Restaurant Ikarus is making room to welcome no less than four guest chefs in March 2017 – and with 7 Michelin stars and 14 Gault & Millau chef hats between them, they’re not coming empty-handed!
Anyone taking a journey through the haute cuisine of Vienna will not miss these four gentlemen: Paul Ivic from Restaurant Tian, Heinz Reitbauer of Steirereck, Markus Mraz of Mraz und Sohn and Silvio Nickol from Palais Coburg. Each of them has influenced and continues to influence Austrian cuisine with their own distinct signature. Why not take a look at these signatures for yourself?
Paul Ivic, Tian
In China, ‘Tian’ means the heavens. In France, a vegetable stew. In Vienna, the only vegetarian restaurant to have earned a Michelin star. And the dishes served in Himmelpfortgasse are every bit as varied as the name. Tian promises ‘unique vegetarian cuisine’ – a promise upheld by head chef Paul Ivic and his team, who brings together obscure vegetables, fruits and cereals to create never-before-seen compositions. And true fine dining dishes such as Jerusalem artichokes with mountain hay and cinnamon are enough to have any diner up in the ‘heavens’. And that’s not all! Tian also offers an impressive selection of vegetarian and vegan patisserie. Thomas Scheiblhofer, who was recently crowned Patissier of the Year 2016’ by Gault & Millau, has been creating his confectionery masterpieces at Tian since 2011.
Heinz Reitbauer, Steirereck
It is almost as if Heinz Reitbauer had drawn up the blueprints for the restaurant himself: Steirereck lies in Vienna City Park, a sophisticated Viennese villa which collides with a modern, almost futuristic glass building in a juxtaposition that can also be identified in the dishes. Traditional Austrian fare has been transported to the modern era by Heinz Reitbauer, without sacrificing any of its originality. The result is concoctions such as pheasant with lemon-salted onions, chard and strawberry groundcherries, or venison with spinach, coconut and yellow nutsedge.
A fine balance which has already earned the restaurant its second Michelin star.
Markus Mraz, Mraz und Sohn
Good taste is a family affair – or at least, it is at Mraz und Sohn restaurant. It all began in the suburban tavern of the father, Karl-Heinz. It was there that his son – today the chef Markus Mraz – first began to think outside the box. That thinking grew to a vision of modern cookery – something that looked anything but Austrian at first glance. After his initial experiments, the creative son took over the restaurant and turned it into a showpiece of Viennese cuisine. His cooking is a feast for the eyes and plays on the taste buds, yet retains a satisfying simplicity.
This is evident even from the menus, which the unconventional chef has done away with entirely. His guests are instead given just one choice: four, six or nine courses? For proof that this simple but daring concept really works, look no further than the customers who take the trip out to Vienna’s Brigittenau district and the restaurant’s two Michelin stars.
Silvio Nickol, Palais Coburg
The Viennese gourmet restaurant Palais Coburg has the motto: “indulge your curiosity”. In the stately atmosphere of the Palais dating from 1845, inquisitive guests are met with a chef whose creativity was allowed to run wild under culinary titans such as Harald Wohlfahrt and Heinz Winkler. Silvio Nickol draws from his own wealth of experience to enrapture his guests into joining him on a culinary journey, described in the Gault & Millau 2017 restaurant guide as: “a development which passes through perfection and continues on to another, better state. A kind of sensual perfection – sensuality perfected.”
And credit is leant to these words by compositions such as foie gras, hibiscus, parsley root and cherries, making their way across the palates of the diners without a hint of pretension before coming together in a true explosion of flavour.
Anyone wishing to experience four luminaries cooking together in a single kitchen will have their chance in March 2017, when ‘The Best of Vienna’ are invited to Restaurant Ikarus.
Text: Hangar 7
Photos: Helge Kirchberger
