Edvard

After our rather disappointing dinner at two Michelin star Steirereck, we were anxious about our upcoming lunch at Edvard. Edvard opened in 2013 and is located inside Palais Hansen Kempinski Hotel in Vienna, Austria. Exectutive Chef Anton Pozeg quickly earned a reputation and within the first year earned his first star. Given that December 26^th is a holiday in Vienna, and in accordance with most other restaurants the menu for our lunch was a set tasting menu of 5 courses with no al a carte options, for 110 €. We made reservations in advance and prior payment was required.
Edvard is unique in that while it is located inside a hotel, there is a side entrance directly into the restaurant. I felt this is an elegant nod to locals that their restaurants is for natives and visitors alike. We were quickly greeted at the door by the maître D who proceeded to take our jackets and shown us to the table. Edvard design is modern with very slick furniture and decorations in hues of white and bright green. The wait staff all appropriately dressed in suits. There was already one table seated when we walked in and throughout our lunch only one other table was seated.
Given that our meal had already been picked out the sommelier quickly approached our table with wine recommendations. We opted to go with the wine pairing for 70 euro per persons (5 courses).
To start off, the chef presented two offerings from the kitchen. The first a potato puff pastry with a salmon cream on the inside with a small dollop of dill and sour cream. The flavor for this little bite was intense and the dill accented the salmon nicely. The second offering consisted of a thin slice of beef with a chili crème on the side.
Before the amuse bouche, a small loaf of classic sourdough was brought to the table with two types of butter. The sourdough, as we were told, comes from a local bakery Joseph’s, which has quite a following in Vienna. The amuse bouche consisted of an oyster over a small bed of seaweed salad with soy beans and a foam of coriander, lemongrass and curry. I very much enjoyed this dish as the creaminess of the oyster blended well with the curry and lemongrass.
The first dish to be presented was the red mullet. The fish was delicately pan fried with a crispy skin side. The floral arrangement consisted of Bergamot, Cos lettuce and turnips. The color display was so bright and vivid giving life to the fish. Along with this salad you can see a burgundy sponge cake consisting of beet root. The sponge and the bright colors almost give the plate an appearance of a coral reef with the bright yellows from the turnips. I asked how the beet root cake was made and I was able to find an interesting video on Youtube how to make it.
The second dish consisted of a Sot-l’y-laisse with an egg yolk in the center, with a bed of vinegar mushrooms along the bottom and a layer of macademian nut mouse. Perigord truffles adorn the top. I give credit for the chef for attempting a dish few find time worthy of harvesting and making. Sot-l’y-laisse translates into «the fools leave it there» and consists of two oysters of dark meat located near the thigh, specifically near the ilium bone. Often overlooked, this meat is considered by some to be the most flavorful with a firm texture. The chef’s creativity is rewarded in this complex and standout dish. The egg yolk and macademian mouse give the chicken a mature buttery complex flavor. The mushrooms have a vinegar taste that bites into the already earthy flavor added by the truffles. Overall this dish ranks in the top ten dishes I have tried to date and along with the salad I had at Den in Japan, thoroughly gave me the chills.
Following the Sol-l’y-laisse came the Tullnerfelder pig. This dish consisted of three different parts of the pig to include loin, cheek and pork belly. The pork loin was cooked sous vide and then finished over a grill. The loin was moist. The pig cheek easily fell apart and was very tender which contrasted the crispiness of the pancetta. The dish consisted of a bed of bean purée along with I could count two different types of beans and a parmesan foam.
The main course was the Mama beef served with brussel sprouts as well as savoy cabbage presented in two forms. In one corner you see a piece of savoy cabbage with delicate shredded cabbage rolled inside. You can also see a seafoam green mouse fashioned from cabbage itself. The beef was tender and perfectly salted.
Before heading on to dessert, the waitress surprised us with a «pre-​dessert» as she called it. Beautifully presented was a bright dish that consisted of a cumquat stuffed with an olive oil and mandarin cream, accompanied by a mango sorbet over a hazelnut crumble. Refreshing and citrusy that complemented well with the nuttiness of the hazelnuts.
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Can I really be the first person to review this Michelin one star restaurant? Really?
My partner and I chose the four course tasting menu with wines tonight. The service was friendly and professional with clear, welcome suggestions and explanations. There were glitches in the service that to us signified a one and not a two Michelin star restaurant: the audio track had a repeat a couple of time as though the CD had an error. The staff smiled and reset it. Not quite right, but it struck me as endearing and not the disaster it might have been in a two or three star restaurant.
The food was excellent. In particular, the sot-l’y-laisse (a chicken oysters in jus with macadamia nut purée) had intense flavour that was truly an experience. Two different staff members volunteered that it was their favourite, as well it might be. The wine steward was helpful and knowledgeable with clear explanations of his suggested pairings of which we could choose Austrian, European or World wines. There was not a miss among the four.
Last year we pledged to keep to the Michelin one stars (or lower) restaurants. The two and three stars are just so over the top in theatre to the detriment of the food. Restaurant Edvard was a superb one star choice. Friendly (in the way two and three stars cannot be) yet professional and helpful service with the spotlight on what the kitchen does, which is superb food with strong flavours that wake one’s tastebuds with pleasure.
Highly recommended. If you are going for one splurge meal in Vienna, this is the one.