of footy - Glancing across the road I noticed that the Quarry was closed for renovations - But didn't think much more of it until this year, when news came down the grapevine that they had re-opened their doors I was curious to see what the all-new Quarry had in store. So last night we loaded up the parma bus and headed to Brunswick East to find out.
On arrival it was clear that the Quarry was still the Quarry - Same chilled vibe, even the attached bottle shop managed to stick around. I won't lie - I was a little bit shattered when I realised that their Big Buck Hunter machine was gone, however I will admit it's for the best that the kitschy "man stuck down a mineshaft" display had also gone as well.
We grabbed a table, check the menu...
And ordered ourselves some parmas.
As is tradition with redo's, first we'll look at the old parma before getting to the new...
The Quarry Parma - 2012
The Quarry Parma - 2018
I actually liked the 2012 Quarry parma - but the 2018 version is on a whole new level.
First of all, its freaking huge. This behemoth of a bird engulfs the entire plate, and not just in circumference - Even though its big they managed to keep it thick as well.
This was one hot schnitzel. When it first hit the table the extremely juicy schnitzel was scalding hot - and it managed to keep a piping hot temperature throughout the entire time we were eating it.
My one criticism would be to the crumbs - They were soggy as all hell. A minor complaint considering how great the quality of everything else was, but the soggy crumb just slightly missed the mark for me.
The toppings were fantastic all around. The napoli was rich, juicy, chunky and even had a little bit of spice to it.
The cheese was plentiful and grilled to a perfect golden brown, and the ham packed a strong smokey punch that really complimented the parma without overpowering it.
I'll combine my critique of the chips and salad as they are both pretty much the same. While not bad, neither were on par with the fantastic parma that lay atop them.
In both cases there was a generous serving, but the final product didn't wow me. Standard pub chips made me yearn for the wedges we got back in 2012, and while the garden salad had plenty of ingredients in it, the end result was a little wilted and flavourless.
But as I said, neither were bad. Just not fantastic.
“So full! Loved how thick and juicy the schnitzel was. The sides could have been a little better but overall a great feed! ”
As far as value for money to go this parma is insanely good. For $22 this is a parma that could easily serve two. I struggled to get through it and Reviewer Nikki gave up halfway through. We visited on Thursday but apparently the same parma is available for $16.50 on a Wednesday ($20 with a pot), which is absolutely outstanding value.
If you're in the area and love a big feed then get down to the Quarry ASAP. The new and improved parma manages to ride the line between being huge and also full of flavour. The size and thickness of the schnitzel is almost unbelievable. With a little tweak to the sides this could be a top 10 bird. Definitely worth checking out.