It was only recently that I spent a morning at Bistro Fantasy. While I was happy with the food, I was less impressed with the service, so when I decided to give it another try I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As it turned out, service on a Sunday was far better than on a Saturday. Perhaps it was because this time a young waitress was looking after us. At 10 am only a handful of tables were occupied, but within the next hour the bistro filled up.
Bistro Fantasy @Vienna
Coffee arrived in no time, while a carafe of water was already waiting on the table. To me, that is excellent service.
waiting for coffee @Bistro Fantasy
Since I had already tried the pastrami sandwich on my previous visit and had seen the eggs Benedict being served, I decided to order something different and went for the green Shakshuka. In hindsight, that wasn’t my best decision. My friend ordered the eggs Benedict with eggplant, and once again they looked fantastic. She enjoyed the dish exactly as it was served, including the untoasted sourdough underneath. There was a generous amount of home-made sauce Hollandaise, the eggs were perfectly poached with beautifully runny yolks, and by the time she finished there wasn’t a single bite left on the plate.
eggs Benedict @Bistro Fantasy
The green Shakshuka must have had an accident in the kitchen, because that was more like a soup than anything else. A thin rich broth with came with peas, sugar snaps, and two green aspargus spears topped with a fried egg. There was some bread with whipped butter on the side, something I abhor immensly and which didn’t help with this breakfast at all. I mean, the dish was not bad tastewise, but it was also not a Shakshuka and not something you would expect for breakfast. That was not to my liking at all.
My green Shakshuka, on the other hand, seemed to have suffered an identity crisis in the kitchen. Rather than the thick, richly spiced green vegetable based dish I expected, it resembled a light soup. A thin but flavourful broth held peas, sugar snaps, and two green asparagus spears, topped with a fried egg. It came with bread and whipped butter on the side, something I absolutely dislike, which certainly didn’t improve the experience. The dish itself wasn’t unpleasant, but it simply wasn’t a Shakshuka, nor was it something I would expect to eat for breakfast. It just wasn’t for me.
green Shakshuka @Bistro Fantasy
The service, however, was excellent. We had such a lovely time catching up that we stayed well beyond the allotted two hours. On this Sunday that wasn’t an issue at all, and our friendly waitress happily kept our coffee orders coming. So even though I didn’t enjoy my breakfast, I still had a wonderful morning at Bistro Fantasy. Next time I’ll simply order the eggs Benedict myself. Yours, Pollybert
Bistro Fantasy
1060 Wien, Gumpendorfer Strasse 22
Tue-Sat: 09:00-24:00, Sun: 09:00-16:00
https://www.bistrofantasy.at/
