THE winter is coming – I can feel it.

Grown men are packing away their canary-yellow Speedos and exhuming thermal y-fronts from their wardrobes.

On a wet autumnal night my wife and I felt like some comforting Italian food, so we ordered takeaway from Milano’s, which is located in the Hawaiian shopping centre in Melville.

Their menu had a solid range of pizzas, pasta, meat and seafood dishes, including lamb cutlets, oven-roasted duck, chilli mussels and mushroom risotto.

On a cold drizzly night my oven-baked seafood paella ($29) was just the ticket.

The hearty dish was crammed with mussels, prawns, squid and chunks of tender fish.

The saffron fish stock was moreish, and the arborio rice perfectly cooked with peas, capsicum and tomato keeping things moist and interesting.

The star of the dish was the thick, coarse slices of chorizo – the intense burst of flavour cut through the delicate seafood and brought the dish to life.

It was a generous serve of paella (could possibly do two) and I had the leftovers for lunch the following day.

On the other side of the table my wife was tucking into her prawn and scallop ravioli ($28).

The large handmade pasta parcels, filled with prawn and scallop mousse, were going down a treat.

“The creamy sauce has lots of depth and I love the semi-dried tomatoes and hint of saffron,” she said. “It’s all very rich and decadent.”

The indulgent dish was finished with large shavings of parmesan cheese. Again it was a big serve and my wife couldn’t finish it.

In the lounge, our six-year-old kids were watching some annoying cartoon and sharing a Margherita pizza ($20) and wedges ($9.50).

As a robot truck grappled with an iridescent unicorn, the kids cleared most of their plates (always a good sign). Dad had a sneaky taste and the pizza base and sauce were super authentic, with the fresh basil and bocconcini adding depth to the flavour. Great pizza.

Milano’s was a B+ – the portions were generous and their food was a cut above the usual Italian fare.

Maybe once the pandemic is over they could consider adjusting the price point on some of their takeaway dishes, as I felt they were a tad high. Well worth a try during the lockdown.

By STEPHEN POLLOCK

Milano’s Restaurant and Pizzeria
Melville Plaza, 380 Canning Highway, Bicton