The last time I was in The Room (almost 4 years ago) I went with colleagues. Funnily enough the same happened for my second visit. Unlike last time though we got one of the cozy nooks in the front of the restaurant. Here it was warm and the lighting perfect.
in the front of the dining room @The Room
The Room came highly recommended with special praise for the kitchen. When I tasted the first morsel I believed this to be true. It should turn out different though.
I shared a starter of crunchy salmon maki (I needed to keep some space on the off-chance of a dessert). Honestly they didn’t sound very exciting on the menu. Once in front of me though I changed my mind. The salmon still looked glassy with a thin layer of crust around it. It tasted perfect, so juicy and tender with a slight crunch. Just right. The accompanying wasabi mayonnaise didn’t taste of anything though.
crunchy salmon maki @he Room
The other starters comprised of carpaccio, grilled goat cheese salad and beef tartare. The carpaccio was so thinly cut that the meat was melting in your mouth. It was served with arugula and figs and had the necessary acidic hint. A winner!
carpaccio @The Room
The roasted goat cheese salad was a generous portion especially with the two slices of cheese but the dressing was deemed too bland. I like the idea of fruits in the salad and there was a mix of leafed greens instead of just salad.
roasted goat cheese salad @The Room
The beef tartare was well seasoned with pickles being the dominant taste though. Still it was well received, the chili oil in the accompanying pipette was not necessary. The breaded egg was waxy on the inside and could have used another pinch of salt. The presentation does wonderful and mouth-watering.
beef tartare with breaded egg @The Room
As a main dish I ordered the pink venison filet with cabbage and parsnip. The dish was excellent, I loved the colors and its arrangement. The meat was tender and exactly right. But astonishingly it was the cabbage that impressed me the most. The only thing I was not sure about was the polenta in filo. In my opinion the filo was not fried crispy enough.
venison filet with cabbage, parsnips and black nut @The Room
I also ate half of the beef filet (I love sharing; we all know sharing is caring). It might not be the most exciting choice but when done right it is a wonderful dish. As was the case here.
beef filet with potato mash and green beans @The Room
The burger got a good review as well, plus it was a generous portion. The only remark I got was that the fries could have been crisper. But my colleague was happy with his choice.
burger with fries @The Room
Now the risotto on the other hand was very tasty but too soft. That is a problem when you leave it a second too long on the stove. It just turns to a glibbery mass.
artichoke risotto @The Room
And from then on it just turned downhill. The tuna steak was just a disaster. Tuna for me is always a difficult choice. It is a conscience question. Is the fish line caught or not? So never knowing this, once you order it, I feel that the fish deserves to be eaten. No matter what. In this case the tuna was not quickly seared to leave it nice and moist but simmered the death. It was practically well done. What a waste.
tuna steak with wasabi mash and vegetables @The Room
The two desserts we ordered didn’t fare any better. The dark chocolate ganache had gelatine inside and tasted more of stale pudding. The peanuts served alongside didn’t taste good (it tasted of salted peanuts) and especially didn’t work with the chocolate. Highlight of this dish was the tangerine sorbet which was perfect.
dark chocolate ganache @The Room
The poor fellow who had ordered the tuna steak also got the wrong dessert. He went for the pancake and picked another loser. The pancake was cold and had therefore already the texture of filling material.
Viennese pancake @The Room
Too bad that the kitchen did a wrong turn somewhere. It had started out so promising.
What really was a let down though was the service. They are very friendly. Don’t get me wrong. But when a waiter pours water and spills some, shouldn’t he wipe it then? Not here, it was on the table the whole evening. Also, usually you get informed before if a dish is not available anymore. We only got notified after someone ordered it. The same happened then with the wine. One got the feeling they just weren’t prepared for their guests. Yours, Pollybert
The Room
1030 Wien, Marxergasse 17
Tel: +43 1 7105577
Mail: office@theroom.at
Daily from 09:30 until Mon-Wed: 0:00, Thu-Sat: 2:00, Sun: 17:00
https://theroom.at/
