little white truths

I'm trying something new with this post (larger photos) to see how things look onscreen. 

Let me know if you prefer the larger ones or the medium ones in terms of the overall look of the blog (and noting that you can always click on any photo to enlarge it).

Anyhoo. I'd walked past Mileto's countless times this year and last, and had always meant to go in and check it out when the occasion arose.

It arose on Tuesday this week, when Mum dropped by my joint and wanted to take me out for lunch. When I asked her what she wanted, she said: 'Just something simple. A sandwich.'

I almost cracked up laughing but managed to hold it in, and I didn't say it then but I did say it later as we were sitting down to eat: 

'Most people don't order sandwiches these days, Mamma - they order salads, sushi, pho and rice paper rolls if they want a light lunch. And we're in blo*dy Windsor. The days of the sandwich are over. But no doubt they'll be reborn soon enough, when people can order carb and butter-free sandwiches by the dozen.'

She looked blank at first, but we then had a giggle as she realised I was right. Mum, just wanting to be simple and not wanting to impose, had unwittingly given me a hard task. But I'm known for my restaurant radar (or at least, I like to think so ; )) and I suggested we read Mileto's menu before trying elsewhere. That nailed us. She could order a toastie and I could order a salad. Happy days.

Above was the view behind me. Nice, yes? And we both checked out the lovely Roti Wraps in the cabinet, as well as the daily salads. Everything looked smashing. I might have ordered one of the wraps if Mex were there to share it with me - they were massive. As I said, next time.

We ordered and I took photos as we waited. Mum and I had a giggle because the waiter started being extra nice to us at one point, and we both independently decided that he'd probably seen me taking photos and thought he'd better be on his best behaviour (or at least was jokingly doing this - there was a cheekiness to his 'extra nice' behaviour and not any sarcasm - thank god for that). In any event, there was no need for the extra niceness - the service was good already.

Here's the Grilled Chicken Salad I ordered ($16), which was described as including a garden salad with a pesto dressing (I asked for that on the side) - so it was a lovely surprise to discover that aside from the standards, it also came with red peppers, capers and half an avocado. Yaysers! And for only $16! Definitely heading back there at some point. You'd be hard-pressed to find a salad this good for $16 anywhere these days. Damn Oz prices.

Note also that the side dressing certainly didn't taste like pesto - it was some kind of bland vinaigrette and I barely used it (just sampled it for the purposes of this post). The lemon wedge was a nice touch and I used that for added flavour.

Verdict

Food (based on what we had): really good; and on a food/value ratio - fantastic. Having said this, if Mileto's doesn't want to make the printed menu more descriptive (because some ingredients - eg for the salad - are seasonal or based on what's in stock), then the waiters should let you know what's coming once you've ordered something. That is, Mum should have been asked: 'Are you ok with butter on both sides of your toastie?' because I reckon many people, if not most, would say no to that. And I should have been told what was coming in my garden salad - I was excited about the capers and red peppers, but others mightn't have been.

Atmosphere: great. I'll have to come back for breakfast (the menu looks great - see here) and see how the place looks then. Bet they draw a crowd - there were certainly a few lunchtime workers discussing business over lunch.

Service: as mentioned. When we go back at a busier time, I'll let you know if my thoughts on Mileto's service changes.

Here's Mileto's homepage. where you'll find all its details.

Has anyone else eaten here? If so, what did you think?