What can you do to brunch that’s new? Leave it to Mila, the 2-year-old South Beach hotspot set on a lush, transporting rooftop just south of Lincoln Road.
One thing, though: Patrons must commit to lingering.
The MediterrAsian brunch menu is a two-hour, multicourse experience, including a generous selection of dishes, all meant to be shared, slowly enjoyed, and reordered upon request. Right at the outset, it should be noted that Mila is such a gorgeous indoor-outdoor space that it would be difficult to imagine rushing through a meal. In a nearly monochromatic neutral palette, the décor relies on dramatic, organic shapes—the tables, the ceiling cutouts, and even the bulbous glass pendants are freeform.
Even the prix-fixe menu is freeform: Once you choose your Champagne or rosé package (selections include Piper Heidseck 1785 Brut, Laurent Perrier Brut rosé and Krug “grand cuvée”), additional cocktails are also on offer—bloody Marys, espresso martinis, mimosas and bellinis. The menu is more than ample—encompassing reinventions of old classics like eggs benedict (egg in a jar) to heartier entrees like short ribs and toriyama wagyu and beef tenderloin with creamy ponzu.
But given the generosity of the menu, it might be wise to keep things light, and gravitate to the seafood and vegetarian choices. Standouts include the branzino tataki with chili ponzu aioli; avocado tartare with pickled red onions and toasted bread; and the miso-marinated Chilean sea bass in sauce vierge. At Mila’s, the table wouldn’t be complete without blistered shishito peppers with tosazu miso and the soba noodle salad with artichokes and pesto.
The experience is most magical when you bring plenty of friends—and convince each other, over ample rosé. to merely taste (and not fill up) throughout. That way you might actually have room for the Nutella waffle for dessert.
