The search continues for the perfect eggs Benedict. When this all started there were just a few restaurants in Vienna, which eggs Benedict for breakfast. Today it’s really popular and each restaurant is offering their own creation. Some better, some worse. There is a spin on the bread. the sauce, and the accompaniment. So far though I find that the classic one is still a winner! Yours, Pollybert
Le Chéri: The Eggs Benedict at Le Chéri consisted of two poached eggs resting on a brioche, with good quality ham from Thum underneath, and topped with sauce Hollandaise. The problem was the bread. The brioche tasted stale. As if it had spent overnight spent in a plastic bag. Mushy and humid and overall just not tasty anymore. Also the sauce was a disappointment. Despite the good looks, Monsieur Benedict is not a winner at Le Chéri.
Monsieur Benedict @Le Chéri
Joseph Brot Bistro: The eggs Benedict at Joseph Brot Bistro were perfect! Two poached eggs nestled on a bed of ham on top of a toasted muffin. A generous scoop of sauce Hollandaise, a sprinkle of cress, and the toasted muffin top finished the look. What a spectacular dish! The sauce had the right acidity, a generous amount of good quality ham, nicely poached eggs, and the muffin toasted. This is how eggs Benedict are supposed to taste. I really enjoyed my eggs and with the last of the muffin top I cleaned the plate. Finger licking good!
eggs Benedict @Joseph Brot Bistro
Orient Occident: The Eggs Royale were two poached eggs with smoked salmon, sauce Hollandaise, and baby chard, all served on top of an English muffin. Personally I already minded the chipped plate. One would think that not much can go wrong here, because all the components of this dish were simple enough, the eggs didn’t work. I think it was the sauce Hollandaise which ruined the dish, you could just taste that it was store bought. Since everything was drenched in it, the Eggs Royale couldn’t convince.
Eggs Royale @Orient Occident
Café Frauenhuber: Eggs Benedict on the menu of a regular Viennese coffee house are a rare sight. That’s more a dish for all the new breakfast places and less so for traditional houses. But at Café Frauenhuber they get served and were actually quite good. The roasted ham emitted a lovely smell and my friend raved about it after two bites. Thankfully he let me taste it so that I could make my own judgement about the dish. There was only one egg in these Eggs Benedict and it was not poached, but soft-boiled. Roasted ham lay on top of a thick slice of buttery brioche, then the egg, then the sauce Hollandaise, then some greens.
eggs Benedict @Café Frauenhuber
Familie Reiter: The eggs Benedict are here called ‘verlorenes Ei’ (lost egg), which is basically the same. But ‘Verlorenes Ei’ didn’t fare great. Two poached eggs came on two slices of thick slices of bread with ham and topped with a fare amount of pumpkin seed oil sauce Hollandaise. It looked actually quite appealing but I found the sauce kind of boring, it missed acidity in my opinion. Furthermore, even though the bread was thick, it felt kind of soaked and mushy. As if some water from the eggs had spilled over.
Verlorenes Ei @Familie Reiter
Verde: Unfortunately the eggs Benedict here are nice to look at, but lack in substance when it comes to taste and quality. On a slice of Öfferl crusty bread topped with ham lay two soft-boiled organic eggs. Some sauce Hollandaise and a lot of arugula. The bread was soft, so I am not sure where it came from. Because the one from Öfferl actually has a nice crust. The sauce Hollandaise tasted of the package variety. Best of all was the arugula, which was fresh and added a nice crunch. Unfortunately, the whole thing tasted of ready-made convenience food.
eggs Benedict @Verde
Please also check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of the ongoing search.
