On a recent Saturday I was out with a couple of friends and we went to the restaurant Bolena for a tasting menu. The restaurant does have a wine bar character since there are only high tables available. It also has a club downstairs, so from a certain hour on there is a constant coming and going. Nonetheless the seating is comfortable and funnily enough it was not drafty.
We started the fixed menu with a choice of prosecco or an Averna sour. How lovely to also have a drink included. Our first course then was a beef tartar and the vegetarian option a salad. The beef was delightful and perfectly seasoned. I especially love the lightly toasted white bread. Finally not the usual toast (but I also heard grumbling about it). The portion was more than generous and honestly I would not have needed anything after.
beef tartar @Bolena
One person opted for a soup instead. The creamy pumpkin soup with the goat cheese ball rolled in pumpkin seeds had a bright orange color and smelled lovely.
pumpkin soup with goat cheese @Bolena
The main course was less to my liking. The gnocchi filled with porcini were too rich and bland, so that the truffle oil which was used on the topping overpowered everything. I missed a sauce to be honest. A dash of cream with the mushrooms instead of the oil would have worked wonders I believe.
gnocchi filled with porcini @Bolena
Last but not least the desert. The choice was between a molten lava cake or a grappa with dark chocolate. We all opted to share and what a wise decision. The grappa was smooth and went well with the chocolate. The cake of course was baked through although I loved that it was not overly sweet. A narrow miss then.
molten lava cake @Bolena
Overall I found the service attentive and very friendly. Since we shared a couple of bottles of wine, we constantly needed water which was readily provided. And even though we were seven females, which cannot be easy to serve, the waiter didn’t lose his smile. The kitchen might not have been perfect but the evening was definitely a success. Yours, Pollybert
Bolena Restaurant & Weinbar
1080 Wien, Lange Gasse 61
Tel: +43 1 4050370
Email: bolena@bolena.at
Tue-Sat: 18:00-01:00
https://bolena.at/
