That soup tasted funny

The one thing people need to know about me is, that from time to time I am surprisingly spontaneous. So the other day I was on a bus and was passing by this one restaurant called Thai Kitchen. No, this post is not about this restaurant. Hm, you see. Very spontaneous.

The taste of this soup was rather unexpected

Anyhow. I jumped off the bus and walked back only to find out that the restaurant was closed due to vacation reasons. Damn. Now, I had to find another place to get my lunch. Luckily I was close to Naschmarkt around U4 Kettenbrückengasse. And yes, this is some sort of a China Town or better Asian Town. In this area of Vienna there are many rather authentic Asian restaurants, shops, haircutters etc. So I thought: no problem, I find something else. And so I walked towards Naschmarkt.

Eventually I ended up at Pho Saigon on Naschmarkt. Now this restaurant is connected to the restaurant called “Saigon” on Getreidemarkt und is more or less the mini version of that one. It also has a small Asian grocery store. During lunch time you get special meal offers and they are all Vietnamese food. Each lunch special consists of the daily soup, main course and dessert. In the beginning I was unsure what to take. I always think that Vietnamese dishes sound completely unspectacular. It is like “beef with basil and lemongrass”. Doesn’t sound fancy, or? But when you order it it is soo delicious! For me I chose the tofu with veggies. I had to take Vietnamese rolls in addition to the soup. I love Vietnamese rolls – no matter which one.

I love Vietnamese rolls - any whether they are cold or warm.

I love Vietnamese rolls. Any kind whether they are cold or warm – it doesn’t matter.

But first came the soup – the unexpected star of the whole meal. In the end I came to the conclusion that it was the Vietnamese variation of a sweet n’ sour soup. It had chunks of pineapples, it tasted chili spicy and sweet and unexpected. I have to admit I never tasted something like that before and I have tried a lot in my life. It had really nothing to do with anything I ever tried. It didn’t even come close. I have to say although I liked it I would not order a soup like that on purpose.

The Vietnamese rolls pretty much came with the main course. They were filled with seafood and covered in fried rice noodles. I always love the dip that comes with them. Fish sauce here we come. I really don’t mind that entree and main course sometimes come at the same time at Asian restaurants. I just eat cross-course.

The tofu with veggies was just as good as the other two courses.

And of course, I also enjoyed the main course. I think they put oyster sauce. It was really yummy. I really like that restaurant. Right at the spot where this restaurant is located you also have a number of other Asian restaurants. One is right on the opposite. It has Japanese, Chinese, Thai food. But don’t fall for that when you are at Naschmarkt. It is always much better not to choose the trans-Asian restaurants that offer all cuisines at once. They all have the same food and the taste is like an instant-food-jolly – all but not exciting.

Info: Phò Sài Gòn, Naschmarkt, Stand 191 – 194, phone: 01 585 02 24, internet: www.saigon.at, opening hours: Mo – Sa 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. in summer and winter 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., they take credit cards, I am not sure about smoking but I guess it is non-smoking, you can reach the restaurant by getting off at U4 Kettenbrückengasse and walking towards the city centre on Naschmarkt, take the aisle of stands that is the furtherst left one and there the restaurant is on the right side.

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Green Cottage Part II: This time the Chinese one

Last week was the week when I spent my time outside Vienna at an Austrian lake called Traunsee. It was wonderful – believe me. But what was missing was the variety of different cuisines. Don’t get me wrong! I love Austrian food – its my home food in the end. But I do need other food too – especially Asian one. So today I had to get some Chinese food. And there is one restaurant close to Naschmarkt which serves really good Chinese food.

Green Cottage – great Chinese restaurant close to Naschmarkt

You can find it right close to the U4 stop Kettenbrückengasse. You just need to walk away from Naschmarkt along Kettenbrücckengasse and you find it on the right side. There is an outdoor area too and since it was a wonderful day I wanted to sit outside. There was nobody though and so I had to get the waiter who was inside the restaurant.

During the week they serve lunch specials consisting of one entree, which today was either daily soup or daily salad and one main course. You choose from 7 or 8 different main courses all at different prices. These lunch specials are somehow affordable. Other than the lunch specials I would say that the restaurant serves food slightly more expensive than in regular restaurants but it is wonderful food. And so you can find stir-fried duck with green thai asparagus or some other Chinese food which is out of the ordinary. In their menue they state that they get their veggies from Naschmarkt. I guess I have to believe them as I cannot prove it.

It is more of a fancy schmancy restaurant – they give you fresh cutlery for every course

Since they had these lunch specials today I decided to take one this time. I decided to take the salad as an entree – since I don’t particularly feel like soup for lunch in summer. And as the main course I chose the trout with veggies. The weekly menue also stated that there was a three-course business lunch but for 18 Euros that was much too expensive for me – plus it didn’t say what it contained and I didn’t want to ask. The waiter who took my order had to check whether they still had the trout but fortunately they did. I once experienced that they ran out of something even though it was on the menue. But that is ok as I think that this is a good sign that food is fresh here.

The entree was the Cottage salad

So, the first course was the Cottage salad and it said that there was some sort of dressing coming with the salad. It turned out that it was pretty sour dressing as they used lots of vinegar. But it was ok since they also had celery beets cut into the salad and I have to say without the sour dressing I would have not wanted to eat the celery as I don’t like celery.

The trout filet was definitely yummy!

The main course was the highlight of the meal though. The fish was wonderful although part of it caught quite some salt and made the veggies salty too. But other than that it was perfect. The veggies were really fresh and they chopped some zucchini and pak choi also so I had two of my favorite veggies there. That was really yummy. The fish was crispy. It was great!

The size of the meal was sufficient although I have never been stuffed when I came here for food. The time before I ordered the tofu and it was not enough food. So in any case I would suggest to also order a first course or a dessert. Then you are on the safe side. The fact that I have also seen Chinese eat here is also a sign for me that this is a great place. So if you are at Naschmarkt you might consider coming here instead of the other restaurants on Naschmarkt.

Info: Green Cottage (http://www.green-cottage.at), Kettenbrückengasse 3, 1040 Vienna; phone: +43/(0)1/5866581; fax: +43/(0)1/5866581; mail: info@green-cottage.at; opening hours: Mon – Sat 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Sun closed, all major credit cards

The green cottage that is no longer green

Today, I was already pretty hungry. First I thought I would go to this one vegetarian restaurant but then I thought: “No, I need some typical Austrian food that is not healthy at all but fills my stomach”. And you can find that food in Vienna pretty easily. One of the restaurants that serve you just that is “Die grüne Hütte” which translates to “Green Cottage”.

Since its renovation the Green Cottage is no longer green.

In the past the Green Cottage was really green and a cosy place not the most exclusive to put it more diplomatic but cosy. Then they build the subway and it turned from green into light brown. Today it is less cosy but still very typical Viennese. It is also pretty easy to reach. Just get off at U2 “Messe – Prater” take the “Prater” exit and you are standing right in front of it.

I did the same today because, remember, I needed some food to fill my stomach. The restaurant was almost empty when I arrived. It was already 3:00 in the afternoon. The waiter was there, maybe the boy standing next to him was his son. I don’t know. I don’t go here that often. The prices are decent still I would not come here every day. Those that were sitting at the tables were all Viennese. When tourists go to the Prater they usually go to the Schweizerhaus, which has adapted its prices accordingly. This place is not so much a place where tourists go.

During the week they serve lunch specials but since it was friday they had the usual fried fish which I don’t like. The menue itself was not very extensive. Maybe because of the time of the day, I went there.

The menue at 3:00 p.m. was limited. In the evening they have a more extensive one.

Somehow I already knew what I would take. I just had to decide whether I’d like to have the Schnitzel or the Berner Würstel. I decided for the Berner Würstel. Now, Berner Würstel just means sausages filled with cheese and rolled in bacon. They usually come with fries, tomato ketchup and mustard with chopped onions. It is very typical Viennese food – not very fancy. You just need to get some sausages, put cheese in them and then put the bacon on the outside. I like them and it is usually the food on a menue which falls into the lower price category. In most restaurants they also serve pretty large portion when it comes to this kind of food.

Berner Würstel: sausages somehow Viennese style … the kids like them, I like them too

And after I ate all this food I was pretty stuffed. Yes, I think it was the right decision to go for this instead of the vegetarian restaurant. I do like vegetarian food though but maybe next time. It is nice to have some typical Viennese once in a while. And the “Grüne Hütte” is really a good place to go. If you visit the Prater I can truly recommend it. It is off the beaten track, not very touristy.

Info: Restaurant zur Grünen Hütte (http://www.gruenehuette.at), Prater 196, 1020 Vienna; phone: +43/1/729 27 10, fax: +43/1/729 27 10 – 12; mail: office@gruenehuette.at; opening hours: Mon – Sun from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; right at U2 “Messe – Prater” exit “Prater”

Sichuan: Yes, you have to walk inside on the zig-zag path

It is probably one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in a district of Vienna where you might least expect it – the Sichuan Restaurant in the 22nd district far outside the city centre at the Alte Donau (Old Danube). Not only does it serve typical Chinese cuisine but in fact it serves one of the four most influential cuisines of China – the Szechuan cuisine.

At the Sichuan Restaurant you can enjoy your food at a wonderful terrace with a view

And because the restaurant mainly serves Szechuan cuisine the food does not lack chili and other exciting spices. So don’t expect something too mild here. But that is exactly when things start to get exciting, right. That is why I love coming here.

To reach this place you need to get off at U1 Alte Donau take the exit and walk towards the swimming baths and there on the left side you cannot miss it. It truly does look like a Chinese house somewhere far from Vienna. And yes, it does follow the tradition that you do not walk inside a house by walking zig-zag. Because it is the Chinese that believe that the evil spirits cannot walk zig-zag and so you need to build entrance areas accordingly.

As soon as you reach the entrance door you find out that this place is decorated with lots of awards and that the people that come here are very often employees of the United Nations which is just one subway stop away. And so you might sit among a chitchat of lots of different languages and people.

The special lunch meal offers you three courses. This times’ starter: spicy-sour noodle salad

As for the food the restaurant offers a special meal every day on work days for little bit over 9 Euros as well as the typical lunch meals except here you find food like kung pao chicken and mapo dofu instead of the regular crispy chicken something. The special lunch meal gives you entree, main course and dessert where you can leave out the dessert to pay less. This time I took this offer and started off with a spicy noodle salad followed by stir fried duck with veggies and rice.

The main course of the special lunch meal was stir fried duck with veggies and rice

The duck really tasted nice but was completely different from the typical crispy duck. But I really liked the taste – again not missing the chillies. At the end came the dessert. I thought this time I had to have one as they served baked ice cream. You probably all know that one: where they put alcohol on top of the dough and burn it. There there was no alcohol and no burning but some outer shell around the ice cream and something I liked a lot which was pretty much like a cake.

The dessert was especially yummy: baked ice cream

And so the dessert was the perfect conclusion of a perfect lunch. The sizes of the meals are not enormous instead the restaurant is very considerate when it comes to quality and when it comes to satisfying the wishes of the guests. Here it is normal that the waiter helps the customer choose the right dish and recommends him something. Just like in China where the customer tells the waiter what kind of food he wants to eat and the waiter tailors the meal selection to his wishes. I truly like this here.

The bill comes in style at the Sichuan Restaurant

Still, it is not a cheap restaurant but it is also a restaurant where you can meet with a group of people and ask for a separate room – very convenient. But the best thing about the restaurant remains the building and the wonderful terrace with the view at the little pond.

Info: China Restaurant Sichuan (http://www.sichuan.at), Arbeiterstrandbadstrasse 122, 1220 Vienna; Tel: +43/(0)1/263 37 13; Fax: +43/(0)1/263 37 14; email: info@sichuan.at; opening hours: daily 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.; credit cards accepted (AmEX, Diners, Eurocard, Mastercard, Visa, JCB, Maesto)

Muesli: The Raisin Question

Yes, there are some people out there that do not appreciate raisins in their muesli. And for those that feel that way there is a solution in Vienna – the Corns n’ Pops store at Gumpendorfer Strasse close to Naschmarkt.

Corns n’Pops is the place to go if you are a muesli fan

Well, this is truly a place for really yummy muesli. And so the other day, I just felt like getting some. So I made my way to Gumpendorfer Strasse although it was raining … well, it was raining a lot. But I was on a mission – getting this cup and filling it with yummy stuff to eat it either as breakfast or as dinner.

The concept is simple. You either choose a pre-prepared muesli mixture or you just mix your own. There are sizes from which you can choose from – the smallest starting at 4 Euros, and then there is the plastic bag for 8 and the bottle for 10 Euros. I have to admit that for me muesli for 10 Euros is just too expensive – ok, there is more inside the bottle but still. For me it is a treat and therefore I take the small cup.

Corns n’Pops: First you choose the size and then whether you like the pre-prepared version or want to mix it yourself

And then starts the decision making. I always have a hard time to decide what to take when there are soo many options. So I just make the best out of it. Very important: always try to fit as much as possible into the cup since you are paying for the volume and not the weight. So shaking the cup from time to time and combining small stuff with larger ones will help to fit as much as possible.

As for the ingredients you can choose from different cereals to lots of different fruits like dried mangos, craneberries, apples, apricots you name it to chocolate drops, M&Ms and some more exotic ingredients like glacéed ginger and aloe vera which I like a lot too.

In the end my cup was filled with yummy muesli to take home

For those that can’t just wait to eat it, the shop owners offer you milk and you can eat it at the shop. As a matter of fact this place is not just for muesli. In the end, you can also get a nice lunch special. They offer one meal everyday and you can also sit in to enjoy something to drink. There they offer some really exciting stuff like a chai frappé or milk shakes with cherry blossom and almonds.

For those that not only want to get some muesli there is also some exciting stuff to drink

I do like this place a lot and I also like the dynamic and young owners here. They really opened a store here which is unique. For me when I want to get some special muesli I come here and get a cup. Of course, I have to admit after I get home it does not survive for long. It really tastes great – much better than the one you get in the supermarket. Plus you can choose the ingredients you like and leave the ones that you don’t like – like raisins for example.

Info: Corns n’Pops (http://www.cornsnpops.com), Gumpendorfer Strasse 37, 1060 Vienna; phone: +43/664/131 20 05; email: office@cornsnpops.com; opening hours: Mon to Fri 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sat 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; you reach the place either by bus (57A stop at Stiegengasse) or by U4 getting off at Kettenbrückengasse and when you are facing towards the city centre you walk left up Stiegengasse and then at the next street which is Gumpendorfer Strasse you turn to your right.

Vietthao: A Family Restaurant

From the outside it does not look particularly spectacular and compared to the other fancy restaurants in the first district it is not spectacular on the inside neither. It is a simple restaurant. When you enter it the first thing you notice is this retro photo of a young Asian couple. The Asian waiter talks to you with a perfect Viennese dialect. Touchez, I like!

Vietthao: a Vietnamese restaurant at Karlsplatz close to the Secession

At the beginning I was kind of suspicious. At the door they have the menu and I was kind of shocked at first. There they wrote prices like twenty euros etc. And I was already disappointed – also with myself because going for lunch on a Saturday always means you miss out on the lunch specials. “Shall I really go in?” was what I asked myself. In the end, my first impression was that it must be expensive. But then I decided now that I had come here for the restaurant I will take the chance and try it.

So I entered and noticed the interior – very simple, nothing special. Fortunately, the music was not this usual Clayderman music adapted for the Chinese something. I got the menu from the waiter. I know quite a few Vietnamese restaurants in Vienna. As a matter of fact I like Vietnamese food a lot. But on this menu I found lots of different food which you can hardly find in other restaurants. So I had a hard time with choosing what I wanted – well mainly for the starter since I knew immediately what I wanted for the main course and that was the fish.

Vietthao: as a starter I chose the summer rolls with pork and mushrooms

The reason why I was unsure about the starter was that they were not too cheap but then in the end they offer real good stuff like summer rolls with shrimp – this always means higher prices. Eventually, I decided for the summer rolls with pork and mushrooms as I was going to take the fish as a main course.

And let me tell you: the starter was delicious! Together with this red spicy peanut something sauce it was great. It was so delicious that I almost did not care about my dish manners. For the main course I had to wait a bit. This because there motto is that they prepare everything fresh. But that was ok for me since I was not in a rush. And of course, I could see what the others had. On the other table they had pho – also something I like. But then there was the big moment: the fish arrived.

The gilt-head bream was just delicious – excellent with the zucchini and the mango

It was soo delicious. Together with the fish came mango and grilled zucchini as a side order and of course rice, which was, fortunately, already included in the price. The size of the meal was just right and I was filled afterwards but not stuffed or felt to have eaten a bunch of stones.

This is definitely a great Vietnamese restaurant in my inofficial ranking of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Vienna this ranks very close to the top. So, I can truly recommend that restaurant. As it is close the many main Viennese attractions like the Karlskirche or the Naschmarkt it is a great option for a nice lunch or dinner.

Info: Vietthao, Friedrichstrasse 2, 1010 Vienna; phone: +43/1/585 20 31; opening hours: Mon – Thu 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Fri – Sat 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; credit cards: Visa, Master Card; you can reach the restaurant by going to U1/U2/U4 Karlsplatz and then taking the exit Elisbethstrasse

Sushi or Pizza?

Lets go for both! No, that was not my first thought when I went for Mochi. The reason was that it opened only a few months ago and I took a look at their menue on the internet and I had no clue what to expect. Well, yes. I had one that there were so many food items on the menue that I hardly knew of that I just had to try it. On their website it says that they fuse traditional Japanese food culture with all kinds of cuisines. Got it!

Mochi: one of these new culinary addresses where you can find amazingly innovative cuisine

No, in fact I didn’t. So that was the reason why it took me approximately two hundred years to choose my food. So in order to not disappoint the waitress for not choosing anything after staring at the menue for twenty minutes I decided for a starter. I chose two single sushis. Well, they provide you with the fish and you choose whether you like to have it as sushi or sashimi. And since I never had it before and never seen it on a sushi menue before either I chose one scallop sushi and for the other octopus because I hardly get that anywhere in Vienna and was happy to find it here.

Scallop Sushi (right) – I have never had that before

And the sushi was fantastic! Motivated by this success of having chosen just the right starter I thought to myself: “Well, now I chose whatever surprise I can get”. That is why I changed my mind and didn’t take the chicken but the skewer with shiitake mushrooms together with the beef one as my second course. And let me tell you: the shiitake one was one of the highlights!

The shiitake skewer in front was definitely a highlight

And now: the pizza and sushi part! Because now comes the crispy sushi pizza. Pizza because of the shape, sushi because they put raw salmon on top and then they do not bake regular dough but rice. Then you also get cucumbers and a chili mayonnaise on top. And it tasted yammy. First I was trying to eat it with chopsticks but that was not effective so I just ate it with my fingers.

crispy sushi pizza with raw salmon, cucumbers and a chili mayonnaise on top

In the end I paid 22 Euros for everything including beverages which is not quite cheap – on the contrary. This is a restaurant where I would not go every day or go to when I am starving. They serve lunch specials during the week which you can get at reasonable prices.

It is an experience though which you should not miss as the food they serve is really nice and of high quality. And so I would say judging from the quality of the food the prices are reasonable but not low. It is also a nice restaurant when you want to meet with friends and have a snack with your cocktail. But be aware that the restaurant is quite busy and reserving a table is only possible for the evening during week days and for both lunch and dinner on Saturday.

You can find the restaurant by getting off at U1 Nestroyplatz and walking towards the city centre at the right side of Praterstrasse and when the street makes a turn to the left towards the bridge you ignore that and keep walking on the right side towards Schwedenplatz passed the Nestroy statue and few meters further is the restaurant.

Info: Restaurant Mochi (http://www.mochi.at), Praterstrasse 15, A-1020 Vienna; phone: +43/1/925 13 80; mail: info@mochi.at; opening hours: Mon – Sat 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (sundays closed)

And so my motto was?

No, it was not one of these scandals in Vienna when they build something new – but almost. The mission was: the twincity liner – a boat that connects Vienna with Bratislava – needs to get a proper harbour and with that came not only a big new construction at the Donaunkanal (Danube Canal) but also a new culinaric destination – the Motto am Fluss.

The Motto am Fluss (= motto at the river) is both a restaurant and a café. And the café is on top of this building right at Schwedenplatz. And so the other day I was thinking of getting some lunch and I was thinking the weather was not too bad so lets go for some outdoor location and I decided for the café as they serve daily lunch specials.

And let me tell, before I continue with talking about food, if you have not climbed the stairs you do not know how great the view is from top and I truly recommend going up there and if it is just to take a look because you can see from the centre of Vienna right to the outskirts of the city. When I first did that I did not expect it.

There is a marvelous view over Vienna from the top

As soon as you reach the top you’ll find the café which is kept more in a Provence mediterranean style. As for the price range I would say both the restaurant, which is one level below, and the café are at the higher end. But you get something for your money.

From the terrace you get a fantastic view over Vienna but in summer there is hardly any chance to get space.

For the lunch special there was the choice of either soup or entry salad and chicken and the other main course was asparagus risotto. I am not so much of a risotto fan and to some extent I was suspicious about the chicken too. It said lemon chicken and I do not like artificial lemon flavor. Did I make the right decision to go here? Well, first order something to drink. I look around somebody at another table got some red soda with mint in it or what was that green leaves inside? That was may guess. So, I searched for it on the menue. You know, I could have asked too but speculated that it was the raspberry with carbonated water. Well, wrong guess. It was red but no green leaves inside. But anyhow.

Raspberry Syrup with carbonated water is something very typical in Austria and of course also Vienna

But back to ordering food – in the end, that was what I came for. Even though I was suspicious about the chicken I was really curious about the watercress soup – and who knows maybe the chicken is ok. It had pine nuts with couscous … yes, I love pine nuts. So, I took the meal with the soup and the chicken.

The soup was green – very green. But it was nice except that it missed some salt. Maybe watercress does not have much taste to begin with and better too little salt than too much.

The watercress soup was ok - at least I know now how it tastes

But then came the highlight. The one course that I was suspicious about before it turned out to be the absolute highlight. I have hardly ever had such awesome chicken before. Of course, in the end I should have known – I love cooking myself and know that if you marinate something with real nice lemon it tastes awesome. But this topped my expectations. The chicken tasted wonderful. The idea to leave the green onions whole and to just saute them is something great. And of course, the couscous with the pine nuts gave the extra kick.

The lemon chicken with the green onions and the couscous with pine nuts was the highlight

And even though the weather turned out to be pretty called while sitting outside on their terrace to have my lunch I did not want this meal to get finished. It was really great. And my motto now is: I will eat whatever they got on the menue even if I am suspicious because, in the end, fortunately I am wrong.

Info: Motto am Fluss, Schwedenplatz 2, 1010 Vienna; phone +43/1/252 55 – 10 (restaurant), +43/1252 55 – 11 (café); mail restaurant@mottoamfluss.at, cafe@mottoamfluss.at; opening hours (daily) 6:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. (restaurant), 6:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m. (bar), 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. (café); credit cards accepted

If Captain Nemo was to eat Sushi

Eating real good Japanese food in Vienna is a challenge. Too many restaurants that want to unite too many Asian cuisine influences into one restaurant concept. That is the harsh reality today. Twenty years ago things were different. It was then when I first got acquainted to Sushi. At that time Sushi was for those food experts that were brave enough to eat raw fish. Today, sushi is nothing special anymore. Also you find all those restaurants that serve you Bento boxes – well you can’t distinguish them anymore. Is it tuna or salmon – a fried piece of something that could be fish as it is covered with some thick sauce you can’t eat much from.

Enjoying lunch at Toko-Ri - almost like Captain Nemo on the Nautilus

But enough of all this complaining. Today I thought it was time again to get some nice Japanese food. And there is one restaurant in the 1st district which I really like. It is Toko-Ri. The guy that opened these Toko-Ri restaurants opened his first one in some small street pretty much across the Donaukanal in the 2nd district. It was tiny but the first restaurant I ever got sushi from. Today there are four restaurants – the one in the 2nd district, the other one in the 1st (where I went today), one at Naschmarkt and the forth one close to the Schönbrunn Zoo.

The one restaurant in the 1st district is pretty much the main restaurant. And it is great! The one thing you should pay special attention to is the sushi bar as it has an aquarium integrated in the table. It is awesome. You can see the fish swimming passed you – almost like Captain Nemo enjoying his lunch on the Nautilus.

Enjoying lunch at Toko-Ri - almost like Captain Nemo on the Nautilus

And so I was deciding on what to eat while watching the cute fish and as if they were curios as well they were passing by my place now and then to check out what I was up to. In the beginning I was very much up for a daily meal. They have four course meals for lunch every day – but only one, not like in other restaurants where you can choose from several. Here you need to ask the waiter what is the daily special. But when someone else got salmon teriyaki I thought: well, great idea. And so I checked the menu again. Tough decision. Yes, I need a house salad – I can recommend that one. It is small but very nice as a side dish and affordable.

The house salad - nice side dish and affordable

But salad and main dish wasn’t enough. So either some maki as entry or, hm? But as always, I need one-hundred years to decide on what to eat and this behavior makes every waiter extremely nervous. So, before I could decide for the third course he was already standing next to me. Being under pressure I needed to decide fast. And sometimes deciding fast is much better than taking your time. So, I thought a sunomono soup would be great – and let me tell you, it was great.

Sunomono Soup - with shrimp, tofu and shiitake mushrooms

The soup was really yummy. So much better than the regular miso soup at these other restaurants. But the highlight of the day: the salmon teriyaki. It is definitely one of the best teriyaki in whole Vienna. Forget all these bento teriyaki boxes with this unidentifiable fish, here you got nice fish with great veggies.

I just love the salmon teriyaki at Toko-Ri

It is really a nice portion and you have the rice included which is not always usual. They serve it on a hot iron plate so it is being “cooked” when they serve it. And the taste is soo yummy! But of course, I can also recommend any other dish on the menue. One of my neighbors ordered the salmon strips and they came on a bed of lettuce – very nice. The sushi is also extremely yummy – high quality. So all in all this is really a great restaurant. And for those that choose the daily special – you can either order it with just the food or you get for some extra money either calpico or a small beer. Then it costs 11 Euros – which is ok.

Info: Toko-Ri; Salztorgasse 4, 1010 Vienna; internet http://www.tokori.at; mail office@tokori.at; phone +43 1 532 77 77; fax +43 1 276 28 31; opening hours daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; visa and master card accepted; you can reach the restaurant by getting off at Schwedenplatz (either with U1, U4 or a number of trams) and walk towards the Schottenring to Gonzagagasse

Austrian Food with a Twist

It is about the restaurants that are off the beaten track and it is about those restaurants that kept the tradition of serving Austrian food while making the Austrian cuisine more modern.

One of this great examples is the “Gastwirtschaft zum Weissen Tiger” meaning the “Inn to the White Tiger” – wait? A tiger in Austria?! Well, the name comes from the white tiger that flew from a circus (Circus Renz) that was located in the street close by, the Zirkusgasse, and was captured pretty much in front of that restaurant, which after that incident changed its name to “Inn to the White Tiger”.

All that happened in the mid-1800s and today after some people decided to re-invent this traditional restaurant we got the “Inn to the White Tiger” again but as mentioned in the title with a twist. And that twist is the transfer of the Austrian cuisine to the 21st century. The ingredients they use are also to some extent ingredients that have been forgotten in the Austrian cuisine, like rhubarb, and they are also seasonal.

So today as I was deciding for where to go for lunch I thought it would be great to sit outside as it was sunny and warm enough to do exactly that. So it did not take me long to decide: I went for that restaurant as it is great to sit outside plus they have lunch specials at the price of 7,90 Euros which is decent considering the prices they usually charge.

The entry was a creamy carrot soup with croûtons. It was definitely yummy and very creamy. I loved it and was sad that it was gone too soon. When it comes to soups they always great ones.

Creamy Carrot Soup with Croûtons - that soup was definitely worth it

The main course was something very typical. In German it is called Surschopfbraten and this is pickled pork and the side order was mashed potatoes with roasted onions. That was yummy too although it could use some additional salt.

Pork Austrian style with mashed potatoes and roasted onions

It was really delicious. This is definitely a restaurant to go to and you can find it when getting off at U1 Nestroyplatz (exit “Komödiengasse”) and walking towards the hospital “Barmherzige Brüder”. In summer it is quite packed outside since they serve lunch-specials and people from offices close to the restaurant go there for lunch. So you might consider reserving a table.

Info: Gastwirtschaft “Zum Weissen Tiger”, Schmelzgasse 9, 1020 Vienna; Phone +43 1 968 17 23; Mail gastwirtschaft@zumweissentiger.com; Internet http://www.zumweissentiger.com (Website only in German)

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