School started two weeks ago and it means being out and about, buying this and that, submitting documents and whatnots and a lot more hullaballoos! I sometimes find myself lacking time to prepare decent meals not just for myself but more importantly for the three tigers I have to feed. They may be small (yet) but their appetites are bigger than mine!
Conveniently, we live near a mall two tram stations and some steps away. We did some of the school-supplies-shopping there and our out-of-time dine ins. :/ One easy spot for us would be the Merkur restaurant. It’s an open, self-service, dine-in kitchen – very informal, one would say but the food is really okay by my standards.
Kaiserschmarrn and fruits
I’ve featured the Kaiserschmarrn often but only plain, here it is served with blueberries, strawberries, raisins and sugar dusts. Looking back, Kaiserschmarrn does have raisins always, sometimes really embedded deep into the batter. This plate comes with Zwetschgenkompott or stewed plums. Too sweet for lunch but like before, it’s like a main course and dessert in one! Being a serving so big for me, I share this with my youngest son.Continue Reading…
Sometimes, I wish I have someone who I can always drag to go with me. Just to go about the city, gawk at the historical places, eat at all the fancy restaurants and even at the corner store selling kebap; have cake and tea, talk about stuff that aren’t mundane and do other things bestfriends do when they’re together. You see, I don’t have that kind of friend, particularly a girl friend -yeah, I feel like my social life seemed like a sorry one. Most of my colleagues are older than I am, most of them work throughout the day and sometimes I can’t have intellectual conversations – just because. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking down on anyone, but it’s probably only hubby who can relate to my way of thinking and to stuff I’m interested with. And he too, has to work.
That’s why I am thankful that Kuya O came to Vienna even for 4 months. Walking around became lively, eating has become more enjoyable and conversations were suddenly interesting and full of humor that sometimes, actually – a lot of times we wouldn’t be able to get off the station we’re supposed to for so much talking. It’s not always positive talks though, he could get nasty but I understand, I reciprocate in the same way but I think I need to practice a bit more. (lol). So one day we decided to visit the Schönbrunn palace and gardens despite having been there often. It’s a must – when you visit Vienna, you just have to see this grand palace, the ballroom and the gold-plated walls in it, the gardens, the collection of carriages, the gloriette, the view from the hill and even the aquarium and the zoo.
Residenz Schönbrunn is the yellow building there with green doors
But, before you go in to feast your eyes with what Royalty was or have a tour of the elaborate mazes and amazing landscape…stuff yourself with energy! Just by the Schönbrunn palace is a well-known restaurant serving local cuisine. It’s called Residenz Schönbrunn and although a bit pricey than the usual fare, it’s really worth every €.Continue Reading…
It’s no secret that I enjoy getting lost around Vienna on purpose. I walk around a lot and often end up on streets with flower shops at the corners, hole in the wall restaurants and even old bookstores and trinket shops. And I always share them on my instagram account (follow me if you haven’t yet and I’ll follow you back). Most of the time, I also end up on secret streets, fully on cobblestones and which are actually leading to some places I am really familiar about. Surprise!
Above photo is the Esterhazystrasse, a street just above the Herrengasse train station. I, along with Kuya O (visiting friend from Japan), went up the side I haven’t been to before. If you’ve noticed I’ve been out and about and dining a lot with Kuya O, well, that’s because we are the only ones who could often go out at early hours. He’s on a research-trip which he does on his own hours and I’m a blogger, I can blog even when I’m out of the house. 😉 And all our friends has to work!
People watching
We walked around the area and ended up at the city centre – talking about random things, sitting a bit and people watching until we got hungry. The city centre is where tourists abound. The Kärtnerstrasse is a closed street exclusive for shoppers housing designer labels and rtws, souvenir shops and of course a plethora of food joints – formal dining, fast-food, even street stalls. It is inside the famous circle of important buildings and perhaps culture Vienna has been built upon. Strategically too since tourists are like busy bees and definitely would go hungry after a long walk.
If you know your way around, you will easily find a food shop of what you are craving for at the moment. For example, the Sacher Hotel is at one end across the Opera house and on the other side of Starbucks. So you can choose between a slice of sacher torte and a cup of melange over a cappuccino and truffle cake, but, you never have to go far.
Anyway, enough of the babbling (sorry I got carried away). We went to one of Vienna’s old restaurant chain, Wienerwald (existing more than 50 years now). It literally translates to Viennese forest/wood but it doesn’t actually originate in Vienna, the chain started out in Munich. The restaurant is famous for its roast chicken, schnitzel and mostly poultry offerings but through the years has also increased their menu including the more famous Austrian dishes. This branch is found in Annagasse, one of the inner streets in the stretch of Kärtnerstrasse.
Schweinsbraten, Sauerkraut, Knödel
So Kuya O had Schweinsbraten served with Sauerkraut and Knödel…really tender roast pork, sour cabbage and dumplings swimming in a sauce that blends suitably. Hah! Don’t wonder why, in an attempt to document our food trips, we had to try each other’s dishes as we previously did. ^_^ I sometimes wonder if Asians have smaller stomachs than Europeans or do Asians just talk a lot while eating, becoming full too soon – we always end up not finishing a meal. :/
Tafelspitz, Kartoffel, Horseradish
On my plate would be Tafelspitz, it literally means tip of the board – so it’s like “tip of the meat for the table” (lol). This dish dates back to the 1800s as it was a favorite of Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. It’s basically beef from the bottom sirloin primal cut boiled with root vegetables and spices. It is served really tender – you fork it and it disintegrates easily. Same goes for the texture, it just melts! Tafelspitz is usually served with horseradish and sour cream or Apfelmus (apple puree), mine has potatoes instead of the apple puree along with the previous two. And because I have an ‘ok’ relationship with wasabi, I enjoyed the horseradish with the meat…clears out your nostrils really nicely too! ^_^
I’ve been looking for a photo of what dessert we had but can’t find one on my Instagram stream – where, by the way, I also share all these food photos! If you find yourself in Vienna, give me a call, I’ll walk you around and treat you to one of its local restaurants and let you have a taste of where the Habsburgs emperors and empresses once walked and what they had on their plates! 😉
Zero degrees, blue skies and kids don’t have school – perfect day to go out and enjoy some traditional Viennese cuisine at the Danube tower.
There are two revolving restaurants at the tower, one at 160 meters (called Panorama), which is more of a café and one at 170 meters (called Donauwalzer) which serves traditional Austrian cuisine. Gladly, we were able to be accommodated despite it being a holiday. (Reservations skyrocket on holidays so better call up first).
The elevator ride up is always fun – especially with the kids. They’d look up in amazement, not understanding how far we’ve gone up until they hear that “ding.”
First photo on frame – view on our way to the tower’s entrance – very springy. Top right photo would be UNO city (United Nations Organization city) – housing the offices of the United Nations. Bottom left photo shows a man-made river by the Danube Park (hopefully) with all the trees still waiting for their leaves. Last photo, below right is the Danube river with a view of the houses and buildings surrounding it.
Ordering food also means waiting time, the best time to take photos of Vienna as the restaurant rotates. You get to see Vienna from east to west while sitting on your cozy chair. Inside the restaurant, you will get an idea at the area you are gazing at as there are signs indicating them. Kahlenberg, Stephansplatz, Stammersdorf and so on would be some you will be familiar with.
markers of important Viennese landmarkspotato soupWiener Schnitzel (veal)
We had the usual fare of potato soup, Wiener Schnitzel – veal that is, and I have to stress that this is protected by law, Schnitzel not made from veal should rightfully be identified by restaurants and not call them Wiener 🙂 – chicken schnitzel or pork schnitzel would be more like it. The servings are quite humongous – for small eaters like me, I shared one with my little boy.
We then had apfelstrudel, served in a generous lather of vanilla sauce sprinkled with sugar. Just perfect for a finish. And hubby, gulped down his meal with a cup of cappuccino.
After paying and tipping we went up the observation deck but the winds were too much up there we gave up too soon. ^_^
Apfelstrudel bathing in vanilla saucenot Melange but Cappuccino
Still at the Schönbrunn grounds, Dexter, the kids and I boarded the lilliputbahn going around the palace and up the hills to the Gloriette.
A gloriette (French for “little glory”) is an installation in a garden constructed on such locations, that is elevated with respect to the surroundings. They are often in the form of a pavilion, more or less open on the sides.
The largest and probably most notable gloriette is this one. It was the last building constructed in the garden according to the plans of Austrian imperial architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg as a “temple of renown” in 1771. It serves as a lookout point for the garden, back in the days, it was used as a dining hall and festival hall as well as a breakfast room for emperor Franz Joseph I.
The dining hall, which was used up until the end of the monarchy, today has a café in it, and on the roof is now an observation platform overlooking Vienna.
Vanilla ice cream…why yellow? 😀
As it was quite warm that day, tolerable but still warm. So we decided to chill it off. They serve breakfast, Austrian dishes, local pastries and coffee. The wind at the back terrace, where we were seated, was really pleasant. The kids requested for ice cream while Dexter and I had cappuccino. It was not the warmest experience we had that week. The servers were not as friendly as those at the Cafe restaurant residence and you get this feeling that they want you to hurry your stay. No smiles, no greetings…and such is a pet peeve.
Unkindness aside, the kids did enjoy their treats, no complains on the cappuccino, we were able to rest from all the walking and yes, we had a brew where the royals used to. We’re fine.
A visit to the imperial Schönbrunn Palace will not be complete without a taste of authentic Wiener Schnitzel and Sacher torte…no less or not far than where the royals used to dine. Just beside the Schönbrunn Palace is a restaurant offering local cuisine and world-famous desserts that were the favorites of emperors and empresses back in the days.
It is but just to bring a visiting friend to the Cafe Restaurant Residenz Schönbrunn for a late lunch. The Cafe restaurant is located at the left side of the Palace upon entry…there’s a terrace opened when we came as it was summer, though I bet interior dining would have been good too since it’s exclusively for non-smokers. The kids had fun getting sprayed upon – they’ve installed those sprayers just below the conservatory blinds to keep the air humid.
chicken fillet, cherry tomatoes, couscous
Dexter, our friend had a healthy dish of chicken fillet with cherry tomatoes and cous cous. He was so engrossed in it that we had very little exchange of words throughout the course. We did some snapshots though which I definitely would upload later on.
XXXL wiener schnitzel
Authentic wiener schnitzel comes from veal, it is legally protected so if a restaurant is to serve schnitzel made from pork or chicken, it should be rightfully noted on menu. My daughter shared hers with son #2 as it’s an XXL serving, too much for her little tummy to take. The dish comes also with parsley potato, her favorite, so there’s not really much left in there when she ate those first.
Comes with a giant plate of parsley potato too.happy with his slice of sacher torte
I shared mine with son #1 but he ate very little of it because he wanted to go ahead with his dessert, a slice of sacher torte. He was satisfied with his slice and kept telling the other two about it that I had to order another one for son #2. After the meal, there was only satisfaction plastered in the faces of us five…would definitely come back here and try their other specialties. Kudos to the friendly staff as well, a lovely dining experience becomes extra special with them.
Our visit to the Haus des Meeres wouldn’t be complete without some food…and to think that we went there about lunch time…We sought the restaurant at the 4th floor. We get to view the people walking below and the cars passing by as one side is all glass. The menu isn’t much so we got the usual finger foods – Chicken Schnitzel and fries for the two bigger kids while little had burger and fries…I’d say it out loud the burger and fries where bland… 😛 And that’s the reason why the salt and pepper shakers where there, you get to put them yourselves since you are the only one who knows your preference. (lol)
Aside from being tasteless, the food is a bit expensive for — well, the taste, not so worth it. Even a bottled iced tea that costs 0.80 cents outside was 2euro. Next time I’ll make sure we’ve eaten already before going up and down the stairs…
My daughter definitely loves Apfelstrudel (apple strudel). No matter where we go she would always ask for this dessert if Blackforest cherry cake is not in the menu. Apfelstrudel has the same status as the Wiener Schnitzel and Tafelspitz as Austria’s national dishes, even if it has been originally a feature cuisine in the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Above is from the Czech restaurant I featured earlier, you can see how fully packed the strudel is…though dawty doesn’t like raisins, she would always eat them when they’re in a strudel.
Wiener Schnitzel, Vienna’s trademark dish (yes, it’s not the Vienna sausage)…is a favorite of my kids. Traditional Wiener Schnitzel is made of veal and this is protected by law…Since the emergence of Schnitzel from pork and chicken, restaurants should identify this is their menu, thus Schnitzel from pork is Schwein Schnitzel and Schnitzel from chicken is Puten Schnitzel.
This dish is cooked like tonkatsu (Japanese) or milanesa (Mexican)….or cordon bleu sans the ham and cheese; meat, coated in flour then eggs then breadcrumbs. The kids love this served with pommes frites (french fries) and a sprinkling of lemon.
Happy!
Some weekends ago, when spring was having itself felt, we went to the Leopoldauer Alm XXL. The owner identifies it as a Lokal – loosely translated as saloon/restaurant but it has the Heuriger (tavern selling homegrown wine) appeal to me. The traditional wood-look and wood tables are very Austrian.
The inside was very charming but we decided to dine al fresco, we just can’t resist the sun shining outside.
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For this trip I used another discounted deal I got from Dailydeal. I got an 11,90€ (17.62$) deal for the value of 28,50€ (42.21$). The meal is for two and includes 2 XXL-Schnitzel (500g), all-you-can-eat sidedishes und 2 Schnaps (which I didn’t get by the way and won’t since I was with the kids). As you can see from the above photo, the portion was too big, exceeding the plate, which itself is not the normal plate we use at home.
potato salad
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The sidedishes given were potato salad and french fries, I love potato salad with Schnitzel so I did finish this whole serving, we were given two which were really big servings. Good thing we are allowed to take home leftovers…even those on the other table were taking theirs home….just too much! We gulped everything down with iced tea (no Schnaps!).
It was all in all a lovely experience despite my usual complaint. The servers were not as friendly at first as they later on will be. The kids were expecting to find kois at what appears to be a small grotto at the corner but there wasn’t any. I think I have a recipe of Wiener Schnitzel posted but I’m not to sure so for today, I’m sharing a recipe of Cordon bleu which is cooked similar to this dish sans the ham and cheese inside. Click here if you want the recipe. Thanks!
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Leopoldauer Alm is located at the border of the 21st and 2nd district, near the shopping area we frequent for furnitures and home supplies.
After the meal, there was only satisfaction plastered in the faces of us five…would definitely come back here and try their other specialties. Kudos to the friendly staff as well, a lovely dining experience becomes extra special with them.
