Zum Schwarzen Kameel has earned its rightful place within the Viennese restaurant scene during its long tenure. The bar is a place where locals and tourists meet, popular by young people as well as an older crowd. Nowadays most people want to sit on the terrace, heated in winter, and watch people passing by in the pedestrian zone. As often as I have come here for a drink, I only managed once to come for dinner at the restaurant and this would be my first time for breakfast here.
I love this restaurant, the interior is classic and it has such a pleasant vibe. It really is a place to feel comfortable, except that the next table is right beside me. Privacy is a foreign concept at Zum Schwarzen Kameel. Something I appreciate in the evening in the bar area, when I am out for a drink, place my glass on the community table, and enjoy meeting new people. But at breakfast I rather want to catch up with my friend.
indoor seating @Zum Schwarzen Kameel
The menu for breakfast reads rather uninspired. Egg dishes in all kinds of variations, from ham and eggs, to soft boiled and omelettes, as well as four different versions of eggs Benedict. Cereals and fruits round out the available dishes. We both order eggs Benedict, my friend in the standard version while I chose the Norwegian one. You guessed right, I wanted some smoked salmon.
coffee @Zum Schwarzen Kameel
Coffee arrived promptly and so did the breakfast. I was quite surprised that the eggs Benedicts graced our table within five minutes of ordering. That didn’t bode well in my opinion and was unfortunately true.
eggs Norwegian @Zum Schwarzen Kameel
Since we both ordered the same, we had similar issues. The eggs Benedict here come with bacon instead of ham, but the serving was generous. The same can be said for the salmon. The problem was first of all the temperature of the breakfast. It was cold. Not fridge cold, but also not even lukewarm. A rather unpleasant experience. At Zum Schwarzen Kameel the eggs Benedict variations all arrive with a singular egg, prepared long in advance and swimming in cool water.
Even though the English versions of the menu mentions a soft boiled egg, the German version states a waxy version of the egg. My bad, I missed that and was sorely disappointed when no liquid egg yolk came out. I am also not sure what happened with the egg white, it looked fluffed up. I can’t say how this was done or even why, but the egg was awful. When you only get served one egg, it should be perfect. This one was far from it. The sauce Hollandaise was generous and actually quite good despite its cool temperature.
When I took a bite from the toast I understood the generous sauce, the toast was dry. Imagine quite a thick slab of toast crumbling in your mouth and leaving a dusty rash behind. Maybe toasting it would have done it some good, or buttering, or whatever. But like this the eggs Norwegian were a disappointment.
Would I come again for breakfast? Probably not. But never say never. In case I return I will definitely order soft boiled eggs served in a glass. These at least have to be made fresh by order. Returning to the bar is more likely, okay almost assured. But when you go, always check your receipt. Just a little tip. Yours, Pollybert
Zum Schwarzen Kameel
1010 Wien, Bognergasse 5
Tel: +43 1 5338125-11
Email: info@kameel.at
Mon-Sun: 08:00-24:00 (Bar & Bistro)
https://schwarzeskameel.at
