As a Perth food blogger, I get a lot of people telling me about their new finds, old favourites and hidden gems they discover. I’d been told by a few separate people that I must try Mia Cucina at Hillarys Boat Harbour. It’s found on the northern side, near the boat ramps and has a stunning view over the harbour.
We dined with a group of our friends. Little Chef was also in tow, as was the beautiful baby Grace, it’s family friendly and has plenty of space for prams. We had a front row seat of the beautiful sunset – I’d definitely recommend booking a table right on the window.
As we were all starving and feeling gluttonous we decided to have entrees and mains. Chef chose the Calamari ($17). He enjoyed the tender calamari, which was lightly fried with a touch of chilli. It’s served with a crisp salad garnish and tartare sauce for dipping.
I’d been told to try the arancini, $17, so I ordered the traditional Italian risotto balls. These are filled with pork mince, prime beef, mozzarella cheese & peas and coated with crisp golden breadcrumbs. I liked these, though I think they could have done with a little more seasoning.
I experienced a little food envy as Mrs C tucked into her baked goat’s cheese, $18. The ooey-gooey cheese was baked with honey, apple and rosemary, with toasted Turkish bread on the side for dipping. 
For main I had the beef cheek triangoli, $28. The hand-made ravioli triangles are filled with tender braised beef cheeks, nutmeg and parmesan. They are then pan-fried with white wine, prosciutto, fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes and finished with truffle oil. It promised so much and looked hearty and delicious. Unfortunately, as I ate the dish I discovered that their chef had been too heavy handed with the truffle oil and it completely overpowered all the flavours. A shame, as all the other components were spot on (though taste-wise it was hard to tell!). This comes in main and entrée size and I wish I’d chosen the smaller size – not only as I found the flavours too rich, but it was also a very filling dish.
Chef, ever the meat lover devoured the di carne pizza, $25. It was topped with cacciatore sausage, prosciutto, shaved ham & bacon, fresh tomato, red onion & mozzarella. Mr H really enjoyed his pollo (chicken) pizza too.
All in all, I liked Mia Cucina, though it didn’t wow me. The simple meals are reasonably priced and the café is in a beautiful location. I think on this occasion I didn’t get very lucky with my own menu choices, as everyone else on our table enjoyed their meals.
LOVE Italian food? Check out my other blogs on Italian restaurants in Perth!
What’s your favourite Italian spot in Perth?
So happy with this blog. I’ve been following you forever and it felt as if you lost your way a bit – maybe with all the freebies? It was feeling more like plugs for the ‘paid for’ meals. We are a similar family and loved your authenticity and appreciated your genuine passion/opinions. This one reminds me of why I started following you in the first place. Love it!
Hi Kitty, thanks for your feedback. You got me worried that I had started being a freeloader! Checking back, in 2015 I only had 2 invited meals (Stix and Straits), a couple of events and 3 local product sponsored posts, so I’m sorry that you feel that I do a lot of plugs. It’s certainly not what I want to be known for. I turn down freebies on a weekly basis. They only account for a small percentage of all my posts, which are still largely paid for by myself. Even my sponsored posts are on the condition that I will express my true opinion. To be honest even the freebies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be as they take a lot of hours writing them up and editing pics. I appreciate your opinion and thanks for following! Cheers, Amanda 🙂
The food looks great! I like the beef cheek triangoli most. And I’m sure they are all perfect with a glass of wine 🙂