THE GRUB: When the menus arrived I was intrigued by the plentiful (v) symbols. Vegetarian is not an oft-used part of the Austrian (or more accurately German) lexicon. Intrigued, I went for spinach dumplings. They were surprisingly light and really tasty especially with a sprinkle of mountain cheese. The same could be said for the classic Styrian Chicken Schnitzel. Encased in a pumpkin seed crust with pumpkin seed oil dressing it was a great take on an old classic. Main courses were equally good. The goulash with homemade noodles and veal in mushroom, wine and cream sauce were as delicate as Teutonic cuisine gets. True to my word I ordered the Linzer torte and my other half chose the apple cake. Both were well executed endings to an extremely tasty meal.
BEHIND THE BAR: There was an impressive range of Austrian wines along with German and Austrian beers and the obligatory schnapps. But what really stood out was the coffee. They import it from Austria and have a helpful colour chart so you know exactly what you’re ordering. Not that there was any ambiguity with the affogato; a healthy slug of espresso and a dollop of good vanilla ice-cream.
BILL PLEASE: Food prices range from £4.50 for two sausages and rye bread, mains are between £10-17. Deserts are a very reasonable £3-5. Beers are in the usual £4-5 bracket and wine is available by the glass from £4.40 or go for a whole bottle; they range from £22-36. Coffees start at £1.70 for an espresso, rising to £4.80 for a Viennese coffee with the full works.
VERDICT: Well executed Austrian classics and my hunch is that it won’t be Geheimtip – a ‘little secret’ for very long.
ADDRESS: 95 Golborne Road, London W10 5NL
TUBE: Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park
OVERALL STAR RATING 5 out of 5
