Another visit to No. 14 of the world: Restaurant Steirereck (22. June 2018)

I visited the Steirereck back in 2012 and haven’t been back since (read 2012 review here). But somehow, I decided it was time to give it another shot. Coincidentally, it was also just three days before that the Steirereck has been ranked #14 of the world’s 50 best restaurants.

What I was a bit surprised about is the EUR 7.50 cover charge for a restaurant in that league but admittedly, already the”bread wagon” made it worth it. The “lavender bread” was already delicious but the “blood sausage bread” made it truly outstanding. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

The butter and salt which are served with the breads you picked, were truly good but were all in all a bit average.

The “7 course menu” (EUR 152.00) with the respective “wine pairing” (EUR 89.00) is worth its price. You get to pick between two options for each course and the whole experience starts with a lovely selection of different amuse bouche. I was not able to write down everything but it was all incredibly stimulating for the taste buds. The “dumplings with sauerkraut and a bacon chip, marinaded mushrooms, cheese dumplings from Kärnten with apple sauce, goat cheese salad from Styria” were all great.

The first course was “cos lettuce with broccoli, apricot and flax crop” served with a “2016, Sylvaner, Weingut Schmitt / Flörsheim-Dalsheim, from Rheinhessen” and was a good start.

The “green asparagus with bergamot, bard beard and carp milter” served with “2015, Weisser Schiefer ‘S’, Uwe Schiefer / Welgersdorf – Südburgenland” was a good match and the smoothness of the carp milter was lovely.

One of my favourite courses was the “lake char with blood orange, quinoa and dill” served with a “2011, Riesling “Wachstum Bodenstein” Smaragd, Prager – Toni Bodenstein / Weissenkirchen – Wachau“. The combination of the tasty fish together with the slight acidity and sweetness of the blood orange and the crunchiness of the quinoa made an exceptional dish.

The “forest shrub with mangold, beech mushrom, dottle and elder flower” served with “NV Starkbier “Brew Secco”, Handbrauerei Forstner / Kaltsdorf close to Graz” was in interesting revelation. Especially since the wine pairing was a beer pairing. And while I’m usually not into ‘stark beer’, it was actually quite amazing also in combination with the food.

The “kid goatwith sunflower seeds, albina beet and bee balm” served with a “2013, Cabarnet Franc “Ranolder Vörös”, Jásdi / Csopak – Hungary” was good.

What I really came for was the selection of different cheeses which you were able to pick from the cheese wagon. Just looking at it right now while writing it makes my mouth watery. You really get a lovely selection of amazing cheeses from intense blue cheese to red cheeses served with a “2000, Moscato oxidativ “Bianchdùdùi”, Bera Vittorio e Figli / Piemont“.

My plate looked like this when I had picked all my cheeses (I suppose I could have gone on for quite a while but the natural limitations of the plate would prevent that) and while the first four were rather boring, the last two were incredibly intense and, therefore, accordingly interesting.

The last course of the night were “heart cherry with forest mushrooms, pistachio and malt” served with an intense port wine “NV Tawny Port “10 years old”, Graham’s / Vila Nova de Gaia, Douro“. It looked too sweet for my gusto but it turned out to be actually great in combination with the earthy mushrooms and the malt, so a great finish to the whole dinner.

Especially in combination with the pistachio ice cream. However, I would have wished for a slightly more surprising ice cream than pistachio but it was tasty.

However, the “friandises” which were served to finalize the dinner were great. The selection of different flavours and textures made it the perfect ending.

What I liked a lot about the place is the quality of the service. Although, admittedly, it varied a bit. While the senior waiter (as in, chef de service) did an excellent job, some of his more junior staff wasn’t entirely capable of providing as would have been good. For example, one of us got the wrong dish served and while we were all a bit surprised and acted accordingly, the waitress did no effort to recognize her mistake. Until the senior waiter showed up, took the plate, and apologized. The sommelier did, generally speaking, a good job, however, when he served a wine from the Ranoldo region, it turned to the ‘Ronaldo region’ which made us laugh quite hard.

All in all, the Restaurant Steirereck was not as impressive as during the first visit but it is still absolutely worth visiting as the dishes are good, the service is generally speaking exquisite with a few flaws. When it comes to the atmosphere, I must admit that it is even better than in 2012 since they have re-built the place and made it look much lovelier than before. And when it comes to pricing, all of it is rather decent considering the level we’re looking at. The same is true for the beverages although they are at the top of the price rank for an Austrian restaurant with EUR 8.50 for 0,75l Vöslauer, EUR 20.00 with a Grappa Barolo, and EUR 8.00 for a double espresso.

If you make it to Vienna, you should definitely enjoy a fine dining experience at the Restaurant Steirereck. Make sure to book well in advance to secure a nice table. Worth going but it comes with a price.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Steirereck

Am Heumarkt 2A

1030 Vienna (AT)

Tel.: +43 17 13 31 68

Fax: +43 17 13 31 682

E-Mail: wien@steirereck.at

Homepage: http://www.steirereck.at

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.