A couple of weeks ago the newspapers and magazines were full of this new place in town called Lingenhel which is a combination of a specialty shop and a restaurant. My friend really wanted to try it and we made reservations almost three weeks in advance since I was on vacation in between. Now I am not really sure if that was so clever because we got the worst table in the house.
The whole place is one long hall with the shop in front and the restaurant in the back. Here a view from my seat all the way to the entrance.
dining room with view on entrance @Lingenhel
Our table was the one next to the sliding door leading to the bathrooms and kitchen. So there was a constant noise of swishing and a draft, not really what one would expect after making a reservation that long in advance. Furthermore the noise level is quite high (the walls are missing paintings etc to absorb the sound) and the table next to us was so close that I was complimenting my neighbor on her nice dental work (for real!).
I had studied the menu online and was already sure what to order. So when I got the menu in the restaurant I noticed that there was no list of the daily specials as online. Upon asking the waiter told us that specials are only available for lunch. Too bad then that this was not indicated on the website. Eventually we placed our order and started to meal with a glass of sparkling wine. The selection of wines and other alcoholics is good and very fairly priced. Also the bread basket offers a tasty selection.
bread basket @Lingenhel
The amuse gueule was a potato with a dollop of sour creme and a slice of cured ham served on a bed coarse salt. Quite delicious and a lovely balance between the three ingredients. You have to eat it fast though otherwise the salt melts onto the warm potato.
amuse gueule @Lingenhel
As a starter we shared the Lingenhel salad (mixed greens, radish, braised tomatoes, parmesan and crunchy bread) and goat cream cheese (celery stalks, blackberry and clover). I am all for details what’s in a dish but then please make sure it is there. Our salad had no radish inside and exactly two pieces of braised tomatoes while the salad on the next table had about three times that many (that’s the problem when the tables are so close together).
The cream cheese had only the faintest trace of goat inside and the celery stalks were only in the essence. The blackberry was halved and coupled with a blueberry. All my critique here should not take away from the praise I want to give. The composition of both dishes was perfect. The salad had a slight bite to it (maybe sorrel?) while the cheese was mild in its soft appearance, the celery not overpowering but rather supporting the faint goat note.
Lingenhel salad @Lingenhel
goat cream cheese @Lingenhel
As a next course we ordered two in-betweens since the main courses were not so interesting for us. We settled on the poached egg (truffled potato cream, spinach and parmesan foam) and the Maniche (a form of pasta with tomatoes and cheese). Again both dishes were tasty, maybe a bit too much of the truffle for me (when will I learn that I don’t like that?), but the pasta was rich and delicious in its buttery taste.
poached egg with potato cream @Lingenhel
Maniche @Lingenhel
Even though we had talked about getting a G&T here in the end we left after dinner. The overall atmosphere is just not inviting to linger. Even though the quality and the preparations of all the dishes were very good, service friendly and attentive, I am not sure if I will go back for dinner. Definitely for a glass of wine though with some snacks. Yours, Pollybert
Lingenhel
1030, Landstrasser Hauptstraße 74
Tel: +431 7101566
Email: office@lingenhel.com
Mo-Sat: 8:00-22:00
www.lingenhel.com
