Restaurant Vestibuel – Vienna Austria

This is a hot report, I have not even digested the food yet, but there is a burning desire inside me to report immediately, as if I could this way relay to you some of the magic I have experienced tonight in Vienna.

I am here for a meeting and I arrived shortly before dinner time. I stay in the historical center, and found the “Vestibul” from the Michelin Red Guide, where it has been awarded a “Bib Gourmand” citation, meaning best value for money.

In any case, I walked the one kilometer in a very mild night and arrived at the restaurant.

It is across the boulevard from the Parliament, in a quiet corner of the Burg Theater.

The decoration inside is 19th century “fin de siecle”, as you can see from the bar photograph.

I was greeted by Veronika Doppler, who kindly showed me to a smoking table near the bar.

The friendly waiter recommended the house specialty for a starter, and I obeyed.

The dish arrived in the hands of the chef, Christian Domschitz, who explained that it is crunchy gabbage, lightly treated in salt and vinegar, served to accompany the lobster in its butter sauce. This was a first course, and it had in it almost half a lobster! Tender, juicy, divine!

This dish is a poem to the contrast of textures and the divinity of the lobster’s fragile mortal flesh.

If mortality is so beautiful, I am happy to be mortal!

The main course was my choice. black truffle with beef marrow, served on a “sponge” of crispy white bread. This is beyond description! I have never before tasted such a sweet, buttery substance, that melts in your mouth with overpowering you, while at the same time the truffle infuses the liquid with all the aromas of the woods.

This orgy of a dish was accompanied by a fiery red wine made by Triebauer.

And now the dessert! Dark chocolate praline with campari sauce in the middle, accompanied by blood orange sorbet on the left and orange grog on the right.

The grog was mildly hot, and contrasted beautifully the cold sorbet.

Mamma mia!

Veronika, Christian, thank you!

I will be back!

Mit herzlichen gruessen!

P.S. At the time of the visit, the restaurant was recommended by the Michelin Red Guide as “petit gourmand”.

Braureigasthof Ayinger, Aying, Bavaria, Germany

Aying is a beautiful small village, about 20 kilometers outside Munich.

Its pride over the last 130 years is the Brewery Ayinger, which produces some of the best beer I have ever tasted.

State of the art facilities in Ayinger Brauerei

It is estimated that there are more than 650 breweries in Bavaria today.

Johann Liebhard, the founder of the Brewery

I visited the village as part of my fall visit to Munich, following a suggestion by Manolis, who had spotted the place. We had lunch at the restaurant that is owned and operated by the brewery.

Brauereigasthof

The Gasthof serves a good selection of Bavarian dishes, and was the best choice to enjoy our beer!

For a starter, I had the pickled  pork head (pork head cheese), which was delicious, and was accompanied by sweet potatoes!

The beer that came with it, was dark and full of flavours I cannot describe!

The main course was (guess!) pork in the oven, cooked to perfection, with crispy skin and a light delicious gravy!

This is one of the cornerstones of the Bavarian cuisine, and believe me, as far as terroir goes, it really hits the mark!

The beer that came with the pork was an electrifying  blonde.

What a meal! What a place!

But above all, it was the beer that really made it for me!

Aufwiedersehen Aying!

Thank you Manoli, Maria, Athina!

P.S. At the time of the visit, the restaurant was recommended by the Michelin Red Guide as “bib gourmand”.