I have been living in the area of Vienna for a long time and it is always exciting when something new opens in the area. So when I noticed Stromwärts I knew I had to give it a try. The name Stromwärts means along the current of a river of some waterway. But on the menu there was not one fish dish. So I am not sure if I misunderstood the concept or if the name has nothing to do with the strategy behind the restaurant.
Stromwärts @Vienna
The menu of Stromwärts features many Austrian favorites including Schnitzel in three variations and other meat dishes. As a vegetarian it will be a bit more difficult, but there is something on the menu for you. As a vegan you will be hard pressed to find anything, but Austrian food was never meant for vegans. The dining room had a couple of occupied tables when we arrived and most people appeared to be locals. Since there is no English menu, Stromwärts definitely doesn’t cater to tourists.
dining area and bar @Stromwärts
I of course had to be the exception, because I arrived with a Canadian friend. The menu was easy enough to translate, but also the lovely service staff offered to help with translating it. Our order was simple though, a classic Wiener Schnitzel for the tourist and a Kalbsrahm Goulash for me.
My friend needed a soup to start with. Stromwärts offers the classic beef soup with a couple of different toppings. We got the baked liver dumpling, which really had a baked texture when it arrived. Not in a bad way, I just never realized that one can bake this kind of dumpling as well. It had a bit much bread inside though, I think I prefer the regular version of the liver dumpling to the baked one. But it tasted well enough.
liver dumpling soup @Stromwärts
The goulash has been thoroughly appropriated from Hungary, but the veal sour cream version has always been Austrian. This dish also reminds me of my youth, since my grandmother was cooking it sometimes on Sunday. It comes here, as it should, with spaetzle (in Vienna we call that ‘Nockerln’). The meat was tender and juicy, the sauce creamy and perfectly seasoned. The spaetzle though seemed more convenience food than freshly made.
veal goulash with spaetzle @Stromwärts
When it comes to Schnitzel I prefer pork. Best of all is the pork filet, but this you usually don’t get in restaurants. For this you need to invite yourself at a friend’s place who even fries them in butter. The garden variety is the veal Schnitzel, which is often called the classic one. Why is beyond me, since it is mostly tasteless and pounded so thin that the crispy coat is thicker. The Schnitzel at Stromwärts appeared to be of the latter category. A large fried piece of meat accompanied by potato salad with lamb lettuce on top, and some cranberry jam on the side.
Wiener Schnitzel with salad @Stromwärts
My friend liked it, but was not completely sold. Unfortunately he has already tried the former variety, so knows how a home-made Schnitzel tastes. As far as Schnitzel go, this one was not better or worse. It had a nice golden color, with a crispy coat and well seasoned. The potato salad came, in my opinion, also from the convenience corner. At least the lamb lettuce was freshly dressed.
Of course we needed a dessert. After all that meat something sweet was in order. We settled on the quince trifle, which sounded light enough. The trifle had a Christmas feel to it, maybe it was the cinnamon on top which made me think of that. It was certainly a trifle, with pudding, fruit jelly, and cake crumbs. But was it worth the calories? I cannot say anymore. It was for sure not remarkable.
quince trifle @Stromwärts
Overall Stromwärts is a decent enough restaurant with no nonsense cooking. If you are looking for a relaxing evening, look no further. While the food might not be the star of the evening, it’s good enough to enjoy and spend some time away from home. Service was very friendly and efficient. Yours, Pollybert
Stromwärts
1090 Wien, Seegasse 23
Tel: +43 1 5893621
Email: reservierung@stromwaerts.at
Mon-Fri: 17:00-23:00
https://stromwaerts.at/
