Being the indecisive customer I am, sometimes I just want to try a bit of everything. “Well how about you get this, I get that, and we share?” is my catchphrase when ordering food. When I travelled to Vienna, this problem was solved. Coffee, pastries, and food was served in much smaller portions, giving me an opportunity to try more amongst the Viennese cuisine.
But also, I had the cutest, yet most delicious and intelligently-designed breakfast in my life, because of a plate containing all of my favorite things- all in bite size, on one singular plate, and overall finger-lickin’ good.
Viennese Coffee Culture
Where every small cafe offers an incredible variety of dishes and flavors.
1. Variety
Having landed in Vienna on an early winter’s morning, the first thing in mind I had was coffee. Fellow coffee lovers, the Viennese coffee culture is something else. I definitely saw a handful on the menu I wanted to try over throughout my stay in Vienna. Luckily, coffee in Vienna is served in relatively small cups, with a strong and distinct taste. As shown below, there are so many fun combinations to choose from!
I ordered the local favorite: Cafe Wiener Melange.
2. Combinations
In addition to coffee, what better way to kickstart your daily caffeine boost than with a traditional Austrian pastry? You can experiment different combinations, to see what coffee you like best with which type of pastry.
My favorite combination (shown below): Schokoccino (Dark hot chocolate & cappuccino with caramel drizzle and whipped Cream) + Cream Cheese Strudel (Topfenstrudel).
3. Small Drinks
My favorite restaurant in Austria, Ulrich incorporates several concepts I noticed were also incorporated around other restaurants in Austria. While eating, I thought "Boy, how I wish these were incorporated incorporated into more restaurants in the US". For starters, this ginger lemonade with mint was a super refreshing treat after a long day of walking around the beautiful city. The drinks in Ulrich are generally small and fresh. I could taste the mixture of mint and ginger intermingling amongst the freshly-squeezed lemonade (evidently not too sweet like the processed cans you find in stores).
4. Tasting the rainbow
I loved the aesthetics of the dishes in Ulrich, and how their colors are presented so beautifully, like a rainbow. It reminded me of the quote ‘taste the rainbow’ with skittles, except a much healthier version. There were so many ingredients I had never tried or seen before, the best part was how you could try a bit of everything.
This "vegan bowl" contains: red hummus, sweet potato chips, avocado, sesame, black organic quinoa, savoy cabbage, pomegranate, and soy dip.
5. "The Vegan Wake Up"
Officially ranks top of the list as my new favorite breakfast dish.
This cute platter definitely exceeded all the french toast, waffles, and all of the delicious, usual brunch dishes I’ve had in the past. This was because it contained all my favorite little dishes in one plate, so having to pick and choose wasn’t the biggest struggle. But at the same time, every little dish was so delicious. The Vegan Wake Up was incredibly insanely scrumptious, I could’ve easily ordered another one. I will be back!
"The Vegan Wake Up" contained: zucchini & sweet corn fritters with cashew nut sour cream, croissant & fresh jam, beet hummus on toast, mini porridge & fruits, mini green machine smoothie & mini açaí bowl
I find it amazing how in addition to packing souvenirs home, one can also pack so many thoughts and perspectives after visiting a new country or a new city. For me, one of the main things I always pack has to be something interesting I discovered about the food (and of course, coffee) culture there and hope to share with the rest of the world.
Looking to COOL down or CHILL out just a bit? Check out my this article on my love for Gelato in España! https://spoonuniversity.com/place/amor-por-los-helados-my-love-for-gelato-during-my-semester-in-spain