Breakfast at Contigo im Senhor Vinho

Contigo is a new Portuguese breakfast spot that has popped up inside the longstanding Portuguese restaurant Senhor Vinho. While I have not reviewed the restaurant on my blog so far, it has been around for so long that I visited it long before I even started writing this blog. When I heard that the premises were now also being used for breakfast, I knew I had to give it a try. Portuguese breakfast sounds like vacation without leaving the country.

Contigo im Senhor Vinho @Vienna

We were the first guests to arrive. At 9 am there is definitely not much happening. Still, you do need a reservation. Half an hour later other customers were sent away because every table had been reserved, even though not all of them were occupied yet. Since it was Valentine’s Day, matching candy was placed on each table, which was quite cute.

dining room @Contigo

We ordered breakfast, Panela de Feijão for me and Campo for my friend, received our coffee and were then left alone for quite a while. After about thirty minutes we were given a small snack from the kitchen, as they had noticed that we had already been waiting for some time. The stockfish spread was nice enough with the bread basket, although not something I would usually choose for breakfast. But after all, I was on vacation.

stockfish spread @Contigo

Around 9:40 my friend’s breakfast finally arrived. Campo consisted of chouriço, the Portuguese version of Spanish chorizo, two fried eggs, bean salad, olives, goat cheese, a small salad garnish, and white bread. The first thing he mentioned was the astonishing fact that after such a long wait the kitchen still did not manage to bring both plates at the same time. The second thing was that he had expected the dish to look different.

Campo @Contigo

He was not particularly fond of the many bowls and separate components, although I am not sure how the bean salad could have been incorporated differently. The goat cheese bowl actually contained two different types of cheese and overall Campo was a success. In my opinion it looked very good.

Panela de Feijão, which literally translates to a bowl of beans, promised to be Portugal’s answer to Shakshuka and was eventually set down in front of me. It consistes of beans, savory sheep cheese, an egg poached in tomato sauce in a pan, fresh herbs, and toasted white bread according to the menu.

Panela de fejão @Contigo

Unfortunately, it was not what I had expected either. The consistency was much more soupy than I like. The egg, while it looks fully poached in the picture, was not quite there in reality. There were clearly visible bits of undercooked egg white, which I truly dislike. The toasted white bread never materialized and the fresh herbs did not add up to much as you can see. I could hardly taste any savory sheep cheese at all. Moreover, the dish was not hot as one would expect from something served in a pan. While the flavor itself was good, there were simply too many beans and they had a rather firm texture. This is not a dish I would order again.

What I really appreciated was the exceptionally friendly service. Contigo is just starting out, so I would give them some time to find their stride. The coffee was wonderful with a slight chocolate aroma. It was also the first Verlängerter (Americano) in Vienna that was only slightly elongated, which I very much appreciated.