A few days ago, I heard about a gourmet pizza place. I’d never heard of it before, but knew it would haunt my “to try” list of restaurants.
Milda’s Pizza & More is a café that makes artisanal, wood fired pizzas but also espressos, cappuccinos and homemade pastries. The strangest thing about Milda’s is its location: They operate out of the basement of the Charlotte Street Arts Centre.
One afternoon last week, I ventured over. After spending five minutes wandering around, looking at artwork while I hunted for pizza, I realized I was lost. I followed the signs that said “CAFE,” but they seemed to lead to a dead-end. My hunger growing, I decided to follow my nose and snoop around a little harder.
I finally found the stairway to the basement, tucked away in a corner. I went down the stairs, still unsure whether I was headed in the right direction, as the basement did not look as though it held the promise of pizza. I turned at the bottom of the steps and found the café nestled in the dark and kind-of-but-not-really scary basement.
The girl at the counter had a huge smile on her face and asked me if it was my first time dining there before explaining the menu and specials to me.
I decided to get the all-meat pizza because, unlike other pizza places, this all-meat pizza boasted prosciutto, real bacon, pepperoni and chicken. I also ordered a sparkling water and paid for my meal while still at the register, though she did leave me the option to settle my tab afterwards.
I took a seat at the back of the rustic room that was surprisingly bright. It had exposed-wood beams, small Ikea-style tables with red wooden folding chairs and a more casual seating area with a couch draped with blankets. There were pumpkins and squashes decorating the tables that made the room feel comfortable. The waitress served my sparkling water in a glass and along with an additional pitcher of water (that came in a cute old-fashioned milk jug.) It felt like my Pinterest account had come to life.
The six-inch pizza was brought to my table within minutes and was scalding hot. I burnt the roof of my mouth because I was so excited, even as I’m writing this, it’s still burnt. But it was totally worth it.
The crust was crispy but soft inside, like you would expect from a homemade pizza and unlike those from pizza chains. The cheese was gooey but not overpowering and the toppings were high-quality, which seems to be something most pizzerias in Fredericton lack. It was the best pizza I’ve had in a long time. While it was filling, the desserts were just too tempting and I grabbed a slice of carrot cake to go before heading home. It was dense but moist and the cream-cheese icing was incredibly rich, but the ratio of icing to cake was well-balanced. It satisfied my sweet-tooth after such savoury pizza.
Between the food and tax, my bill totalled at around $16. The pizza was very affordable at around $7.50 plus tax, but the carrot cake cost $4.00 after tax and while it was delicious, I’d be more inclined to try some of the other pastries they offer in the future.
The food and service were terrific. The only complaints I would have is that it was somewhat difficult to find and the surrounding basement kind of takes away from the atmosphere.
Also, its hours of operation are very limited (they’re only open until 6 or 7 p.m. during the week and only until 3:30 p.m. on weekends). Despite this, I would highly recommend venturing over for lunch sometime.
Overall ratings
Food
****
Service
****
Atmosphere
****
