When you come back from vacation on a Saturday then Sunday morning it’s time to go out for breakfast. This really prolongs the holiday feeling. Keeping this in mind I headed for Joseph Brot, an excellent bakery chain with a bistro at one of their locations.
No reservations are possible but waiting in line was actually quite short and after a couple of minutes I got a table inside. The weather was a mix of sun and clouds so maybe quite okay to not sit on the terrace next to the street. The noise level would definitely be on par with inside though. I liked sitting in the back next to the kitchen, checking out what’s going on.
dining room @Joseph Brot Bistro
I ordered Eggs Benedict, by far my favorite breakfast dish. Here the eggs lie on an English muffin which was the best I have tasted in Vienna so far. The ham as well is pretty spectacular, Thum has outstanding quality which you can taste. Unfortunately the rest was a let down. Instead of the two eggs I got one and a quarter. The second ‘egg’ was basically just a small piece of egg white which must have floated around in the cooking pot.
And, as had happened to me before at another place, there was way too much cooking water in the plate. I hate it when the sauce Hollandaise becomes a yellow soup which floods the muffin and gives it a consistency of a wet rag. Really, really disappointing since it started so well. You can’t really see on the picture because it happened in the back. I didn’t see it myself until I started to eat.
Eggs Benedict @Joseph Brot Bistro
Whatever coffee beans they use here, they are great. Coffee tastes strong but with little to no acid and full of flavor. I should have gone for a second cup instead of a chai latte. This sweet concoction was not drinkable and the only spice I detected came from the generous cinnamon on top.
A lot better fared the lemon meringue tartlet I tried. The lemony sour cream filling harmonized perfectly with the sweet meringue on top. A perfect blend of sweet and sour with a couple of red currants mixed inside.
Lemon Meringue tartlet @Joseph Brot Bistro
Overall all baked goods were excellent. The muffin as well as the tartlet were perfect! But of course, this is a bakery after all. Honestly, the Eggs Benedict were a disappointment. And no, I didn’t send them back. Would have felt weird to do that after finishing off half of it and then discovering that the second egg was a fake.
What I really dislike about the bistro is the atmosphere there. The rooms have very high ceilings and there is nothing on the wall which could dim the noise level. So I had the feeling of sitting in a bee hive. Lots of noise from neighbouring tables, add to that the open kitchen and the bakery which you can see through the kitchen. That makes for a heady mix. The bistro unfortunately doesn’t invite you to linger. But maybe this is all part of the concept. Yours, Pollybert
Joseph Brot Bistro
1030 Wien, Landstraßer Hauptstraße 4
Email: office@joseph.co.at
Mon-Fri: 08:00-21:00, Sat-Sun: 08:00-18:00
https://www.facebook.com/josephbrotlandstrasse
