The 13th district of Vienna is rather a culinary desert. Or at least it was while I lived there. Come to think of it, I don’t believe it has changed much. Except for one breakfast post, there is nothing here on the blog from this area. So it was high time to check out an Italian place called Passione-Da Ferdinando. They have a restaurant but they also have a small street food place right across from the metro station Hietzing.
My friend had already raved about their fried pizza and even once brought me an Arrancini (a ball of fried rice stuffed with ragù) to try. It’s the perfect take-away by the way, because you just heat it up in the oven for a couple of minutes. The street food place is small with just a couple of tables, a counter to order, and a huge fridge with drinks.
seating and counter area @Passione-Da Ferdinando
On the recommendation of my friend we shared some Arrancini for starters. They come in two sizes, here is the small size. He also tried fried spaghetti Carbonara and a rolled up sandwich. It’s a actually a pizza filled with really spicy salami and lots of cheese.
Arrancini, fried spaghetti and a rolled up pizza sandwich @Passione-Da Ferdinando
The Arrancini was exactly the perfect starter. A small ball of squashy rice with a bit of cheese inside. The sauce had disappeared but the taste was there. All of it fried to a golden perfection. I am not sure if I want to have four of these balls, but to share it’s a great.
The fried spaghetti were apparently a disappointment and were only mentioned in passing later. The glob of cheese also looks uninviting. The pizza roll scored with heat score point and an overall cheese gooeyness. Also nothing I would order as a main dish, but to each his own. My friend enjoyed it.
For myself I got Eggplant Parmigiana which I spied in the display case. It came with a freshly baked pizza bread and the waitress recommended to fill it with the parmigiana. Honestly, I believe this would make for a rather messy eating. But I do understand that it works with the street food concept. Since we ate seated there was no point to screw this up. The Parmigiana was excellent, with lots of Provola. The smoked aroma could become a bit much, but it worked very well with the dish and the portion. Just what you need on a grey winter day. Yours, Pollybert
Parmigiana @Passione-Da Ferdinando
Passione-Da Ferdinando
1130 Wien, Hietzinger Hauptstraße 6
Tel: +43 1 8764490
Email: info@passione-daferdinando.com
Mon-Sun: 10:30-22:00
https://passione-daferdinando.at/
