Mille Lire

One of the most surprising things I learned upon arriving in Sydney is that there really isn’t a standard “Australian Fare.” Due to the heavy Asian population, the cuisine here tends towards Asian flavors. It’s not uncommon to find streets lined with Thai and Indian restaurants with only a couple of Italian restaurants here and there. Aerina and I wanted something non-Asian, and after walking along the Spot in Randwick, we had to head down to Coogee Bay Rd. (once again).

Translated as “a thousand Lire” (the former Italian currency), Mille Lire is an Italian pizzeria that’s open only for dinner. They serve oven baked pizza as well as a variety of pastas and steak. Aerina wasn’t too hungry so she ordered an appetizer- a Greek salad. The salad, at $7, was huge and came in one of those large wooden bowls. Fortunately for me, she’s not a big Feta fan, and I was able to eat all her cheese.

I asked the waitress whether I should order pasta or pizza. She enthusiastically recommended the pizza so I ordered the Hawaiian, your standard pineapple and ham pizza. While it was indeed delicious, I don’t think it beat out Arthur’s, nor was it worth the $18 price tag. Unfortunately, that’s just about the average pizza fare and a “large” is at best a medium by American sizes.

It was, however, a great place for BYO. We stopped at the liquor store where I found a McWilliams Chardonnay. I loved McWilliam’s Rose (the one I got from Hunter Valley) and being only $6, it was a lovely glass of white wine to enjoy with our meal. I’m not sure if Chardonnay is meant for pizza, but it worked for me. I’ve found the McWilliams’ wines tend to be more sweet and fruity.

The atmosphere was great and the server was extremely polite. If it’s a nice night, I’d highly suggest sitting outside.

252 Coogee Bay Road
Coogee, NSW