It was another grey winter morning when I made my way to Bistro Fantasy, hoping to find some joy in their breakfast. When I arrived, my friend was already seated with a coffee and a lemonade in front of him. Service must have been quick, as I arrived only about five minutes after him.
The room has little in the way of styling and looks as if only the bare minimum has been done to erase what remained of the former Persian restaurant and create the new Bistro Fantasy. It is clearly a place that attracts a young and modern crowd. Not that I feltout of place, but the attention of the staff seemed to be on everyone else but me. A sure way to make one feel very old all of a sudden.
Despite being greeted by the waiter upon arrival and while he saw me sit down, he never appeared at our table to take my order. For fifteen minutes I watched my friend drink his coffee, while a girl at the next table sat down, got water, then coffee, and was asked what she would like to eat, all while our table was being ignored. Eventually I turned around to the three waiters behind us and asked whether we could get service as well. From that point on the service was attentive and quick, but the first impression cannot be repaired.
at least someone was making coffee, though not for me @Bistro Fantasy
My first cup of Verlängerter, the Austrian version of an Americano, which in Vienna is an espresso with a shot of hot water to extend it, turned out to be little more than brownish water and lacked any kind of crema. The waiter noticed my expression and was friendly enough to exchange it for something more closely resembling coffee. For breakfast I ordered a pastrami sandwich with melted cheddar, baby spinach, mustard, and horseradish mayonnaise.
pastrami sandwich @Bistro Fantasy
I was ready to be blown away, having heard so many good things about Bistro Fantasy. What arrived was almost the realization of my dreams. Plenty of thinly sliced pastrami, topped with fresh baby spinach leaves and melted cheddar, rests between two slices of sourdough bread. The portion was huge, so I shared it with my friend. The pastrami was delicious, although I could have done with slightly thicker slices, which is purely a matter of personal preference. The spinach leaves did nothing for me and should not have been there in the first place. What the sandwich unfortunately lacked is something acidic. A pastrami sandwich usually comes with a pickle to cut through the richness of meat and cheese. I had hoped the horseradish mayonnaise would do the trick, as something sharp and biting can have a similar effect. Sadly the accompanying sauce had neither bite nor acidity, I was not even sure what it was exactly. Too bad really. Nonetheless, it was overall a rather tasty sandwich.
My friend ordered eggs Benedict and was curious about what will be served, as they come either with ham or eggplant. Since he was not asked and did not specify, I assumed it would be the classic version, which turned out to be the case. Two slices of sourdough bread were topped with wilted baby spinach, nicely cut ham, two poached eggs, and a generous helping of sauce Hollandaise. Quite the looker, actually.
eggs Benedict @Bistro Fantasy
The bread was not toasted, which could have added a bit of crunch, but the sauce was clearly homemade. My friend found it quite acidic, while I enjoyed it, as this dish often needs acidity to cut through the buttery richness of it all. Once the sauce mixes with the egg yolk, it improves even more. Unfortunately the egg was no longer runny and, in my opinion, did not look poached. The egg white was too uniform around the yolk. Then again, the eggs might have been exceptionally fresh, what do I know.
the eggs were way too long in the water @Bistro Fantasy
The food was surprisingly good, albeit not without flaws, but it is definitely something to build on. My bigger issue was the service, which managed to ignore me for the first twenty minutes. Bistro Fantasy might be more interesting in the evening, when waiting for a drink does not matter quite as much as waiting for a coffee. Yours, Pollybert
Bistro Fantasy
1060 Wien, Gumpendorfer Strasse 22
Tue-Sat: 09:00-24:00, Sun: 09:00-16:00
https://www.bistrofantasy.at/
