vienna :: pöschl schnitzels & city sights

Looking at these photos now, I'm reminded yet again of how beautiful Vienna is - it really is one of Europe's best treasures. Walking around the centre of town, surrounded by stylish shops and incredible buildings, it's really something special. 

The Stephansdom is looking amazing after a long while of being completely covered in scaffolding, and it was luckily great weather on my last day. 

For dinner, we went to Gasthaus Pöschl, a place so old school they don't even have their own website! Known for their Schnitzels, an Austrian classic, it was an appropriate last meal of my short trip. The schnitzels were the best I'd ever had - not at all greasy, perfectly fried to this gorgeous golden colour and accompanied by a potato salad that was surprisingly refreshing. Is it a sign that I was eating too much when potato salads become refreshing? Don't answer that.

We had such a nice evening with my sister's close friends S and J, and ended the night with a brisk walk to the station as they chatted about the upcoming Christmas market season. Although I don't miss Salzburg, I do miss the Christmas markets - huddling around with mulled wines and fresh, hot food from the stalls, it was one of the best things about my time in Austria.

Isn't this lovely? It's displayed in the walkway towards the underground station, and reads "In love in Vienna today", with an ever-increasing number of people who, presumably, are in love in the city. 

Well, I'm in love with Vienna and I'm just lucky my sister is the perfect excuse to visit such a great place. But of course, quality sister time was the highlight of the trip!

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vienna :: corn n' pops

This was another place on my wishlist after seeing my sister post this amazing sweet potato cinnamon roll on her Instagram. Holy yum.

Here's what happens when you have two sisters who prioritise food over most things in life: alarm goes off, we roll out of bed, throw on the first clothes in sight, bundle up and march over first thing to Corn n' Pops to grab ourselves those rolls.

Except they didn't have any that day! No matter, I knew they might not have them, so I chose something else instead. But not before eyeing up pretty much everything in the cafe/store, which is a healthy, American-inspired place that has a muesli bar, a plethora of healthier baked goods, as well as cooked dishes like pancakes and waffles to eat in. They also have Yankee Candles and other little trinkets on sale too.

I picked up the macademia scone, while my sister chose the lemon cake - both were delicious, and had that healthy taste without being too over the top, if you know what I mean. 

I actually don't think I've ever tried baking scones, but I want to - especially a healthier version like this one. Any recipes to throw my way?

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vienna :: tian bistro

A while ago, I saw Caroline's post about the Tian in Vienna, which looked like a pretty special vegetarian restaurant and deserving of its 1 Michelin star. I was very interested in trying it, but unfortunately they were closed on the day I could go. But their Tian Bistro, a more casual dining place that is also vegetarian, was open for business so my sister, my friend K and I went along to see what it was like.

I'm not sure if I've ever tried a vegetarian restaurant before - I probably have, but nowhere particularly memorable. So this intrigued me - it's certainly not somewhere E would be excited to go to, being a hardcore carnivore, so I was happy to be accompanied by willing companions!

Located in the Kunsthaus, the building and the interior are quirky, arty and quite original. Although it does attract a tourist-heavy crowd, it was quite peaceful and cosy, perfect for a Monday lunch.

We all chose the gratins - mine was a wholewheat pasta gratin with mountain cheese and vegan chorizo. The chorizo was surprisingly good - I think I would have known without being told that it wasn't meat, but it was a good alternative! The portions were ideal for lunch, especially as we had dessert in mind...

Behold, the prettiest little cake ever. Passionfruit cheesecake - it tasted as good as it looked. I definitely need to try making a passionfruit cheesecake of some kind at home, the combination just works. My sister's pumpkin seed cake was amazing too, and K enjoyed her apple strudel (such a good classic).

It was so nice to catch up with K, a friend from my years studying in Salzburg, and we had a great afternoon walking and shopping and chatting away.

I'm curious - have you been to any good vegetarian or vegan restaurants?
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vienna :: pizza mari

I didn't expect to have such a great pizza experience so soon after that phenomenal one in Lake Como, but here's the proof. It happened at Pizza Mari. 

When I saw the instagram by my sister when she went to this place, I think I texted her and told her I had to go there - and my pizza-shaped dreams came true! We headed there for lunch with a lovely friend of hers, and were greeted by very friendly, smiley Italian boys.

My favourite kind of pizza is probably the bianca type - those without tomato sauce. Is that blasphemous? Not that I don't love a good classic, but there is something quite decadent about these tomato-less creations.

Mine was topped with Italian sausage, lots of cheese, garlic cream and lots of rucola. It was honestly perfect - I couldn't fault it. With thicker bases like these, I usually tend to leave most of the crust, but I just couldn't with this - it was too good! I practically licked the plate clean.

Even though I was already suffering from a food baby by this point, I had spotted a special on the blackboard on my way in that I could not get out of my mind - Pistachio Panna Cotta. I mean, how do you turn that down?! We decided to share that and a chocolate almond cake, which were both delicious. The panna cotta was something special though - I wish I could have taken some home to London with me!

Does it not look like the best suspicious lump of green ever?

Who knew there was such an Italian gem in Vienna? You may not think of it as a huge hub for foodies, but this city certainly has a whole lot more to offer than schnitzels (although they have good schnitzels, which I'll talk about later.)

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