Zentruhm, as the name implies in German, is located right downtown. It is the second restaurant of the brothers Ruhm, after their excellent DiningRuhm in the 4th district. Even though the concept is totally different, tapas for ZentRuhm and Asian fusion for DiningRuhm, I had high expectation. I mean, these two can cook, so of course I hoped for amazing food. ZentRuhm has taken over the former Schubert restaurant and I had a slight déjà vue looking at the interior.
bar area @ZentRuhm
Tapas are a new trend in Vienna. In recent months more and more places came up with a concept of sharing. Which is something I enjoy immensely, since it gives me the chance to sample a lot of different dishes. I already visited ZentRuhm with a crowd of ten people, and that was definitely too many for sharing. So I went back with two of my friends and we sampled as much as possible from the menu.
The restaurant recommends to order 4-5 plates per person. That seemed a bit excessive. We started on a smaller scale and then ordered some more. Overall though, the dishes are small and some, like the tostadas were difficult to share. If you are hungry you might really need four plates to satisfy your hunger.
We started with white fish ceviche with sweet potatoes and corn. The corn was the crunchy kind, quite a bit of sweet potatoes, and a couple of ‘larger’ fish pieces. Personally I like it more cubed, but who cares. I am not sure about the combination with the corn and the sweet potatoes to be honest. The fish was good, I would have liked more dressing. But not something I need to order again.
white fish ceviche @ZentRuhm
The Ponzu marinated sardines on the other hand were absolutely delicious. The sardines were a little bit thicker than your standard anchovies. But still delicate enough to profit from the citrus hint. The combination with the lightly crushed pink pepper was perfect. My personal highlight of the evening!
Ponzu marinated sardines @ZentRuhm
The Nasu Miso, an oven roasted eggplant with miso got mixed reviews from my friends. One loved it, the other one didn’t care about it. Personally I was indifferent. It was okay, but not something special.
Nasu Miso @ZentRuhm
The wild broccoli and the cauliflower might sound like one and the same thing, but were completely different. The wild broccoli had cheese on top and was served with some crunchy bits, and was rather underwhelming. The cauliflower had a miso truffle glace. Despite not being a fan of truffle, the cauliflower had an irresistible taste.
wild broccoli @ZentRuhm
cauliflower with miso and truffle @ZentRuhm
We shared one portion of Anticucho beef skewers, which tasted strongly of cumin. The meat was tender, but the taste didn’t work with the rest of the dishes. It was okay, but also not something I would order again.
beef anticucho @ZentRuhm
Better fared the popcorn prawns. It was a nice enough portion and the prawns were big and juicy. I understood where the name from, there was a distinct crunch upon biting into them. The spicy mayo served with it was rather strong and overwhelmed the prawns, but on its own was also enjoyable.
popcorn prawns @ZentRuhm
Last but not least we shared a spicy salmon tostada. This small tortilla is really more a bite-sized snack. So not that great to share. Also the salmon was not spicy at all. It was good in a bland way.
spicy salmon tostado @ZentRuhm
Overall spring onions appear to be the decoration of the hour. Some of the dishes were outstanding, the majority was boring though. That’s really too bad since DiningRuhm left such a positive impression on me. Personally I am not sure what to make of it. The first time as well, when I came here with a large group, I found most of the food underwhelming. So maybe I’ll just give to some time and check back in a couple of months if there’s any improvement. Yours, Pollybert
ZentRuhm
1010 Wien, Schreyvogelgasse 4/6
Tel: +43 676 5140774
Email: office@zentruhm.at
Tue-Sat (incl. holidays): 16:-00-24:00
https://www.zentruhm.at/
