Interestingly enough I’ve never had breakfast at The Guesthouse Vienna except for the two times I reviewed it. The first time the egg Florentine fared better than the egg Benedict, the second time the egg Benedict was a clear winner. Let’s see how much I would enjoy it this time.
Since it is a hotel a reservation is necessary on the weekends, especially during the peak hours. I am not sure if it’s solely due to the hotel guests or its prominent location next to the Albertina museum. The place was busy and within the next 20 minutes every table occupied. Upon sitting down we were reminded that the table was only available for the next two hours. so much for a leisurely breakfast.
dining area @The Guesthouse Vienna
My friends ordered eggs Benedict, while I went a different route. The standard version is one egg on toasted white bread with tomato pesto, ham, and sauce Hollandaise with herbs. Upon ordering my friend got a choice of sourdough bread or toast, one egg or two eggs. He ordered the tow egg version on sourdough bread and this arrived.
eggs Benedict with two eggs and sourdough bread @The Guesthouse Vienna
At first glance I couldn’t detect the tomato pesto, the bread looked rather dry, but there was some pesto underneath. The ham had been roasted and the eggs were again not poached. Since this is a hotel kitchen, the eggs appear to be precooked, peeled, and then kept warm in water. Otherwise the arrival of the dish within five minutes of ordering is not possible. I tried the sauce and I liked it. It had a nice texture, the was enough acidity to cut through all the butter and enhance the dish.
I am not sure why I decided again the eggs Benedict, maybe the disappointment of my first visit influenced my subconscious. I ended up getting two soft-boiled eggs in a bowl, a bread with butter and chive, and roasted ham. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the eggs, because they arrived last and by then I had stared long enough at everything else. the yolk was rather cool, therefore I deducted that all the eggs are prepared in advance and kept somewhere warm. Since I didn’t have any warm sauce on top, it was easier to discern that the eggs were not as warm as hoped.
The roasted ham was quite a big portion, which I couldn’t even finish. It got a bit dry without the eggs, so I left about a third of it in the bowl.
roasted ham @The Guesthouse Vienna
The same goes for the chive bread. It was a slice of dark bread, with a generous amount of chive. The butter was already soft underneath, I prefer it cold and a bit thicker. I think there was a bit of mixed peppercorns sprinkled underneath the chive, there was a hint of pink pepper. The chive bread was a generous portion as well and I couldn’t finish it either. It was just not that tasty all in all.
chive bread @The Guesthouse Vienna
Maybe this sounds like critique at the highest level, but I am not convinced by this breakfast from The Guesthouse Vienna. Boiled eggs and chive bread are a Viennese staple. Simple dishes that, when well executed, let you take the measurement of the kitchen. At The Guesthouse Vienna I was disappointed again. I hate it when the soft-boiled eggs arrive only lukewarm and the chive bread was missing some salt, or maybe just a better slice of bread. In the end this is a hotel kitchen and the guests want their breakfast pronto, to start their day.
When we got the bill we had a surprise. It listed of course the second egg for the eggs Benedict, but it also listed the slice of sourdough bread for said eggs. Why offer it as choice, when you then charge extra for it? Worse, it even came recommended! Maybe just come for coffee! Yours, Pollybert
The Guesthouse
1010 Wien, Führichgasse 10
Tel: +43 1 512132015
Email: office@theguesthouse.at
Mon-Sun: 06:30-24:00
https://theguesthouse.at/en/brasserie-bakery/
