Mia Cucina, Hillarys

Visit the same restaurant twice in one week – but what if we don’t like the food? That was my immediate reaction when my husband arranged for an evening meal with friends at Mia Cucina in Hillarys and I arranged for a lunch catch-up with different friends at the same place.

No worries – the food at Mia Cucina was really good – it could have come straight from any Italian Nonna’s home.

When we first arrived in Australia, Mia Cucina, which translates to My kitchen, was a busy neighbourhood restaurant in the Hillarys Shopping Centre. When it migrated to Hillarys Marina, albeit on the quieter boat ramp side, it became even busier and attracted tourists as well as locals. Scenic views over the marina are an added attraction.

Firstly, our evening meal. The a la carte menu includes Gamberetti all’aglio – locally caught tiger prawns cooked in white wine, herbs, garlic and chilli ($43) and Scallopini – pork medallions served with creamy mash and a gorgonzola sauce ($40).

We all decided on the three-course specials menu for $65 each. It was good value and I really enjoyed all three courses. There was a choice of prawns or pork belly for the first course. The sizzling prawns went down a treat, according to my husband and I went for the pork belly – crispy skin and tender meat – no photos as we all just inhaled that course! Next up five of us decided on the barramundi with salad while our other friend tried out the chicken and mushroom risotto.

The barramundi was cooked very well; the seasoning was on point and the salad was a good foil for the rich meaty fish with its crispy pan-fried skin. The risotto didn’t get such good marks as our friend felt it was too dry.

Then it was time for the desserts – peppermint semi Freddo or honey pannacotta. Masterchef viewers will be familiar with the semifreddo – a perennial favourite with contestants. It’s basically a frozen mousse with extra flavours.

The pannacotta had the required amount of wobble and was delicious. My husband chose the semifreddo and enjoyed it. So three ticks for three courses.

Mia Cucina has a good wine, beer and cocktail list but we took advantage of its BYO policy and brought our own wine. Corkage is $8 per bottle and BYO only applies to wine.

Suffice to say that after such a good dinner, we were looking forward to lunch at Mia Cucina a few days later and it didn’t disappoint.

This time it was the lunch specials which attracted us. Would we go for the chilli mussels? The Panna di pollo? Or the calamari? After a lively debate, we and our friends decided on a pizza for each couple. All items on the lunch specials menu are $20 each. We added a glass of house wine and a beer for an extra $5 each. Again excellent value.

The pizza of the day had a cheese and tomato base with a topping of sausage, mushroom and red onion among others. Now I am not what you would call a pizza lover and normally if my husband, a dedicated pizza fan, orders a pizza to share, I will have one slice to be sociable. Maybe it was the pizza oven, specially imported from Genoa, that made the difference but the Mia Cucina pizza was excellent. A thin crispy base with extremely tasty toppings – I had my full half share (much to my husband’s disgust) and enjoyed every mouthful.

In addition to the dessert menu that includes pannacotta and tiramisu, Mia Cucina also offers cabinet cakes with carrot cake, lemon meringue and apple pie among the top dishes.

If you are looking for good old-fashioned Italian food with good old-fashioned service then look no further and make Mia Cucina your go-to restaurant.

Mia Cucina

Address: 1/45 Northside Drive

Phone: 08 9448 1753

Reservations: Yes

Opening hours: Mondays: Only open on public holidays – 11:30am-3pm. Tuesday-Sunday: Lunch and dinner 10:30am until late

Gluten-free options: Yes

Vegetarian options: Yes

Restrooms: Clean and accessible

Parking: Plenty of parking outside the restaurant or in the boat ramp area of Hillarys Marina

Website: www.miacucinawa.com.au

About Hazel Broomhead

My name is Hazel and I am a Perth senior!

Originally from Edinburgh in Scotland, my husband and I moved to New Zealand with our children in 1974. As my husband is in the oil business, we moved to several other countries including the Sultanate of Oman, the Netherlands, Singapore, the Philippines, the USA, Russia and Kazakhstan during the next 36 years before retiring to Perth.

We have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who live in different parts of the globe – New Zealand, Scotland and Colombia - which makes a great excuse for us to travel and visit.

My career background is in radio and print journalism in Scotland and New Zealand as well as public relations in various other countries.

We love to eat out, walk, travel and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle here in Western Australia.