Chef de Cuisine Werner Pichlmaier, Restaurant Anna Sacher, Vienna, AustriaChef de Cuisine Werner Pichlmaier (pictured) offers several set menus, up to one with six courses at 84 euros. My four courses from the carte came to 88 euros. He describes his food as “a contemporary, light version of Austrian cuisine”, and I am happy to concur. I began with goose foie gras with herbal cake, physalis and pepper. The presentation was elegant – with the brown liver, the orange fruit and the green leaves on the white plate – and the flavours and textures were well-balanced. Next, since I was in Austria, I thought I should have soup. And I was glad I did. This consommé of parsley with dumpling and quail’s egg was strangely refreshing, as well as being full of taste. The ox rib, in salt crust pappardelle with a vegetable salad and béarnaise sauce, was carved by the table. This was something for the man with a healthy appetite and an appreciation of good meat. Finally, Bourbon pineapple, stewed with wheat beer, came with chocolate parfait. This was a new combination for me, and I think I might have preferred to eat the two elements separately.
400 wines populate the list, which was brought to me by the knowledgeable sommelière, Martina Illeck. Prices range from 34ε for an Austrian white to 1,600ε for the 1990 Lafite. Other bottles I noted were: 1999 Penfolds Grange (446ε), 2002 Bonnes Mares, Comte de Voguë (420ε), 2006 Montrachet, Prieur (650ε) and 2006 Tignanello (120ε). My own drinking comprised a bright, perky, acidic Austrian riesling from the Wachau (Ried Zehenthof, Holzapfel, Joching, 2008 - 44ε) and a Barbaresco from Piedmont with notes of damp oak (Sori Paitin, Neive, 2001 - 64ε, half).
Anna, by the way, was the wife of the hotel’s founder, Eduard Sacher. She was famous for liking cigars, bulldogs and aristocrats. At her death in 1929, it was said that the reason the Sacher had never made any money was that she could not resist having princes and archdukes living at the hotel rent-free. I wonder whether, like the rest of us, she liked green? I rather suspect she would like the restaurant named after her. I certainly like the Restaurant Anna Sacher, in all its splendid greenness.
