Special August Guest: Daniel ''Parmalicious'' Taylor

Earlier this year, a certain food connoisseur (and blogger) emailed me a Herald Sun story about The Commercial Hotel in Alexandra, Victoria. She thought I might be interested to read the pub's claim to fame of having 30 different styles of Parmagiana, and she knew me too well.

After reading the story and confirming that the pub is the highest ranked venue on http://www.parma.com.au/ I helped organised the two and a half hour road trip with friends (thanks for your help Janelle!) for August.

Once there, another mate Brad tried to convince us to go to Yen Lai Rice Inn Restaurant across the road, but we kindly said: Why not give The Commercial a go first?

They do have other things on their menu, but there was only one section I was interested in: and that was the 29 parmas (I'm not counting the vegetarian one).

Looking at the parma menu it suddenly hit me: normally if I go out for a meal at a new place it's a good bet to go for the parma cause really, you can't stuff it up too much. But here, I was confronted with a choice of parmas and didn't know what to do.

They all look so good, and since I was only going to order one (unfortunately) it was a tough choice. I considered ordering one of the crazy versions, just because they had them, but I had to fall back to my other meal selection technique - which is going with the house selection.

So I ordered 'The Commercial Parma' consisting of a free range chicken breast topped with housemade Napoli sauce, tiger prawns and a special cheese mix.

The breast was nice, thick and juicy - well crumbed and not at all soggy. The cheese mix was great and the prawns quite big. The beer battered chips were big and crunchy and the only quibble I had was that half the chips were under the parma (I prefer them on the side).

In saying that, the salad was a fresh mix of lettuce, onion and carrot with good dressing - so all in all a very tasty meal.

I definitely will be going back at some stage and trying something different. Maybe I'll make it on a Thursday, which is Parmagianaday when there's a $15 parma and pot special.

The atmosphere of the venue is great - a big, country pub with a fireplace warming the dining room, great service, friendly staff and a relaxing environment. An awesome place to eat parmas.

Oh, and extra points for calling it a parma - not a parmi/parmy.

Pictured below are the Commercial Parma, Nacho Parma and Aussie Parma ...

And have a look at the website: www.commhotel.com.au/parma.html

Noice Buns

You know I have a ''thing'' for hot cross buns - I have already confessed that I'm one of those people who start buying them as soon as they are stocked embarrassingly early in the supermarkets (usually January).

And you now know that I have another ''thing'' for cinnamon. Mmmm cinnamon.

So my discovery of the delicious fruit buns available at the Trevallyn Gourmet Bakery at a mere 90 cents a pop each was a joyous one. They are so close to hot cross buns (minus the cross) it's not funny. It's seriously delicious.

And you can buy them all year round.

And in six packs.

Hmmm, maybe this wasn't such a good discovery after all.

Cinnamon Girl

This is my favourite spice. Hands down.

I adore its warmth and earthy tones that work so well in sweet and savoury dishes. At the moment I'm drinking it in chai tea. I'm sprinkling it in my morning porridge. And this morning I had it not only in fruit toast - but also in the cinnamon butter served with it.

I've never had cinnamon butter before - but i'm pretty sure the name covers all the ingredients. It's simple, but lovely. And I think something I'll whip out at home to impress when it comes to fruit toast, scones or pancakes.

Food on paper

Ever wondered what all the food and drink you had consumed in the past week would look like drawn on paper?

Neither had I - until I saw a story in Frankie about an artist who has done just that. (Eight weeks worth, in fact.)

It looks like a lot of food in picture form. Even worse than if you have ever kept a food diary. There's was no point to me doing so, as I would forget to add snacks and deemed some things ''unworthy'' of inclusion. Like a handful of MMs. Surely that can't count?!

Anyway, check out what Dawn has done on her blog. It reminds me of that BBC reality TV show You Are What You Eat where nutritionist Gillian McKeith makes her subject keep a food diary then lays out everything they eat in the past week. Usually it's a table full of burgers and takeout - it always makes you feel sick.

www.hand-made-love.blogspot.com/2010/06/frankie-feature.html

A cake of EPIC proportions.

This year it wasn't just any old birthday for me - it was the horrifyingly significant 3-0. On the upside, the end of an era (in this case my 20s) meant the beginning of a new cakey love.

At my sister's suggestion I ordered a passionate brownie chocolate cake from Le Petite Gateau in Little Collins Street, Melbourne. There was some discussion over the phone as to whether I should order the 40cm x 40cm or the one smaller. As I didn't want a single person to miss out on cake - what a terrible fate - I erred on the safe and more expensive side of the larger cake.

When I suggested picking it up and taking it to the birthday party venue on a train and tram Simon from Le Petite laughed. Oh, how he laughed. ''It's too big'', he explained. ''We don't even have a cake box big enough - we are giving you a crate.''

So I arranged a car, but the closest park I could get was two blocks away. Someone from the shop had to help me carry it - we got a few looks. This is what it looked like (minus the crate):

Now while looks are well and good, everybody knows in the end it's only taste that matters. Boy did this cake taste good. On the bottom was a brownie layer that was full of little crunchie bits which reminded me of rice bubbles. Then there was a thin layer of zesty passionfruit jelly, a thick layer of creamy choc mousse and, finally, a chocolate ganache. Mmmmm. Amazing really - and if you are wondering: Yes, I did eat this entire piece. Even though I was wearing a tight dress.

So the 30-year-old did live happily ever after.

The End.

Don't judge a dish by its... cover?

Burgers can get a bad rap.

I mean, they are in the fast food category so shouldn't be a daily treat. But a good burger is a world away from a typical burger. It's just a matter of finding where the hell they are.

If you are in Geelong, try out Texas Burgers on Mercer Street. They ain't fancy, but they are good.

And if you find yourself Launceston way, you can't go past Burger Got Soul on Charles Street. The name is so apt because here you can find yourself in burger heaven.

You choose the roll you like best - as you should be able to - and there are so many delectable combinations on the menu the only trouble you are likely to have is choosing which one to go for.

A favourite of mine is the Tassie Tempter - a classic combo of beef burger, egg, bacon and fresh crunchy salad items like cos lettuce, beetroot, tomato etc. What lifts this burger into the realms of nirvana is the small, extra touches - like homemade mayonnaise and tomato chutney.

Of course, it all comes down to the pattie - it must be tasty, not fatty. And these two joints tick that box.

Solving the Parma Puzzle

As a born and bred Victorian, I'd grown up assuming chicken parmigiana were revered the world over... but it turns out while they can be found across the nation, no one takes them as seriously as Melbourne pubs.
I can't live without a parma hit every now and then, though, so I'm officially on the hunt to find the best that Launceston has to offer.
The first I tried was at the Cock 'n' Bull British Pub last Friday night - but I'm afraid it got a fail.
The parma was thin and slightly overcooked. The sauce tasted as though it was crushed tomatoes straight out of a tin, with little flavour. The ham and cheese were passable, and it was served with fries - which I consider a far second behind thickly cut chips.
I was starving that night and the parma definitely hit the spot, but I won't be going back for another.
If you think you know where to find the best parma in Launceston and surrounds - don't be shy! Share it with me, and everybody else. Help make the world a better place.