Isa Hotel

Mount Isa… need I say more. This parmigiana has been in Mount Isa for five minutes and already looks tougher than me. Lead infused, this parmigiana arrived at the table with the confidence of a dish that knows it’s a favourite. The crumb was golden and crunchy — No soggy nonsense tolerated around here. The chicken itself was juicy. Structural integrity was strong. The sauce was generously applied. No swimming pool situation, just enough to keep things saucy without ruining the crumb. Chips were below average — hot, crispy, but lacking salt or much flavour. Overall, this parmi didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It simply executed the fundamentals.

At the dead centre of the Devils asshole (Mount Isa) lives the Isa Hotel. Half the pub is outdoors which is a spectacular way to spend a few hours in a cool 48° heat after a long day on the tools. Now the parmi. For $33 it comes in at one of the more expensive dinners in town and unfortunately it’s not large enough to justify this most of the time (massively inconsistent portions). However the cheese coverage is generally very good, along with the flavour of the sauce. But the soggy and hardly salted chips do let this down. You might think “maybe you went on a bad night”, but this was one of the good ones. I should also add that I did opt for the Hawaiian topper, an extra $3, not exactly justifiable with just 5 pieces of pineapple. Overall this is a slightly above parmi that is serviceable for Mount Isa, but with the option I am choosing an alternative venue to spend $30 at.