Restaurant Review:Milanos on East Essex Street

When it comes to places to eat, Dublin City never fails to conjure a magnificent feast with its wide selection of restaurants, whether they are chains or small family run businesses. And when it comes to selecting a fine place to eat, Milano’s, situated in East Essex Street, does not disappoint.

Providing a warm and friendly shelter to the cold and rainy weather outside, Milano’s is the perfect excuse to shrug off that winter jacket and forget about the elements on the other side of the door. Immediately you are welcomed by staff in the trademark blue t-shirts and invited to choose your seat if there are a selection available. I immediately swerved to the tables between the window and the counter-top where I could see the pizzas being made by expert hands.

Milano’s had quick service. Our waitress seemed to know exactly when to arrive at the table for the order and a portion of deliciously made garlic bread awakened my appetite for the main course to come.

My ‘Pollo al Alstra’ pizza arrived not too long after the garlic bread disappeared and proved to be as tasty as it looked. A combination of the traditional tomato and cheese topping, along with chicken, red onion and peppers on a classic base was appetising and surprisingly filling. However, a pizza cutter would have proved more useful than a knife and maybe 

should have been offered to make the eating process that little bit easier.

For an icy Tuesday evening, Milano’s was a surprisingly popular choice for all those Christmas shoppers and it wasn’t long before halfway through the meal, I looked up to find the restaurant full of either hungry or fulfilled customers.

It took longer than it had at first for our waitress to realise the meal was finished but perhaps this can be overlooked as the restaurant was filling up fast and there was still a queue of people forming by the door. Evidently, Milano’s is a place where a return trip is always necessary.

And then I was happy to have arrived at my favourite course and one that no matter how much I have eaten, I will always have room for- dessert! Having already studied the menu at the start of the evening, my dessert choice was already formed in my head and the ‘Snowball Dough ball’ platter was ordered. Our waitress pleasantly surprised myself and my dinner companion to ‘a gift’. A coupon with a flap to open like a present- each rewarding the receiver with a free starter on the next trip to Milano’s. It appears Milano’s has started the gift giving early this year.

The highlight of the evening was definitely the ‘Snowball Dough Ball’ platter. A small heap of dough balls dusted with sweet smelling cinnamon and a vanilla dipping cream in the middle. I could see newcomers on the next table eyeing the platter with envy and excitement, and we tucked in, not bothering to exclaim our delight at how ‘Christmas’ tasting the platter was. For indeed, if Christmas could be transformed into a dessert, the ‘Snowball Dough balls’ would most definitely be it.

For the most part, a bad word could not be said about my trip to Milano’s. It proved warm and festive with excellent food and staff and I would urge everybody to give it a visit before Christmas, and experience the same festive delights as I.