The Naschmarkt is still one of my favourite places for breakfast on a Saturday morning. The selection of restaurants is great and, as an added bonus, there is the farmers’ market at the weekend. Recently, I managed another visit to Orient Occident, a place that did not really convince me for breakfast the last time. I do love their lunch menu and have been here quite often for it, but breakfast was a mixed bag on my previous visit.
Orient Occident @Vienna
Funnily enough, we ordered exactly the same things as last time, just reversed. What was immediately better was the temperature. We both remembered how cold it had been on our previous visit and even remarked on it. So entering the restaurant and being greeted by pleasant warmth felt wonderful.
inside @Orient Occident
Our coffee arrived in no time, as did the freshly squeezed orange juice. The Americano was tasty and had a nice crema.
coffee and juice @Orient Occident
My friend ordered a Turkish breakfast, which is now called Mediterranean breakfast though. I am not sure why the name was changed, perhaps to underscore the fusion cooking at Orient Occident? But it was exactly the same dish as last time, except that the butter and honey were served separately rather than on the same plate.
Mediterranean breakfast @Orient Occident
According to the menu, this consisted of a potato omelette with peppers, tomatoes and chives, as well as a cigarette cheese burek, a Turkish farmer’s salad with pomegranate dressing, sheep’s cheese, homemade hummus, olives, warm pide bread, butter and honey. My friend did not complain once, so I assume he must have liked it.
My breakfast, on the other hand, was not such a winner. I ordered eggs Royale, which are eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. At Orient Occident, the eggs Royale consist of two poached eggs covered in Hollandaise sauce, with a sprinkle of chives on top, served on an English muffin.
eggs Royale @Orient Occident
I am not sure if it really was a muffin, but the bread was not the issue here. I immediately noticed the colour of the sauce, which reminded me of the store bought version. After tasting it, I could confirm that this was indeed the case. On top of that, it was cold and had coagulated on the warm eggs. Quite disgusting, really. That did not stop me from finishing the whole thing, as I was hungry, but it was simply not what you would expect from a restaurant. If the only thing done in the kitchen is poaching the eggs, I do not see why I should pay so much for them. Anyone can assemble eggs Royale at home like this.
The service was friendly and it was quite nice to sit here. Orient Occident is not particularly busy in the mornings, so getting a table was easy, even without a reservation. This restaurant will not be my breakfast place of choice in the future, but the coffee was good and I remember quite a few lovely lunches here. Maybe I should give those another try as breakfast had turned out just like last time. I will not repeat this mistake again. Yours, Pollybert
Orient Occident
1060 Wien, Naschmarkt 671
Tel: +43 1 5871046
Email: office@orientoccident.at
Mon-Fri: 08:00-23:00, sat: 07:00-23:00, Sun: 09:00-21:00
https://www.orientoccident.at/
