7. December 2013: Restaurant Hotel Imperial Vienna

After being in Vienna since May this year again, I finally managed to attend a Chaîne des Rôtisseurs event this evening – and luckily it was the Christmas event at the Restaurant Hotel Imperial Vienna which started already with a great amuse bouche from the kitchen – “beef tartare with avocado mousse”. The beef tartare was incredibly tasty, well spiced and the smooth avocado mousse just made it a perfect start.

The “mousse of goose liver with ginger apple salad and a little salad marinated with apple balsamico” was great. The mousse of the goose liver was incredibly tasty, smooth, rich and the sweet cover of the goose liver mousse made it truly mouth-watering. The ginger apple salad was good and the slight spiciness of the ginger provided the perfect balance to the slightly sweet goose liver mousse.

The “Consommé of maine lobster with a puff pastry cover” had a perfect puff pastry cover – absolutely great, absolutely stunning looking. Once you managed to get through the cover and reach the actual soup your mind is blown away. The intense taste of lobster while being smooth at the same time and the very aromatic and tasty pieces of lobster make it a perfect soup.

Next was a “lake trout filet on creamy sweetheart cabbage and beetroot ravioli” – the fish filet was nicely glazed and aromatic but lacked a bit in salt. The sweetheart cabbage was aromatic and the beetroot ravioli was actually delicious but the dish was somehow not as perfectly seasoned to taste as the ones before.

As a course in between, a “basil sorbet with pear” was served which was truly nice as the taste of basil was very subtle and the taste of pear quite intense. Together, it provided a perfect combination – smooth and subtle basil sorbet and strong and intensely tasting pear.

The “veal saddle in a mushroom crust with filled artichoke hearts” was amazing. The crust was aromatic, of intense taste and the quality of the meat was great. Unfortunately, my piece was a bit thin so it had a tendency to be dry in the middle but in the end it was of good taste. The filled artichoke hearts were truly delicious – definitely have never tried this before.

For dessert, and as a last official course, “sweet chestnut with plum konfit and barberry caramel” was served. The barberry caramel was delicious, and so was the plum konfit but frankly, the sweet chestnut was somehow too subtle for me – I mean, it was good, no question but it was just lacking somehow in intensity. Still, a nice ending of a nice evening.

But it was not entirely over after the sweet chestnut dessert – the “Imperial Petit Fours” were served and although I am not a big fan of chocolates, I must say but they were absolutely delicious!

The Restaurant Hotel Imperial is absolutely beautifully designed – old-fashioned, sure, but truly nice. The service was exquisite – there was always a waiter or a waitress when the glass was empty and it was refilled in time. The service was friendly, well-orchestrated and last but not least just did a good job. Overall, once more, I was absolutely glad to have spent an evening in the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs among interesting people, enjoying great food in a beautiful atmosphere with good service for a very fair price.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Hotel Imperial Vienna

Kärntner Ring 16

1015 Vienna (AT)

Tel.: +43 1 50 11 00

Homepage: http://www.imperialvienna.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.