Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner Hefeabzug 2013

Date of Tasting: 28 May 2015

Wine Type: White

Grape Varieties: 100% Gruner Veltliner

Alcohol: 12%

Origin: Wachau, Austria

Appellation: Wachau

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR20

Web: http://www.nikolaihof.at/
Chubby Appreciation: 91/100
Critics' Opinion: WA - 90/100, WS - 92/100, CT - 90/100

Appearance: Bright yellow.

Aroma: Minerally citrus bouquet and subtle smokiness.

Palate: Medium-bodied on the palate. Appearance of complexity. Crisp acidity and iodine. Pear and citrus notes with mild spiciness.

Food friendly wine, this is. It is sure a good value table wine that deserves stocking up. I love the crunchiness character of this wine by Nikolaihof whilst subtlety and creaminess are still maintained. If Gruner Veltliner is your kind of white wine, here is one for drinking during the next 5 years.

Restaurant Steirereck im Stadtpark @ Vienna, Austria

Cuisine: Austrian

Map: Restaurant Steirereck im Stadtpark @ Vienna, Austria

Price: EUR140 per person without alcohol (what I paid for)

Visited: 11 April 2011

Food: 9/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 9/10

Services: 7/10

During our visit to Vienna, we had a chance to visit Restaurant Steirereck im Stadtpark, which is of course by its name situated in the heart of central park of Vienna. I could heartedly say that this restaurant has the most beautiful location in the city: elegant yet relaxation. This place offers innovative Austrian menu created by Chef Heinz Reitbauer. To us, we would certainly not be surprised if this place will be awarded with 3 Michelin Stars.

Decoration is warm and grand. The service is also great. Staffs were helpful at the time we visited though we had some difficulty in communication as we do not speak German and they speak broken English. Nevertheless, each course we had there would be a menu card explaining clearly what this dish is and how it is cooked in brief. What we love about this place is the way they manage to cook something, which we cannot imagine it could taste so lovely, perfectly. Innovation, presentation, and selection of ingredients are wonderful here. We would definitely return to this place if we have another chance to visit Vienna.

Restaurant Steirereck im Stadtpark @ Vienna, Austria

The Exterior

Chef Heinz Reitbauer and Team in Operation

The Menu Card

Surprisingly, ranges of bread here are not like others I have tried. There are whole bunches of bread you can choose from, just like a mini boulangerie. All of which were very nice and cream garlic butter was really delightful.

Mini Boulangerie

Cream Garlic Butter

Amuse Bouche here was rather creative. Unfortunately that we only had a chance to jog down 1 of 4 complimentary from the kitchen. It was Lamb Tongue with Green Almond, Lemon and Garlic which was really tender and tasteful.

Lamb Tongue with Green Almond, Lemon and Garlic

The very first courses for us tonight were Char with Beeswax, Yellow Carrot, Pollen and Sour Cream and Meadow Herbs with Wild Garlic Shoots and Free Range Chicken. Char was really splendid. Well marinated piece of tendered fish that went perfectly well with sour cream. This is was delightfully wow (9/10). For meadow herbs, this dish was rather below Steirereck's standard from our perspective. It was too light in taste. It might be nice to have but normal (6/10).

Beeswax Being Poured onto Char

Marinated Char with Beeswax

Char with Beeswax, Yellow Carrot, Pollen and Sour Cream

Meadow Herbs with Wild Garlic Shoots and Free Range Chicken

White Roots with Gillardeau Oysters, Chicory and Spoonwort might seem dull at first bite but it became better and better during next bites. Fresh and crisp on the outside (7/10).

The other dish was Wild Broccoli with Smoked Curd Cheese, Pecan Nuts, Artichoke and Cress Seeds which was another refreshing dish. Crispiness and cracked pecan nuts went great with smoked curd cheese (8/10).

White Roots with Gillardeau Oysters, Chicory and Spoonwort

Wild Broccoli with Smoked Curd Cheese, Pecan Nuts, Artichoke and Cress Seeds

The first of third dish was Danube Salmon with Rice and Peas, Beta Sweet Carrot and Green Apple. This dish was surely great: soft touch with little sweetness. Rice was crunchy like "Kao Mao" of Thai dish (pounded unripe rice) (8/10).

Next was Charcoal Grilled Tubers with Tumeric Caviar and Shoots. Vegetables based dish that came with sour and sweet scent. Tangy and enjoyable with creation (8/10).

Danube Salmon with Rice and Peas, Beta Sweet Carrot and Green Apple

Charcoal Grilled Tubers with Tumeric Caviar and Shoots

Next in line was another amazing vegetarian dish: Emmer with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Lovage Milk and Celeriac. This was really smooth and mild nutty flavour. Cannot believe that vegetarian dish could be this great: just wanna have more (10/10).

Mangalitza Pork with Chervil Root, Ginger and Cress was a piece of art. It was not just so beautiful but a taste of heaven, especially chervil root cream. Best part of this dish was not the super tender piece of port but the great combination of various type of ingredient to give pleasant taste (10/10).

Emmer with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Lovage Milk and Celeriac

Mangalitza Pork with Chervil Root, Ginger and Cress

For our main courses, Morels with Wild Chervil, White Radish, Mocha and Jerusalem Artichoke was beautifully decorated, yet delicious. This dish was another beyond imagination: delightful and plenty of creativity (9/10).

Roast Pigeon with Parsley, Amaranth, Millet and Sesame was heavenly tender served in sauce with sweet scent. I just fell in love with this dish, especially steamed parsley root filled with parsley purée that was undoubtedly delicious (10/10).

Morels with Wild Chervil, White Radish, Mocha and Jerusalem Artichoke

Roast Pigeon with Parsley, Amaranth, Millet and Sesame

Puff-pastry filled with pigeon offal, foie gras and button mushrooms

Desserts here at Steirereck were also unrivalled to none. Bolero Carrot with Oats, Hemp and Tarragon had no green smell presented. Both carrot cake and carrot mousse were soft while oat ice-cream was smooth and crunchy with just right sweetness level (9/10).

Jaina Chocolate with Yoghurt, Finger Limes, Cucumber and Verbena was one of the best white chocolate I have ever had. Hint of yoghurt mixed with cucumber and lemon to finish the touch was excellent (10/10).

Bolero Carrot with Oats, Hemp and Tarragon

Jaina Chocolate with Yoghurt, Finger Limes, Cucumber and Verbena

Additional to the tasting menu, Steirereck also offers tea from the trolley that can be mixed with fresh herbs. I was sure confused what to have due to vast varieties. This was really wonderful with Petit Fours of chocolate and dry slice of citrus fruits.

Trolley of Herbal Tea

Tea Set

Petit Fours

Restaurant Steirereck im Stadtpark @ Vienna, Austria

Am Heumarkt 2A im Stadtpark
A-1030 Vienna

Austria

Open Hours: Monday - Friday 11:30am - 02:30pm for lunch and 06:30pm - late night for dinner

Tel: +43 (0) 1713 3168

Web: http://steirereck.at/wien/restaurant/

Restaurant Riedenburg @ Salzburg, Austria

Cuisine: Austrian

Map: Restaurant Riedenburg @ Salzburg, Austria

Price: EUR25.00 per person without alcohol (what I paid for)

Visited: 9 April 2011

Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 6/10

Services: 7/10

Restaurant Riedenburg at Salzburg may have been a well-known place for both local and visitor. Being located near the centre of Salzburg, it is pretty easy to come around both public transport and self driving. At the time we were at Riedenburg, there seemed to be a lot of elderly guests. This could be because of the old fashion Austrian interior as well as choices of menu being served that were not so fancy like other award winning restaurants. Forget about creativity and gastronomy here but come and enjoy the traditional way that contains high standard. Services here are also friendly but lack of English communication skill though.

Riedenburg Restaurant @ Salzburg

The Front Yard

The Interior

We managed to visit Riedenburg for lunch. Today there are 2 sets of lunch menu: 1) the lunch menu of the day and 2) Nespresso Gourmet Menu. So we went ahead for both menu. Considering they were just lunch menu and the price we paid for, this was not a bad deal at all. But we did expect to have more of creation apart from quality though.

To begin as in other places, breads are served at the beginning of the course. Breads at Riedenburg were rather ordinary but butter was of great quality and taste.

Nespresso Gourmet Menu

Set of Breads and Butter

Breads

We began with Scallop Ravioli with Spinach Cream Sauce and Salad. The creamy sauce was really delightful with having with soft ravioli of scallop. Though it was not a surprise type of dish but enjoyable (7/10).

Scallop Ravioli with Spinach Cream Sauce and Salad

Grilled Atlantic King Prawn with Peas Pancake and Dandelion was well prepared with good quality of ingredients. Texture of prawn was wonderful. Nevertheless, I wish its taste would be more complex (6/10).

Grilled Atlantic King Prawn with Peas Pancake and Dandelion

For main courses we managed to have 2 types of steak, one being sirloin and the other was rib eye. But how much could this standard of restaurant go wrong with steak though.

Rib Eye Steak with Chips and Green Beans was really tender and juicy. This was surely a simple lunch menu that was well cooked but more than just a simple menu would be interesting (6/10). 

Rib Eye Steak with Chips and Green Beans

Sirloin Steak with Wild Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Young Carrots was again tender but firm. Nevertheless, I could sense some persistence of blood and flesh, otherwise a perfect piece of sirloin. Mashed potatoes and sweet crisp young carrots were also fantastic (7/10).

Sirloin Steak with Wild Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Young Carrots

For dessert, we had the traditional choice of Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice-cream. This was indeed well made. Thin layer of soft outer skin that wrapped chunks of apple to go with creamy vanilla ice-cream was a perfect home-made (6/10).

Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice-cream

For the Nespresso Menu, a choice of espresso to be chosen to end the course was pleasant. There were ranges of espresso from mild to very strong. The photo below was a mid strong type of Nespresso.

Nespresso Grand Cru

Restaurant Riedenburg @ Salzburg, Austria

Neutorstraße 31

A-5020 Salzburg

Austria

Open Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 12:00pm - 02:00pm for lunch and 06:00pm - 12:00am for dinner

Tel: +43 (0) 662 830 815

Web: http://www.riedenburg.at/

Restaurant Pfefferschiff zu Sollheim @ Salzburg, Austria

Cuisine: Austrian

Map: Restaurant Pfefferschiff zu Sollheim @ Salzburg, Austria

Price: EUR74.50 per person (what I paid for)

Visited: 8 April 2011

Food: 8/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 9/10

This time we visited a lovely and lively gourmet restaurant in Salzburg which is run by Iris and Jurgen Vigne, Restaurant Pfefferschiff zu Sollheim. While Chef Jurgen is a michelin star awarded chef, Iris is a well recognised sommelier of Austria. The restaurant is around 10 minutes drive from centre of Salzburg, hence, driving or taxi will be appropriate. Restaurant Pfefferschiff is surely a memorable place with delicious food and friendly service, the best restaurant in Salzburg that worth a detour it is. Any chance to visit Salzburg, let the experience tells you how wonderful Restaurant Pfefferschiff is.

Restaurant Pfefferschiff zu Sollheim @ Salzburg Austria

The Menu Sign

Table Setting

Chef Jurgen Vigne

Basket of bread here came with 4 kinds of butter: Potato Cheese, Butter, Garlic Butter, and Radish Butter. They all were wonderful and drooling though they were not warm.

Basket of Bread

Butter Set: Potato Cheese, Butter, Garlic Butter, Radish Butter

We were then greeted with Amuse Bouche from the kitchen. Leek & Potato Soup with Marinated Beef was splendid. This was a non-cream base soup with refreshing scent that boosted our appetite. Marinated Beef was delightful and crisp (8/10). The other one was Avocado Cream with Fried Chicken. This dish looked rather typical with delicious, especially the creamy avocado sauce (7/10).

Leek & Potato Soup with Marinated Beef

Avocado Cream with Fried Chicken

Our actual course started with Young Roots in Combination: Cabbage - Cannelloni with Sweetbread, Kumquats and Macadamia Nuts, Beta Sweet Carrot - Fond with Perlsago, Couscous and Scallops, Radish - Stuffed with Rhubarb and Tandoori Chicken, and Beetroot - Sorbet with Tarragon and Apple-gingerale Pektin. This was a great platter of combination of meat dish and somewhat confectionery from roots that went well together. All of which had sweet and sour scent as base (7/10).

The other dish of appetiser was Lukewarm Pickled Salmon from the Alps with Papaya Relish, Emulsion of Cress and Foam of Cottage Cheese. In a pretty presentation, salmon was soft and mildly flavoured, while foam of cottage cheese was pleasant (8/10).

Young Roots in Combination

Lukewarm Pickled Salmon from the Alps

Spring Collection: Wild Garlic Soup with Ham Croissant Parsnip Soup with a Ragout of Crayfish and Fennel did not hit my point that much. Presumably that soups were always my favourite, however, ham croissant and ragout of crayfish and fennel were just ordinary. They were nice but not charming (6/10).

Spring Collection

We were then served with entremets of Sorbet - Shot from the Kitchen. This was lemon sorbet with mint jelly and watermelon shot. Good combination indeed, feeling of Summer that was refreshing (8/10).

Sorbet - Shot from the Kitchen

When it came to main course, we decided to have beef and lamb. Roasted Fillet of Beef with Potato Flan, Spring Leek and Cabbage was tasteful and savoury for both meat and vegetable. However, a more tender piece of beef would be perfect (7/10).

The other one was Saddle and Stuffed Breast of Lamb with Fried Melanzani and Young Garlic. This was really wonderful. Very tender and juicy meat of lamb. Melanzani was enjoyable (8/10).

Roasted Fillet of Beef with Potato Flan, Spring Leek and Cabbage

Saddle and Stuffed Breast of Lamb with Fried Melanzani and Young Garlic

To end our meal, Cheese from the Cheese Trolley was also served as a substitution for dessert if preferable. There were so many types of quality cheese to be chosen from. All of which were really great with home-made chutney. One of which I managed to remember was Brie with Truffle, which was amazing (8/10).

Cheese Trolley

Selection of Cheese and Chutney from the Trolley

The choice of dessert for the night was Mozart Dessert 2011 - Chocolate Soufflé with Pistachio and Marzipan Nougat Ice-cream. This was ordinary chocolate soufflé that was really delicate and well blended (7/10).

Mozart Dessert 2011

To end our meal, selection of Petit Fours was then served. All were nice: Strawberry Shake with Cheese, Praline of Rhubarb & White Chocolate and Bailey & Dark Chocolate, and Biscuits.

Petit Fours

Restaurant Pfefferschiff zu Sollheim @ Salzburg, Austria

Söllheim 3

5300 Hallwang bei

Salzburg, Austria

Open Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 06:00pm - 10:00pm and Saturday Lunch 12:00pm - 02:00pm

Tel: +43 (0) 662 66 12 42

Web: http://www.pfefferschiff.at