Chalet Moeller sounds like a super fancy French restaurant. While it doesn’t really have French influences, there are certainly Mediterranean and Asian notes detectable. The name chalet though fits the restaurant very well. The original Schottenhof goes back to 1840, but the building has been renovated about ten years ago and received at that time also an additional annex.
entrance with annex @Chalet Moeller
After a leisurely stroll through the Vienna Woods, we sat down to an incredible al fresco meal. The weather was perfect, almost a bit too warm, but on the canvassed terrace it felt cool and inviting.
terrace @Chalet Moeller
As amuse gueule warm white bread and black olive tapenade arrived. I forgot to take a picture of it, but we fell on it as if starved. Interesting how a little walk in the woods can make you ravenous. The olives for the tapenade must have been big and juicy, because they produced a wonderful spread. Usually tapenade has a very intense flavor. Not so here. It was the perfect starter for us.
As a main dish I had ordered the trout with celeriac, hazelnut, fennel, parsley, and dill. What arrived was a perfectly grilled trout filet on celeriac cream, a couple of roasted hazelnut crumbs on top and all of it covered by a fennel slaw. Parsley and dill showed up purely decoratively, but looked rather crude on this otherwise stunning dish.
trout filet with celeriac cream @Chalet Moeller
The fish was moist with a perfectly roasted skin, the celeriac cream silky and with great flavor. The roasted hazelnuts added the perfect crunch and aroma, while the fennel slaw pushed this dish into summer season with its vibrant freshness. Just the parsley and the dill looked like unwanted cousins on the plate and couldn’t add anything to the otherwise perfect dish. Absolutely lovely!
We combined the fish with the spring salad in the large version. Spring arrived in form of arugula, fennel, spring vegetables, and strawberries. Once in front of me little broccoli stems, Chines cabbage, bean sprouts, kohlrabi, as well as pomegranate seeds appeared. This combination was as colorful as it was crunchy and was exactly what it promised: spring in a bowl. The dressing was light and supported the tender vegetables instead of crushing them under a too thick coating. What an inspired salad!
spring salad @Chalet Moeller
The asparagus risotto featured white and green asparagus and could be ordered with additional prawns. Here it was ordered pure and the dish shined on its own. Rich and buttery, with being cloying, it put the asparagus on a pedestal. The asparagus season is always so short and most of the times we eat this vegetable on its own with sauce Hollandaise. In combination with the creamy risotto rice and the Parmesan it elevated the simple rice dish. Perfect even for a warm spring lunch. I am just not sure what the uninspired thyme sprig was doing on top of it.
asparagus risotto @Chalet Moeller
Chalet Moeller surprised me with inspired dishes and perfect execution from the kitchen. Maybe the herbal decoration could be elevated a bit. Overall though great service and lovely food in a relaxed atmosphere. Definitely a restaurant I want to revisit. Yours, Pollybert
Chalet Moeller
1140 Wien, Amundsenstraße 5
Tel: +43 1 4842163
Email: office@chalet-moeller.at
Wed-Sat: 12:00-23:00, Sun: 12:00-22:00
https://www.chalet-moeller.at/
