The best move on a date night at MILA is to stop reading the menu.

We sat down on the rooftop at 1636 Meridian Ave, just off Lincoln Road, and told our server Andreina to surprise us. We'd been to MILA before, and every visit had gone well, so trusting the kitchen with the whole meal was an easy call. It also means you spend the night talking to each other instead of negotiating who gets the last dumpling.

Let the server drive

Goran greeted us when we arrived, and Andreina took it from there. She paced the meal and decided what came next, and she explained each plate without turning it into a lecture. If you tell her to surprise you, she will.

On a date, that matters. Nobody has to perform decisiveness over the menu, and the meal turns into a conversation piece.

Start cold, then go to the dumplings

The first plate was watermelon and tuna with tofu, serrano and tobiko. It's cool and bright, with heat coming in late and a little salt from the roe. It's a good opener because it's easy to share and gives you something to talk about right away.

Then came the dumplings. Mushroom gyoza arrived alongside the wild fungi dumplings, which are filled with mushroom duxelle and spinach and finished with chili garlic ponzu. The madai sashimi followed with jalapeño dressing, kumquat and orange marmalade, keeping the heat going but with more citrus.

Crispy cauliflower tempura with tobanjan sauce rounded out the first half. It's the dish you both keep reaching for while pretending you're done.

The middle of the meal

The wagyu skirt steak came sliced and ready to share, with pickled cabbage and basil crisp cutting through the richness. Marinated Chilean sea bass in green curry with kaffir lime came next. Broccolini with miso tahini and the fried eggplant and zucchini chips with shiso tzatziki filled out the table.

Then there's the pasta. The truffle cream spaghetti comes with shaved black truffle and parmesan. Order it. Everyone who's been to MILA will tell you the same.

Save room for the vacherin

Dessert was the Exotic Vacherin: meringue, coconut espuma, passion fruit and mango, and vanilla cream. It's crisp and airy with a sharp tropical finish, which is what you want after a table full of steak, truffle and curry. Split it, then fight politely over the last spoonful.

The people make the night

General manager Charlotte checked on our table throughout the evening, and she and Andreina looked after us like regulars. That consistency is why we keep coming back. MILA can be a scene, especially on weekends, but the service doesn't get lost in it.

If you go, book ahead and ask for a rooftop table. When you sit down, give the menu back and tell your server to surprise you.

MILA hosted this visit. All opinions are my own.