Restaurant Steirereck

Edgy Viennese cuisine

Lamb shank with Aubergine, Young Gear & Lychee Tomatoes

Rated by many as the best restaurant in Austria, Restaurant Steirereck is a contemporary Viennese restaurant inside the Stadtpark in Vienna. It has 2 Michelin stars, as well as voted the 10th best restaurant in the world by the World 50 Best Restaurant awards. Simply put, this is a restaurant with a big reputation. I visited for a lunch occasion and the first thing I noticed was the slick and edgy design of the restaurant itself, almost like a space station you would see from a sci-fi movie. For lunch, you got a pretty decent good value 4-course menu (for a 2 stars restaurant) at 98 Euro, which are directly taken from the a la carte menu. You can also splash the cash and go for the long 7-course tasting menu, at an eyewatering 165 Euro per person.

Canapes

Bread trolly

Beef Consommé with Traditional Viennese Condiments

Beeswax...

... on Char...

...with Yellow Carrot ‘Pollen’ & Sour Cream

Trout with Cucumber, Melon & Etiolated Pea Shoots

Smoked eel with young Carrots, Kale & Meyer Lemon

Aubergine, Watermelon, Bell Pepper & Rose Iboza

 Beef Goulash with White Bread Leek Roulade

For my starter, I had the signature dish from the restaurant: Char with beeswax, a very creative dish using beeswax to cook the fish, the result is a beautiful piece of char with a lovely sweet undertone and it offered plenty of freshness at the same time. Even better was the steamed Attersee pike, cooked to perfection with a stunning honeydew melon and courgette juice that create a summer explosion on the palate, it was refine cooking at its best. I usually avoid ordering freshwater fish as they usually lack the umami tastes when comparing to seawater fish but Steirreck totally delivered exceptional tasting freshwater fish dishes on another level. Another top level was the guineafowl, the perfect crispy skin, the perfect seasoning, the perfect texture, the perfect garnishes, I could go on and on... it was well put together to offer a plate of pure sensation.

Teach, beans, peanut and crosne

Pike, courgette flower, capers, salad burnt

Viennese Caviar...

... with Sturgeon Red Chicory, Cornell Cherries

Piglet with Porcini Mushrooms, Peach & Olive Herb

Guineafowl with Sungold Tomato, Groundcherries & ‘Butternockerl'

Poppy seeds noodles with Damson Ice- cream

Tigernut, Elderflower & Oxalis

Coffee with Yellow Dates, Plums & Cinnamon Flowers

P4

Steirereck offered me one hell of a special dining experience, the cooking was so creative with so many unexpected elements, almost like a piece of modern art. Edgy in concept, beautiful in colour and powerful in taste, I can understand why this restaurant is considered the very best Austria has to offer. If I really have to be picky, the service could have been a touch better. Our waiter forgot serving my sauce for one of my dishes and the wines took a while after my orders on a few occasions. Having said that, the cooking is really special at Restaurant Steirereck and if you are seeking a very special fine dining experience in Vienna, this is the place to be at. 


Food 4.5/5


What I paid: 
£145 per head with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
Lunch menu: £90
Tasting menu: £155

Am Heumarkt 2A, 1030 Wien, Austria

https://www.steirereck.at/