Rosi has recently opened its door at an area in the 15th district that has so far not seen an increase in culinary activity. One can almost call this corner a gastronomic desert. It will be interesting to see if Rosi manages to change that in the coming months. Breakfast at Rosi is served three days a week and the menu quite short. There are two combinations of typical Austrian breakfast fare: a standard one, which is here vegetarian, and a vegan one.
Rosi @Vienna
Even the extras offer not one morsel of meat. I quite like that vegetarian is here a regular thing without putting some bells and whistles on it. On the other hand the choices are super limited with a sourdough waffle, warm Emmer rice, fried eggs, or shaksuka with eggs. That feels a bit too much on the nose with the health stuff. But let’s just give it a go.
inside @Rosi
The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived, with just one other table busy. While we ate the place filled up, I assume most of the tables were reserved. Since Rosi is quite a long ride from the center and there is nothing nearby, you would be well advised to make sure there is something available. The interior has been beautifully restored, with leaving the former structure in place.
back room @Rosi
I ended up ordering the standard breakfast, which includes a soft boiled egg, warm apricot kimchi, pickled vegetables, cheese, butter, homemade jam, and sourdough bread. While it looked appealing, the biggest part on the plate was bread. Everything else kind of disappeared next to it.
standard breakfast @Rosi
Unfortunately Rosi serves its breakfast with whipped butter, something I abhor! But it was not a problem to send it back and get some regular butter. The egg was nicely cooked. The kimchi and pickled vegetables were also fine, just not something I want to eat for breakfast again. I had a bit of a problem with the cheese, which arrived in almost crumb like condition. I was not sure, what I was meant to do with it. Crumble it on my bread? In the end, this is what I did. But the amount of cheese was not enough for even half a slice.
The bread was fantastic though. Wherever Rosi is sourcing its bread from, they want to keep on doing that. I loved the texture and the flavor, plus it had an amazing crust. My friend was not so in love with it and remarked on its unspectacular flavor. Together with the jam it made for a great closing of the meal. I do love a bit of something sweet at the end. Overall though, this was not an interesting breakfast at all.
My friend ordered shakshuka, the only breakfast option he liked. As a carnivore it was difficult for him, but with shakshuka you can usually make him happy. Not at Rosi’s though. He deemed the whole thing too liquid and there were way too many peppers inside. He even showed me the soupy liquid in the pan. No wonder it came with three slices of bread. His bigger problem was the boring taste though.
shakshuka @Rosi
What I found a bit weird was that although we ordered at the same time, we weren’t served together. Especially since everything on my plate must have been prepared in advance except for the egg. So while I had my breakfast, he had to wait another five minutes. As two other tables got served at the same time as me, I assume the chef cooked the eggs together. But I don’t about the other tables, because I arrived with my friend for breakfast.
Since Rosi has only recently opened, maybe it needs a bit more time to get its act together. I’ll leave it at that. But I am not totally convinced by the health food approach. The fermentation wave is in full swing all over Vienna, but for breakfast? Really? Yours, Pollybert
Rosi
1150 Wien, Sechshauser Str. 120
Tel: +43 660 2234477
Email: hallo@rosi.wien
Wed: 17:30-22:00, Thu-Sat: 09:00-22:00
https://www.rosi.wien/
