On a Monday evening Vienna is a culinary desert. So much better than when a place opens which also caters to its clients on a Monday. Ignaz Jahn is one such place and I was there on a Monday with no expectations whatsoever. Having read nothing about it also has its advantages.
The restaurant is divided in three dining areas with our table being all the way to the back (perfect on a cold night to be away from the draft of the entrance).
dining room @Ignaz Jahn
The menu is short with about five to six dishes in each category and so elaborately described that I wanted to eat everything.
In the end I went with beef tartare as starter and a seafood chowder as the main dish. The chowder was a starter as well and I was warned that it was a small portion.
The beef tartare was only mildly seasoned but in combination with the cheese, cabbage and lemon zest was perfectly balanced. The cheese especially, which was sharp and intense, brought the whole thing together. The tartare here is diced instead of ground. Something I usually dislike but which worked well. A bit more bread would have been nice though. I think it was some kind of olive ciabatta and it was toasted to a nice crunch.
beef tartare @Ignaz Jahn
Other ordered starters were the marinated salmon trout which tasted heavenly in combination with the fennel and grapefruit and the seafood chowder which I had as main dish.
marinated salmon trout @Ignaz Jahn
The chowder was indeed a very small portion and had also not much to do with a chowder. The safraned liquid was more like a sauce in which the miniature seafood bathed. I have never seen so tiny mussels, I wonder where you can get those. The taste was exquisite though, so my complaint here lies just with the misleading name.
“seafood chowder” @Ignaz Jahn
Each and every one of the main dishes looked and tasted amazing. I saw only happy faces around the table and lots of raving could be heard later. The catfish was served with lentils and stay moist underneath a blanket of lardo.
catfish with lentils @Ignaz Jahn
chicken with crispy risotto @Ignaz Jahn
The Käsespätzle portion for one was so big that three of us had to help to finish it. It was also smooth and velvety just as one needs it on a cold winter’s night.
Käsespätzle @Ignaz Jahn
beef with yellow pepper and roots @Ignaz Jahn
beef short ribs with horseradish foam @Ignaz Jahn
Astonishing to come to a newly opened place and every single person was delighted with his dish.
For dessert I tried the caramelized spiced pear. I liked that it was not caramelized too much. I wouldn’t have noticed if it wasn’t mentioned on the menu. The white chocolate mousse which came with it was too sweet for me in combination.
caramelized pear @Ignaz Jahn
The chocolate tarte was perfect on the sweetness but overall so rich that a quarter of it would have been enough. Also I wouldn’t call this a tarte, to me it was more like a ganache. This was not baked at all.
chocolate tarte @Ignaz Jahn
The cheese plate hit all the right notes and worked well to round off the meal. Overall a very interesting restaurant with attentive service in a relaxed atmosphere. I definitely have to go and try their breakfast sometime soon. Yours, Pollybert
Ignaz Jahn
1020 Wien, Obere Augartenstraße 46
Tel: +43 (0)1 8907210
Email: office@ignaz-jahn.at
Mon-Wed: 08:00-24.00, Thu-Sat: 08:00-02:00,
Sun: 09:00-15:00, closed on national holidays
https://www.ignaz-jahn.at/
cheese plate @Ignaz Jahn
