Kübey is a new tapas bar in the heart of Vienna and of course I wanted to give it a go. Tapas alone would already have enticed me, but Turkish food is rarely found in Vienna beyond the countless kebap places and a handful of high end restaurants. Combined with a bar, Kübey sounded like the perfect place.
Kübey @Vienna
The bar looked wonderful, especially with the many different figurines placed on the shelf above the alcohol bottles. That is exactly what I want to look at when having a drink.
drinking a beer at the bar @Kübey
Before long we were seated at a window table close to the vinyl DJ station. Not that there was any DJ present, but someone must have been in charge of the music because in this corner it felt rather loud and at least once the volume was adjusted.
dining room and vinyl station @Kübey
We decided to split everything, as is usual in a tapas bar. We started with the home made pickles, which unfortunately only arrived after we had reordered them again right at the end. They would have been nicer as a starter because by the end of the meal we only wanted a small snack and I was not impressed. The pickled okra and cauliflower looked boring in their washed out colors and they tasted that way too. As much as I like cauliflower, I was not a fan of it here. The same goes for okra. I do eat it in stews and similar dishes, but pickled as served here I really did not enjoy it at all.
pickled vegetables @Kübey
Karnabahar arrived first. This cauliflower steak had seen the grill for only a minute and came on a bed of red beet and lime dip. For me the grilling time was too short as the cauliflower steak was more ‘bloody’ than ‘medium rare’. While I do enjoy a bit of crunch, this was simply too much. The red beet dip on the other hand was delicious and I happily used it to coat the cauliflower as much as possible.
Karnahaber @Kübey
Another vegetable dish was Tarator, a dip made from grilled orange and purple carrots mixed with walnuts and yogurt. Mustard caviar, herbs, and a few pomegranate seeds added extra crunch. This was the dish I liked the most. An absolutely stunning combination. Who knew that carrots could be so versatile? I loved both the flavors and the texture. A clear winner in my eyes.
Tarator @Kübey
Kuyruk, on the other hand, a recommendation by the owner instead of the lamb dish, was good but not great. The braised oxtail with demi glace sauce was served on lavash bread with arugula, fig mustard, sesame, and flaked sea salt. We had ordered it together with Arafta, a mixed herbal sauce lightly spiced with pine nuts and blueberries, as we were told that these two worked well together. The sauce on its own was not interesting at all.
Arafta @Kübey
Together with the Kuyruk, the braised oxtail, it was actually quite delicious.
Kuyruk @Kübey
The dish also came with intensely pickled and strongly flavored onions. Eaten together with the lavash bread, the herb sauce, and the onions, the flavors worked very well. Unfortunately I did not like the texture of the meat and found it far too chewy. My friend did not agree with me, but I stand by my opinion. This is not a dish I would order again.
pickled onions with Kuyruk @Kübey
After sharing all of this I cannot say I was completely happy, but at least I was no longer hungry. So when the pickles finally showed up, I could afford to be as picky as I wanted. In the end we left Kübey quickly because it was simply too loud. And no, I am not saying that because of my age group.
My younger friend agreed with me. As much as I like the bar and tapas concept, there should be a limit when it comes to music. Keep the volume down while the kitchen is open so people actually have a chance to catch up with their friends. Once the bar mode starts, crank up the volume for all I care. But while having dinner I prefer to hear my friends without constantly asking them to repeat themselves.
I will give Kübey some time to find its stride and then come back for drinks and something small to nibble on. Let us judge the place on that occasion. Yours, Pollybert
Kübey – Anatolian Tapas Bar
1010 Wien, Rudolfsplatz 3
Tel: +43 676 4422937
Tue-Sun: 17:00-01:00
https://www.instagram.com/kubey.vienna/
