Steirereck Restaurant, Vienna *2 Michelin Stars*

Steirereck was highly recommended by a friend
his only comment was "Just don't bother other places...go to this one every meal"
I was luffing out loud when he told me that....how do go there every day every meal?
true enuff, now my only complain was.....tsk tsk why the heck I've got only one DINNER reservation?
We came here for 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 amazing dinner
hahahahahaha

dinner reservation didn't come easy.....it was 2 months earlier and all my requests were bounced back......sorry we are full that nite
so in the end with exasperation, I gave them a choice of 7 nites to choose from
dun tell me u are fully booked even on a quiet weekday?
yeah THEY WERE REALLY FULLY BOOKED even on Wednesday!!!!!
but when the confirmation came I was squealing in delight
didn't even mind eventhough they needed my hotel reservation to confirm my booking
or reminders of my booking on a weekly basis even before we arrive in Europe
and when the DAY was nearer....they actually contacted us on a daily basis
sorry JS & Monkey are not letting the table go...this is a CONFIRMED reservation

located in the beautiful Stadtpark which was walking distance from our hotel
facing the river, this restaurant is a standalone building in the middle of green lush in Vienna

the only restaurant in Vienna with 2 Michelin Stars
helmed by Chef Heinz Reitbauer, he specializes in Austrian cuisine
Steirereck was ranked 22nd world best restaurant in 2011

catching a glimpse at the smoking section of the restaurant
with its tray of cigar selection here..
our eyes were focused on the customer who was falling out from his pants and his chair
*:P chuckled*
**yes we r notti...that's why this blog is named so**

crimson red wall with a customized mirror of cutleries
nice color!!!!

after confirming we are the ppl who made the reservation,
we were ushered to our table

a lone beautiful opened Tulip sat smilling at us
oooo I like its vase!!!!

yeah I'm a sucker for glass ware
every trip, we have some glassware as souvenirs for ourselves
even if it means I have to hand carry them home

everything was simple, clean, crisp and comfortable
the lights were just right
and I was touching its clean crisp linen napkins and table cloth

shaved butter with sour cream butter at the bottom
in the beginning I thought those yellow lines were made of plastic
but they were sour cream butter laid carefully on top of a perspex
what the..........did they used a ruler or something????

the butter knife

then the sweetest water came...he reminded me of Goofy the cartoon character
:))))))))))))
with vast knowledge on his bread
he also happened to be the "buyer" of bread for the restaurant, where he determines what bread to bring in for the evening
and so he was explaining all the breads on his tray

 we made our selection and he sliced them off carefully on his bread board with a white bag underneath to collect its crumbs

so I choose some honey and lavender, some with purple potatoes, some with chilis
with austrian sausages etc....
the bread alone was so so so so yummy!!!

a beautiful starter which I forgotten wat was it :P
hehehehehhehe
anyhow warning straight ahead....if u are hungry right now, please come back and read this posting after u have stuffed urself with food

every dish came with its own menu card
specifying the name of the dish
and of every single ingredients used up to its origin - from Danube Valley etc

another complimentary started of salmon in basil oil reduction

a stalk of celery was presented on our table
no instructions were given
we threw each other an astonishing look
what is this???
clever JS then saw 2 odd looking stalk of celery sticking out
he took it and said it's pickled celery

at the same time, this beautiful spoon made from sea shell also presented itself next to us

this is how u enjoy them
oooOOOOoooooo

then a potted plant/grass came
we stared at each other again
I suppose it's edible ????
the brownish chips are onion/vegetable based chips
while the green grass is GRASS...no u KENOT eat the grass
we knew coz it was deeply rooted into its soil

the description is on the pic above
i didn't know there's oysters finer than the french fine de claires
it came from Portugal

Schwarzauer Mountain Trout with Melon, cucumber and purple salsify shoots

the raw mountain trout was seasoned with lime salt
then the raw honeydew melon was steamed with lemon balm
cucumber was pickled with verjus, ginger ale and white balsamic vinegar
lattuce paste was used with basil oil, acacia honey and cayenne pepper
the tiny work-liked looking stuffs were fermented crunchy mung bean sprouts
and more marinated purple salsify shoots

I wanted to faint...the trouble taken to prepare something this fine
according to the card given, this mountain trout is something forgotten in the culinary scene
this variety is much more firmer with tender flesh bcoz the fish stores its fat evenly within its muscles
no wonder...every bite just melts into ur mouth!!!!!

Puntarella and chanterelles with cashew nuts and radish sprouts

our first question was wat is puntarella???
it is the hearts of a very rare member of chicory
on this dish, we were eating only its hearts which was sauted with olive oil, sugar and salt
the chanterelles were marinated in brown butter and steamed
with some toasted cashew nuts
some tomato juice clarified with white port wine, black olives and lemongrass

my mind was spinning at this juncture...
too much of information
and too much of analysis leads to brain paralysis

wild broccoli with smoked curd cheese, pecan nuts, artichoke and cress seeds

the broccoli stems were served steamed alongside its smoked curd cheese and pericon dumpling which resembled the long stems
with some toasted pecan nuts
florets of wild broccoli

Confited Tench with white radish, nashi pear, lemon and almond

the tench is a fish with lean flesh and nutty flavour
it was confited in brown butter, while its white radish was marinated with lemon and white balsam vinegar before being braised in bean sprout juice
some roasted amaranth and mustard cress

so beautiful!!!!!!
Danube salmon with broccoli, black rice and camomile
on top the black rice was crunchy

the fish was gently steamed
it was earlier marinated with balsam vinegar, chili and carrot juice
while the broccoli and nasturtium root was sauteed with horseradish and camomile

no wonder the occasional wasabi-liked sting up my nostrils and into my head
it just gave me such sensation that's so additive that I wanted more
well pain release endorphine in ur body...that explains
the dark stains on the plate were black rice creme with light komen miso

JS ordered a bottle of burgundy
Steirereck's cellar is an astounding 35,000 bottles collection

every table has got their own sideboard to showcase the tealight candle
your still water, wines/champagnes, cutleries inside its drawer and all the utensils!!!

another crispy surprise presented itself on the table
anything edible is alwiz welcomed
hohohohohohohohohoho

Jerusalem artichoke with peppers, red onion and duck offal

duck offal = variety meats and organ.
in this case, the duck hearts and stomach came fr 8 week old organic ducks from Schneebergland in Austria

the jerusalem artichoke was roasted in duck fat with yellow peppers cooked in pepper and grapefruit juice. Red onions poached in a sour ginger marinade
duck hearts confited in brown butter and braised duck stomachs
underneath it all some steamed pak choi which was marinated with lovage oil
and a crispy toppings of really really crispy duck skin :))))))))))))))

the other duck dish was Schennbergland duck breast with fennel, prunes and pistachios
the duck breast was confited in pistachio butter, simple steamed fennel hearts which was earlier marinated with fennel juice, pericon, herb and rice wine vinegar

the meat knife came....signaling the oncoming of our main course
:))))))))))))))
yup the duck wasn't the main course ok???

Boiled beef shoulder with parsnip, artichoke pith and macadamia nuts

the beef were organic ones poached in artichoke stock
the whitish stuffs u see are shaved flaked macadamia nuts!!!!
yummsss!!!
parsnip was confited in brown butter *this chef has got fetish for confit and brown butter hahahaha*
served with beef poaching stock with artichoke pith and pandan

Pogusch lamb with quince, etiolated salad and hemp

the etiolated is grown completely in the dark, so it's not green coz there's no chlorophyl
so it is less bitter
so chlorophyl is bitter????

the roasted loin is so well done
with toasted hemp seeds
served with lamb braising jus with cido quince
cido quince is a smaller variation than the normal quince but much more acidic.
it came from Styria

after our main course
as usual the cheese tray came....
we looked at its variation and went GAH!!!! so many

then the Maitre' D unveiled more at the bottom deck inside its drawer
WAHHHHH
no cheese please...
dessert now please
:)))))))))))))) heeeeeeeeeee

the hot towel to refresh and clean our hands were served on this seashell-liked plate
so elegant :)))))))))))))

ooooo wat's for dessert then???
our menu cards were stacking thick by now

Abate fetel pear with rosemary and loomi

the pear was poached in pear juice infused with star anis and cardamon
served with pear foam in the middle
and a dollop of goat's milk, pear and loomi ice cream

loomi = arabian spice. Made by cooking whole limes in salted water, dried them in the sun. Grounded to be used in seasoning sweet/savoury dishes. It has got a spicy, fresh and smokey flavour with intense limonene fragrance.

while I had the Milk, Honey with almonds, tea and mandarins
crunchy almod on top of caramelized milk skin
u know milk skin?? when u leave a cup of warm milk too long, it will create a "skin" on top?
so chef retrieve this sheet of skin and topped it with crunchy almond and let them dry
in between these sheets were dehydrated mandarin filets

oh heaven~~~~~

a nearby table was celebrating a birthday
I like the fireworks candle!!!!
thought he was proposing to the gal as he reaches out into his pocket for something
but I was wrong -_-"

then the next cart pushing its way by the sweet Goofy guy
he threw his best smile and started telling us the name of every single potted plants

O.O
this happened to be our TEA cart!!!
TEA CART?!?!?!??!?!
TEA CART??!?!?!?!?!?!
>.<
what the......
there's herbs, cammomile, lemon grass
wahhhh my tea can't get any fresher than this
he then pluck the leaves carefully...put it into the tea bag...

and my tea was ready
:)))))))))))))))))
suddenly I love my tea so much :P

the nite isn't over yet................
coz another cart came...
and I almost leaped outta my seat!!!!!!!!

WHAT IS TAT??????????????????????????????
thin chips of mandarins/lemons/oranges etc
O.O

He was explaining what sort of oranges they were
wat kind of weird lemon that looked like this
which type of lemons were used on the other side of the cart

"So Madame, which one would u like?"
Monkey: "ALL OF IT!!!! and DON'T MISS ANY!!!!!!"

he then proceeded with placing each thin fragile lemons/oranges into this tray of chocolate chips
it looked so beautiful I wanted to cry!!!!!!!

JS was bz snapping pic of it....and viewing it on his camera....
before he knew it....
it bcame........
.................

"WOI!!!!!!" >.<
hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehhe
it was really good :)))))))))))

on our way out, we caught a glimpse of chef
:))))))))))))

what a beautiful experience in Steirereck!!!!!
Thank you to the entire team for making our dining experience here so so so AMAZING!!!

Steirereck is part of the Chateau & Relais group programme

when it comes to dining in Vienna, it is 1/3 of the price of Paris
:))))))))))))))))))))

we walked out of Steirereck with big smiles on our faces
and extremely contented tummy
brains still bz digesting and processing all the information we've learnt
it has widen our knowledge again

after a few more steps, our hotel is in view
yeah should have booked everynite but then again....they were fully booked

there's alwiz another time, and I'll ensure we do our bookings way way ahead of 2 months!!!!!
Thanks to Alex C for sharing this restaurant with us :)))))))))

Steirereck *2 Michelin Stars*
Am Heumarkt 2A in Stadtpark
Vienna.
Tel: +43 1713 3168
www.steirereck.at