CCU Undercover: Millone’s Ristorante & Bar

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If I have learnt anything in my life, it is that Italian food offers the greatest source of comfort food, out of any other cuisine. I don’t know if it just me, but when it is wet, gloomy and I need some serious food hits, Indian curry or Asian noodles are not satisfying enough.

No, what I need is a big, wholesome plate of carb-loaded, sauce-fuelled pasta with some hunkering pieces of garlic bread on the side, topped off with a giant pizza (for one). So when we ended up at Millone’s late on a chilly, rainy and of course, windy, that craving was quite fulfilled…

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Now, before I begin, just a few reader notes:

  1. I am not revealing my big news quite yet, literally give me a week or three (because my posts have been so irregular 😛 ) and I will, I promise I will… *suspense* *spoilers*
  2. You guys have a FABULOUS imagination – quite a few people asked whether my big news was that I was in a relationship. Believe you me, if a Mr Muffin comes along, he will not be cutting into my food time. Ever 🙂 – So no, not my big news haha
  3. I know I have been very irregular in my posting, as mentioned above, but life is about to get a wee bit more irregular, so, sorry in advance! And if anyone is keen on guest posting (I will officially ask a bit later on), then drop me a line at gobakeyourself@yahoo.com.au 😀 thank you!

Phew, I always love it when admin stuff is out of the way! Because that means on with the food 🙂 And my mouth is salivating just recounting my tales from this eatery!

Imagine walking into a place where everything was Italy related. From cars to sports to the mafia… I mean… the Godfather… you literally walk into a hub of Italian culture here. I wish I could give you photos of it actually, but I wasn’t initially planning to review this place so didn’t think of it till the food came. Then I lost all coherent thought anyway…

We started off, of course, with some classy drinks to kick off the evening. I opted for (because I don’t see why some people feel weird drinking in front of their parents… c’mon…) a Lychee Martini ($14.90), which was quite stronger than the sweeter cocktails I have had in the past, but left a nice kick. Good thing I don’t buzz easy 🙂

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I was surprised they used rose water in it as well, it left a nice non-nailpolish fragrance in the mouth.

Now unfortunately, for the life of me, I can’t remember the name of this delicious concoction that was ordered. Not because I don’t remember the night or anything :P, but I just can’t even recall who drank this, if it was a mocktail or cocktail. I would like to think it was a minty drink blended with ice, just from the photo, but that is all unfortunately I can tell you. Oh, and I can tell you that it was really tasty (on recommendation of my mum)

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Despite how hectic this restaurant was on a rainy Saturday night, we were pleasantly surprised that we were not sipping alcoholic beverages on empty stomachs for twenty minutes. Only a few minutes later, did our entrees come through, with a smell that made my angry stomach protest for food.

We keep our entrees simple really, going for the traditional and the delicious items. Starting off of course was the classic Garlic Bread ($5.90). Two large pieces of buttery bread with Italian herbs, honestly it is hard to go wrong here. The bread was crunchy, the butter melted on your tongue and the garlic smell was enticing.

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My mum and I, since we are related you know!, share a love for Bruschetta – $8.90 (which I actually learnt a few months back, is pronounced bruce-ketta with an Italian accent, not that I would ever have the guts to order it like that 😛 ) so we decided to get a serve. I was pleasantly surprised that despite the fact that we didn’t start on it immediately, the bread wasn’t soggy from the tomatoes, nor was the flavour compromised.

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And I love how generously it was loaded on top. Generosity is a beautiful thing 😉

My brother and dad got a little adventurous (I was mucho proud) and also ordered a plate of Arancini ($16.90). I ADORE this, but at this particular restaurant, they only had a chicken version (*cried*) so had to watch them dive head first into a melted cheese heaven surrounded by crispy golden crumbs, and topped off with napoletana sauce. Please Millone’s, for the sake of your vegetarian customers, make a vegetarian version available!

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I didn’t stay all that mad for all that long though because lo and behold, after a nice 15 minutes of digestion and settling down, came our mains. I was very happy with their timing, they seemed to know exactly when we were ready!

My mum and I, once more, decided to do the sharing-caring business and ordered one pizza and one pasta to split. I chose the pasta, mum chose the pizza but in the end, we basically swapped our dishes. Aren’t we too adorable?

The Vegetarian Pizza (19.90) was delicious, generously topped with the iconic Italian vegetables such as eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes, sundried tomatoes. I like that they didn’t try to get adventurous just because it is such an iconic dish. The crust was a little smoky, which taste delicious.

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We also ordered the Homemade Ravioli Napoletana ($19.90), which came generously served and topped with their delicious napoletana sauce. I actually keep going on about their sauce because it is one of the best I have ever come across to be honest. Not too sweet, hint of spiciness (that my mum added chills to of course) and very rich, without feeling like I am putting cream in my mouth.

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You might have already seen it on my instagram (@chocchipuru) 😛

As I said before, I didn’t plan on actually reviewing this place, so I didn’t bother photographing my brother’s or my dad’s pizza/dishes. I’m sorry guys! But I did have to review what I had because I enjoyed it so much. When I go back, I promise, you omnivores will be in for a SERIOUS party 😛

However, I do have shots of the desserts we enjoyed, because obviously… I’m not that bad!

My mum has a penchant for Tiramisu ($11.90), and the fact that this creamy, spongey concoction also came with a side go gelato really made my day 🙂 It was fluffy and tasty, to the fact that my healthy-no-nonsense-in-my-body mother basically finished it!

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Of course, we ordered the main dessert of the evening – the classic Sticky Date Pudding ($11.90), which was a rich and moist cake generously soaked in butterscotch sauce. I would have preferred a bit more ice cream, but to each his own! The cake had a deep date flavour, and was extremely sweet, but without being cloying, which made it more delicious!

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My dad (if you read often, you would know this by now), ordered the delicious Affogato ($13.90), his staple dessert. Generous scoops of vanilla gelato, along with Frangelico (which my dad decided to forego) and a shot of coffee. I may hate coffee but even I took a few bites of this dessert. The best part of this dessert is you can’t go wrong with it 🙂

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General Notes

  • Good service – not impersonal, quick with their orders and polite
  • Large tables – for once, it isn’t four people trying to squeeze everything onto a small square!
  • Delicious food
  • Quite expensive – I sure know that if I hadn’t come with my family, I could not afford to dine here on my own (thanks daddy!) – everything with a gluten free crust or bread was also around $3 extra
  • Very family oriented and good vibe – you feel super comfortable there

Rating: 8/10

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On a quick note, I’m sorry I haven’t been posting as often as I would like dear readers! Life has been hectic, I have a LOT of decisions to make right now and of course, there is uni! Blogging is taking a bit more of a backseat here so I hope/know you all understand!

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48 Comments

  6. tableofcolors says:

    That vegetarian pizza with the over-abundance of mushrooms looks absolutely perfect! I can certainly relate with life being a bit irregular. I felt that way these couple of past months and have found my posts to be more sporadic…but hoping to get back into the swing of things…and waiting for your big new with interest! 🙂

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  7. thehungrymum says:

    I was in your neck of the woods last week at a friend’s place 🙂 I hear you RE non-veggie versions of things that could easily be vegetarianised – fair breaks my heart sometimes. Those prices seem v steep – esp for the sticky toffee pudding.

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  16. K / House of KTS says:

    I seriously could not stop licking my lips at the ravioli lol. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but it looked so damn good girl lol. I am in love. And look at that dessert… yup I’m so hungry now lol. I can’t wait to hear your big news. In suspense over here :).

    K / The House of KTS (formerly of Pure & Complex)
    http://www.houseofkts.com

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  35. jama says:

    I’m starving looking at all these photos! I agree with you about Italian being the ultimate comfort food. Mmmmm, pizza and ravioli!!

    Now for your big news: my guess — a writing gig for an online pub? 🙂

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  39. Sugar et al. says:

    Love Italian food and i love every one of those dishes you ordered. This is one of those rare moments when I am contemplating whether I like the sweet more than the savory. Great review Uru!

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  40. thecompletebook says:

    I think it’s about time I came with on one of these undercover sessions, you know, just as a second opinion to make it fair. Hee hee. Imagine how much fun that would be!
    Have a wonderful and happy day CCU.
    🙂 Mandy xo

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  41. mybeautfulthings says:

    That food looks wonderful. Your blogging pals will be still here when you have made your decisions and done all your Uni work.
    Because we can, we have bought a ShelterBox. Look them up. They are an amazing charity based here in Cornwall. Small contributions from lots of people make their work possible.
    Thank you for you plea at the start of your post.
    All the best to you 🙂

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  46. kitchenriffs says:

    Yup, Italian always does it for me, too. What a lot of dishes you had! Sounds like a great place. And I love places that don’t seat you at really tiny tables — so uncomfortable. This sounds perfect — thanks.

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  47. A_Boleyn says:

    I like Italian food and make it at home often … mostly due to prices at local restaurants too. Making arancini isn’t too hard though you have to make the risotto first. I’d make a double recipe of a tasty risotto and then use the cold rice for the arancini. Afogato and tiramisu … two desserts that have been made and enjoyed in my kitchen. 🙂

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