Some meals carry an expectation before they reach the table. You know the combination: crisp chicken, rich tomato sauce, ham, melted cheese, hot chips and salad. Familiar ingredients, served in pubs across Victoria.

Yet familiarity creates its own challenge. When everyone knows what a parma should be, every detail matters—the crumb, the tenderness, the balance of toppings and the moment the cheese leaves the grill. Simple on the surface. Exacting underneath.

At the Newborough Hotel, those details came together with remarkable precision. The hotel scored 100 points to take first place in the 2026 AHA (Vic) Parma of the Year award.

Newborough Hotel at dusk with a red classic car parked outside.
Newborough Hotel on Monash Road, Newborough. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.

A perfect score is built by a team

The award recognised far more than the chicken beneath the toppings. AHA (Vic) describes the category as a search for the strongest classic parma, made with quality produce and compatible components. Customer service also forms part of the assessment. The category involves an anonymous venue visit, allowing judges to experience the hotel as ordinary diners would.

Newborough Hotel was one of three venues to receive the perfect score of 100 in the category. The result placed a Newborough pub kitchen at the top of a statewide field and revealed how exceptional work can grow from familiar places, supported by people who understand that consistency is built one service at a time.

The result reflects the quality of the entire Newborough Hotel team. A kitchen prepares an exceptional meal through the contribution of everyone around it. Ingredients must be selected and stored properly. Preparation must remain consistent. Cooking requires timing and attention. Plates need to arrive as intended. Front-of-house staff must understand the menu, welcome guests and keep the dining room moving.

Each contribution connects with the next. Together, they turn a familiar pub meal into something worthy of statewide recognition.

Patrons dining in the busy Newborough Hotel dining room.
A service in the Newborough Hotel dining room. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.

Pride close to home

The Newborough Hotel adds another reason to look more closely at Newborough. The town sits close to Lake Narracan, local bushland, walking routes and the Haunted Hills Bike Park. A day built around movement and exploration can now include a meal carrying one of Victorian hospitality’s recognised titles.

For local people, the award offers something equally valuable: pride in the quality found close to home. The team at the Newborough Hotel set an exceptional standard that is familiar across the region. Their efforts support local enterprise and give younger hospitality workers an example of what disciplined and focused teamwork can accomplish.

Historical black-and-white view of the Newborough Hotel with two cars parked outside.
Newborough Hotel in an undated historical photograph. The photograph date has not been verified. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.
Two classic cars parked outside Newborough Hotel under an overcast sky.
Classic cars outside the hotel on Monash Road. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.

Hundreds of small decisions

A parma remains an uncomplicated pleasure. That is part of its enduring appeal. Yet earning a perfect score requires hundreds of small decisions to be made well, across the kitchen, the dining room and the entire venue.

A perfect score requires hundreds of small decisions to be made well.

Victoria’s perfect parma has come from Newborough. Its story belongs to the whole team that placed it on the table.

Photo essay

Around the Newborough Hotel

People seated beneath red umbrellas outside Newborough Hotel.
Street-side tables outside Newborough Hotel. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.
Tables, chairs and green plants in the Newborough Hotel dining room.
The dining room between services. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.
Timber-fronted bar with stools and sports screens inside Newborough Hotel.
The bar inside Newborough Hotel. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.
Newborough Hotel exterior in bright sunlight with red umbrellas along the footpath.
Newborough Hotel in daylight. Image supplied by Newborough Hotel.

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