Vienna: A waltz for the tastebuds
My holiday in Austria started with walking around Vienna (or Wien, as the capital is called), and settling down at Café Sacher for a bite of the coveted regional dessert, the Sacher Torte. Café Sacher is undoubtedly one of the best places to sample the treat. Located in Hotel Sacher, they won a legal battle allowing them to use the phrase “The Original Sacher Torte”. Their recipe, a closely guarded secret, is a sheer work of art. The Sacher Torte is a darkly rich chocolate cake, decorated with icing and a seal with an italicised inscription, and served with a swirl of unsweetened whipped cream. According to the experts, it is best consumed with a cup of hot coffee.
We were pre-warned, and thus prepared for the long queue at the door. As soon as I entered, I politely greeted the doorman but he turned out to be a life-size, extremely realistic cutout! Look at his handsome smiling face in the picture!
Besides the iconic Sacher Torte, Vienna has many famous dishes that one had heard about, and perhaps had a chance to sample. These include Apfelstrudel or Apple Strudel, Goulash, Weiner Schnitzel with meats of choice, and many other meaty dishes and desserts. As across Europe, a tourist can best experience the local sights and sounds by walking and using local transport. That’s exactly what we did, and earned ourselves a delicious meal each time for our effort!
Vienna has a wide range of cuisines to suit everyone, including vegetarians and vegans. The choice ranges from traditional Austrian to Chinese, and the eateries vary from Beislns (cafes) and taverns to street food markets! We stayed on Stephenplatz, right in the inner circle – a pedestrian-only area with a range of upmarket branded stores on both sides. However, at night it transforms into a bustling food plaza with numerous open air eateries. As in other countries on the continent, we found many Bangladeshi people and even a restaurant serving machher jhol and rice right next to a formal local eatery!
One of the most exciting places to visit in Vienna is the Naschmarkt, the city’s biggest and best-known food market with over 120 food stalls and restaurants. It offers a colourful culinary experience ranging from Viennese to Indian, and Vietnamese to Italian. The Naschmarkt has developed into a meeting point for the young and the old. People flock here from dawn to dusk to buy fruit, vegetables, and various delicacies from every country.
We were lucky we visited this on a Saturday when they have the Flea Market, a cult event. The din of ushers calling customers to entice them into their restaurants reminded one of a minibus helper on a Kolkata road, calling out to people to board. The colourful displays are worth seeing, even if one does not want to buy anything. Simply sitting outdoors in the Naschmarkt in summer is a pleasant experience, eating, drinking and watching people loitering around or walking purposefully, shopping for food ingredients or souvenirs.
Once we dined in the famous Vestibul Restaurant, which is in the vestibule of the famous theatre, the Burgtheatre. The verandah seating allowed us a magnificent view of the Parliament building and the Rathaus (Town Hall).
Our visit to the formal Opera House was worth recounting too. A visitor to Vienna absolutely must attend a performance and so we bought ourselves reasonably priced tickets. As formal dressing is warranted, we carried appropriate clothes and shoes for this one night. The Viennese aristocrats sat downstairs whereas we, with our not-so-expensive tickets, were in the balcony. One of the strangest things we observed was that during the performance, there was pindrop silence and frozen expressions. And at the end of each piece, there was no applause from the lower level but everyone had a bout of coughing! Just like in the movies, during the interval everyone came out into the foyer where wine and hors d’oeuvres were served. One got to admire the formal attire and diamonds and pearls on the local ladies. Truly an experience not to be missed!
