Aspic has opened its doors about a year ago, but only recently did I manage to eat here myself. Quite a shame actually, since it is within walking distance from my place. Four guys manage the service and the kitchen, and serve tapas-style Austrian food to share. The restaurant has a small terrace, which currently lies in a very quiet street due to the construction of the U5 around the corner.
terrace @Aspic
Unfortunately it was cold that evening, so we sat inside. The restaurant consists of two rooms, the first looks a little bit more comfortable and way better illuminated than the back room. Also the acoustic in the back was rather loud with the music and chatter from other guests, especially once it was full.
back room and excellent beer @Aspic
Aspic offers different small plates, warm and cold, to share and each one of them under 10€, which is in this current inflation climate very much appreciated. We started with sourdough bread and two kinds of oils, burrata, beef tartar, and salmon trout.
cold plates @Aspic
If the picture looks a little bit dark, that’s because there was not a lot of light in our corner. The had a nice texture, but I would have recognized it as sourdough. It felt more like a focaccia, soft and a bit greasy. Too bad that it lacked salt. Even in combination with the olive and parsley oil it was totally bland. Once we salted the oil it got better, but the bread was really more like a filler.
sourdough bread and oils @Aspic
Let’s start with the burrata, which came with radish, raspberries, chili, and wild herbs. I am not sure which exit the chili took, but it didn’t arrive on our plate. Burrata is the perfect canvas for everything you want to try and combination with raspberries, chili, and wild herbs sounded perfect. The chili could have given the whole thing the much needed kick. Without it the dish was quite sweet and lacking in punch. Once we poured the oil from the bread over it with extra salt, it was actually tasty.
Burrata with radish, raspberries, and wild herbs @Aspic
The beef tartar came with celeriac, cucumber, and miso. I don’t know why, but it had also a sweet aftertaste. The meat was hand cut and not minced and also a bit on the chewy side. From all our dishes it was my least favorite, maybe even more so than the bread.
beef tartar @Aspic
The salmon trout came in form of a ceviche and was excellent. Funnily enough it also had a slight sweet aftertaste. The fish was one piece, albeit small, and marinated in lemon, raspberries, and cucumber. On top sat some trout caviar. A delicious combination and we used the bread to soak up all the juice.
salmon trout @Aspic
After these four dishes I was actually not hungry anymore, but since we were already here we ordered a warm dish to share. The hash browns with caviar and aioli had interested us right away. The hash browns were fantastic, such a nice crunch! The caviar generous, but I shouldn’t have ordered it. The fake stuff is not my thing as I noticed again. The aioli unfortunately wasn’t great either. It was actually kind of clotted.
hash browns with aioli and caviar @Aspic
Best of all, next to the salmon trout ceviche, was the dessert. We ordered the white chocolate with rhubarb only to get it with the rhubarb at first.
white chocolate with raspberries @Aspic
After we checked with the waiter, he took it back and rhubarb was added. It was fantastic! Rich white chocolate ganache with a lot of sweetish raspberry sauce, sour rhubarb, and crunchy streusel made an excellent combination. The rhubarb provided much needed acidity and gave the whole thing depth. Definitely a memorable dessert!
white chocolate with rhubarb @Aspic
Not everything was perfect at Aspic, but there was a lot which was really good. Everything could be corrected with some salt and pepper. So will I come here again? Yes, because I live in the area and I liked the laid back atmosphere as well as the friendly service. My friend, who had to drive to get to Aspic, wasn’t so sure about returning. In any case, I am curious how the menu looks in another season. Yours, Pollybert
ASPIC
1090 Wien, Garnisongasse 10
Tel: +43 1 4023312
Mon-Fri: 11:00-14:30, Tue-Sat: 18:00-00:30
https://aspic.at/
