Nikkai Café & Restaurant was still in its soft opening phase, when we arrived there on a Saturday morning.
Nikkai @Vienna
At 9am we were also the first guests and clearly unexpected despite a reservation, because a cleaner was wiping down the floors. The former Tri Café had gotten a remarkable makeover and looked impressive with its golden light fixtures. On second glance everything else was rather minimalistic.
inside @Nikkai
The breakfast menu was as minimalistic as the interior design and if you expect any Japanese influence on it, you will be disappointed. In the end we both ordered a version of eggs Benedict, my friend the standard version and I with avocado. Coffee arrived promptly and was actually quite tasty. Even the Verlängter (an espresso with a shot of hot water) had a really thick crema.
coffee and juice @Nikkai
The eggs Benedict versions looked quite similar, although of course I had ordered the avocado toast with bacon. Two poached eggs and sauce Hollandaise of sourdough toast completed the breakfast dish.
avocado toast with bacon @Nikkai
I liked that I got two poached eggs with two slices of bacon. The presentation lacked flair, I am really not sure why the toasts needed to be stacked. Furthermore the toast had not been toasted, but the bread was fresh and could be cut without a hitch. The avocado cream was made fresh and not out of the fridge, the sauce Hollandaise also lukewarm and homemade. The egg yolks were still runny and mixed nicely with the sauce. It tasted good enough, but it didn’t sell me on coming back here. There was just something lacking.
The eggs Benedict looked exactly the same, just with ham instead of avocado and bacon. Overall I had the impression the whole thing was a bit on the dry side, since there was nothing underneath the toast. One slice of ham per toast and the bread was also stacked. We both agreed that the egg dishes were okay, but that we had eaten better ones. Unfortunately, also way worse ones.
eggs Benedict @Nikkai
Maybe this review sounds harsh to you, the eggs after all look quite enticing. But after extensively testing eggs Benedict all around Vienna, I feel my verdict is just. The breakfast menu really doesn’t offer anything interesting except the egg variations. So these at least should be well executed. I loved that sauce was self-made and that it was not cold, that the eggs were poached and had a runny yolk, however there is more to eggs Benedict than what was served here. Never mind, I will give Nikkai Cafe Restaurant a chance for dinner and hope that that Asian fusion cuisine leaves a better impression with me. Yours, Pollybert
Nikkai Cafe & Restaurant Wien
1010 Wien, Wipplingerstraße 34
Tel: +43 1 9928000
Email: hi@nikkai.at
Mon-Fri: 08:00-22:00, Sat: 09:00-22:00
https://nikkai.at/
