Chinese food was exotic in the ’80s and after that it lost its glamour and was just a mix MSG and cheap buffet food. So traveling last year to China opened my eyes to the real possibilities of Chinese cuisine. Not that Vienna has a lot of these authentic places but once in a while you find such a gem. Ostwind is one of these rare finds.
The place looks like the typical Chinese restaurant and also has a couple of round tables with the turning glass part on top. We sat down at one of these tables which proofed to be excellent to taste all the dishes. We had three different starters, pork tripe as well as beef slices in Sichuan sauce and grilled peppers. With the Sichuan sauce one has to be careful, if you order hot that’s what you get! Tripe is not something I would usually eat but since I didn’t know what it was, I tried it. It tasted okay, mostly of the hot sauce though. The beef actually as well. The peppers were delicious and just the right amount of hot.
pork tripe in classic Sichuan sauce @Ostwind
cold beef slices in spicy Sichuan sauce @Ostwind
stirfry green pepper @Ostwind
The main dishes arrived in whatever order they were ready which gave everybody time to taste it all. First off was the fish pot which turned out to be a huge dish. And it was hot! But also ordered hot. So once again, be careful what you order! The sauce was a lot less greasy than it looks on the picture. It actually had more of a soupy consistency.
boiled fish pot in spicy soup @Ostwind
Then came the chicken leg dish which according to the menu is a favorite of Angela Merkel and the vegetarian dish with cauliflower. Both were tasty and seasoned perfectly.
cubes of chicken leg with peanut and chili @Ostwind
cauliflower with chili, peppers and onions @Ostwind
We had one person order from the regular Asian menu which was a crispy duck in red curry sauce. Also tasty, just not something I would order in a Chinese restaurant that finally offers the real deal.
crispy duck in red Thai-curry @Ostwind
For non-spicy eaters the lamb turned out to be exactly what was needed. Very tasty and just with a hint of heat in the back. A bit bland I found the chicken with vegetables on crispy rice, while the eggplants with meat that I ordered were excellent. All around I saw happy faces, that was one great Chinese evening. Service at Ostwind is quick and friendly, the wine menu small but enough. In the end you just need a lot of water anyways. So if you are up for it, see if you can stand the heat. Yours, Pollybert
Ostwind
1070 Wien, Lindengasse 24
Tel: 01 5234182
Mo-Sat: 11-15:00 and 17:30-23:00
Email: ostwindrestaurant@gmail.com
https://www.ostwindwien.at/index.php/de/
chicken with vegetables over crispy fried rice @Ostwind
fried lamb with Zi-Ran @Ostwind
eggplant a la Yu-Xiang style @Ostwind
