Our trip to Vienna did not only bring us to the well known landmarks and coffeehouses, but also to gastronomical delights. First on the list of things to do was a stroll over the Vienna Naschmarkt. It is the largest market of the city and offers you everything. At least everything concerning food. In countless permanent stands you can find a variety of fruits and vegetables in fresh, dried or marinated form, spices, cheese, fish and meat. Quite some of these stands are small restaurants and invite you to step out of the hassle and into a nice atmosphere to enjoy some fresh food. And a few of the stands offer real treasures like the one which offers a lot of different forms or better say aromas of vinegar along with good advice.
I recommend everybody who visits Vienna to stroll over the Naschmarkt and enjoy it. It is open Monday through Saturday. Since we had lousy weather this time, we decided to come back when it’s warmer. Then we will go shopping for Antipasti, ham, fresh bread, fruits and cheese and find a nice place in one of the parks to have a picnic. Even the thought about that makes me want to leave work. But that has to wait and on top of that we don’t have a market that comes even close at home.
The Naschmarkt was of course not our only stop for good food. The next one was a temple of Schnitzel well know even way beyond Vienna’s borders. If you want to try an original Wiener Schnitzel, you cannot leave out Figlmüller in the Wollzeile – only a few minutes walk away from the Stephansdom. A little while, after we got in line, we were seated close to the entrance. From there we had a good look at all the people who entered at the end of their sightseeing tour, completely dressed up just before leaving for a ball, or just because they waited for a good dinner. But since you only come for dinner and not for a long nights drinking tour, the waiting time is relatively short (we waited for 10 minutes or so).
Over and over again we saw waiters hauling trays filled with cartwheel sized schnitzel to the waiting guests. Considering the size and the fact that we snacked here and there on the market, we decided not to have the schnitzel, but go for the other Viennese specialty – Tafelspitz with Apfelkren and Rösterdäpfel (a Vienna style boiled rump with apple-horseradish and browned potatoes). The best way to describe the dish is: delicious. This was - combined with one of Figlmüller’s wines - a good days end.
For the second night we said good bye to the Viennese cuisine and hello to Vietnamese cuisine. In the city guide we found a reference to a good Vietnamese restaurant – the Saigon – located at the Getreidemarkt. Due to its location close to the Karlsplatz, it is easy to reach by public transportation. Here you will find a wide variety of authentic and richly decorated food for decent prices. My chicken with pineapple was served in a halved pineapple on strings of red beet and carrot and decorated with orchid blossom. Definitely eye candy, but not only that. The food itself was great with a rich flavour. I can really recommend to visit this place.
Since we already plan to come back to Vienna, I’m interested what restaurants we will visit then. In any case, I’m excited.
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