Ristorante Il Latini Florence

Ristorante Il Latini is located in the centre of Florence.

The restaurant was recommended to us by a hotel. We went there because the last recommendation from this hotel was also good. This was more than a year ago. We did not stay at this hotel because we went to Florence from another location, just for the day but I called the hotel and they recommended this restaurant. Upon arrival, which was around 2 p.m. on a Sunday, we saw that there was a big queue in front of the restaurant which seemed to be our destination after we had been using (iPhone) maps to find the place, which was not as easy as expected. Things unfortunately do not work as well in real life as in Tim Cooks presentations... At first I thought of leaving because the queue seemed quite long. Then I saw that a lady was giving out some wine in very small glasses and cheese for the people waiting. I thought that this was quite nice actually. Later on, I understood that this was part of the show. We waited for about 15-20 minutes to get in. This was supposed to be the best Fiorentina restaurant in Florence so we bothered to wait that long. When you think about what people in New York do to get into restaurants, this is still ok.

Pearl barley starter

The restaurant has a website: http://www.illatini.com. I must say that the website strongly differs from actuality. This is the case here, much more than it is usually in such cases.

Interior of the restaurant

Freshly cut prosciutto

The place was packed. We sat tightly next to another table. That did not bother us though because we understood that this happens sometimes in popular cities. 

House wine and bread

The waiter rushed towards us and asked us what we would like to have. We did not really read the menu in detail because we new that we were going to try the Bistecca alla Fiorentina anyways and the waiter was rushing from one table to another. After waiting so long we just quickly wanted some starters, some water and some wine. We ordered the house wine, which was ok.

Salami

We ordered mixed starters, prosciutto, salami, cheese and some chicken liver ragout.

Chicken liver ragout

Some of you might be a little scared of trying chicken liver ragout. I am not a fan of liver dishes unless they are very good. This was ok. I tried one of these breads. For the main course we ordered the Bistecca alla Fiorentina. This was 1 apparently. We had it between the four of us.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

I would like to note that the Fiorentina costs 50 Euros. This is a lot of meat though, definitely enough for four people.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina medium

With the Fiorentina we ordered some potatoes and 'vegetables' which turned out to be beans. We also ordered a salad with the meat.

White beans with olive oil

Rosemary backed potatoes

The Bistecca alla Fiorentina with the side dishes offered was more than enough for us all. When we finished, before we thought about desert, we were offered something again.

Fresh cantuccini

The waiter brought us some cantuccini and Vinsanto wine in small glasses.

Vinsanto

We still decided to try a desert. We ordered Panna Cotta with fruit and chocolate sauce. What we received was Panna Cotta with chocolate sauce. This may have been 'lost in translation'.

Panna Cotta with chocolate sauce

The Panna Cotta was very good. When we had finished our lunch, the place was starting to clear out a little. This was the first time we could actually hear each other talk.

Overall, this was a fun experience. This is definitely not a place for a romantic dinner. If you want to try the meat and see people coming from everywhere, also locals (Italians, probably not real locals) being happy to be in the place, this is an experience one must once have. The service is mediocre. You feel like you are at a train station. We knew the deal before and still decided to wait and find out for ourselves. It was all fun until I received the bill. For the food we had and two bottles of wine as well as one grappa and coffee and the mediocre starters with the Fiorentina they charged us 180 Euros. I paid cash. For Italy, this was too much for what we had received. In Italy one should generally usually only order according to menu and not just let the waiter bring you everything he suggests. I made that mistake and paid for it. One the whole, I would recommend a visit with caution. The Fiorentina is worth it. If possible, try to get a reservation.

Landhaus Bacher, Mautern Austria

Landhaus Bacher is an Austrian Gourmet Restaurant about an hours drive away from Vienna. It is located in one of the most famous Austrian wine regions, the Wachau in Lower Austria. This is a good location for a day's trip or more. There are various other nice small traditional restaurants in the area. When going there for lunch, one can choose the lunch menu, which costs 45 Euro per person.

Seafood amuse bouche

We ordered the menu with a glass of champagne as an aperitif. There was a variety of amuse bouches to start with. 

Filled cheese balls

Butter and cream as well as lentils in mouse

Carrots with curcuma and basil

I am a great fan of the little things which really tickle your taste buds. The variety of amuse bouche and home made bread was very generous. 

Beef bouillon with 3 different types of dumplings

As a starter we had the beef bouillon with semolina dumplings, a sort of liver dumpling and bacon dumpling. The combination was interesting and the portion was not to big, which was convenient.

Fish with vegetables

There was also a cold fish dish with vegetables as a starter.

Beef cut with potato balls and vegetables

I had the beef cut with potato balls and vegetable in a sauce they poured over when serving. The beef was good, the combination interesting but not extraordinary. I had a glass of an Austrian cuvée from the region with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Blaufränkisch. The wine (by the glass) was ok but highly priced for one glass.

Trout with Krautfleckerl

We also had the trout with "Krautfleckerl". Krautfleckerl is cabbage with onions in small Austrian pasta. Everything was delicious as expected.

Pancakes with apricot jam and ice cream

When in the Wachau region, one has to try something with apricots. During the season, they sometimes have apricot dumplings which are a signature dish but I guess the season was not now. We had pancakes with the menu. The jam was fresh and the pancakes were good. I do not consider pancakes a special dish when in a gourmet restaurant but they were very good of course. 

Sweet variations from the house

After the desert, with coffee or without we were also offered some sweets variations. They offered some home made Cointreau chocolates, a peach soup, a caramelised plum as well as some delicate small chocolate breads/crackers.

The small surprises in between were a highlight of this restaurant. Overall it is a very nice place with good service. The wine menu is expensive, you could say overpriced. The restaurant is on the higher price range, especially for this area, I do have to reiterate that. If you consider that the evening menu is about 100 Euros per person without drinks, this is quite a lot. Value for money is not at the top notch of my personal ranking. Overall, we had a very nice experience and were satiate after this quite generous lunch menu. I would definitely recommend this restaurant but would like to warn everyone about the high prices especially when thinking about having aperitif, wine and digestif which we did not have as we one would usually because we were there for lunch and were driving back to Vienna that day.

Figls, voting day in Austria

Oktoberfest menu at Figls

This is a different post today. Today was voting day in Austria. According to tradition which I learnt from my father, one has to go vote in the morning and have some beer and sausages before lunch or 12 o'clock on that day. This is what we did.

Mass Spaten Oktoberfest beer

As it is Oktoberfest season, I ordered one big beer which turned out to be a mass, which is a one litre beer. As I said we had to have sausages.

White sausage with giant pretzels

We had the white bavarian sausages with bavarian mustard with giant filled pretzels. This is the perfect hangover breakfast or a little something after voting. Definite recommendation.

Brasserie Federal Zürich Main train station, Switzerland

Zürich has the best public transport system I have ever experienced. You can land at Zürich airport and take a train to the city or anywhere else in Switzerland right from the airport. When you do not have a lot of time, you can stop at the train station and people in Switzerland meet in between journeys and meetings going towards different destinations at the main train station in Zürich. I was there for that same reason with limited time and stopped at this simple place in order to meet a friend who was going take a train from the station shortly. You won't find places like this at Grand Central Station. 

Brasserie Federal at Zürich main train station

The Zürich main train station is one of the best train stations in the world. This is my opinion. The trains rarely arrive late. You really have to be on schedule and buy your ticket on time or else you will miss your train. At this place I just ordered a beer and the typical sausage they have to offer.

Swiss sausage

The swiss beer goes well with the sausage. It is a good stop of the better sort when at a train station before a long or short journey. We had some local wine afterwards as well. In Switzerland I recommend the whites from Valais. Value for money is ok. 

Mole West, Neusiedl am See, Austria

Mole West is a restaurant which is very popular during summer. It is about a 40 minute drive away from Vienna located in Neusiedl which is also not far from the airport.

Sunset at Mole West

When tying to reserve a table there, one has to reserve at least a week in advance in order to get a table on the weekend. You can always arrive and just wait to get a table. The waiters at the restaurant are mostly Hungarians or Slovakians and do not speak proper German and most probably English. We did get a table outside. The scenery is picturesque and it is also a nice place to just sit by the lake and have a drink at.

Smoked duck breast with beetroot and truffles

As a starter we had the smoked duck breast with beetroot and truffles. This was delicious and a very interesting combination of tastes.

Mole West Fish sticks

We also ordered the fish sticks, which are a signature dish of this restaurant. They contain salmon, scallop, tuna fish with a sesame crust and a giant prawn in potato stripes.

Lobster tortelloni with egg plant puree and trout caviar

We ordered different dishes as main courses. We ordered the lobster tortellini. This dish was presented very well and was sensational in taste. The tortelloni themselves were quite modest in size.

Wild meat with potato croquettes, vegetable and dates rolled in bacon

I ordered the wild meat with potato croquettes, vegetables and dates rolled in bacon. This was absolutely delicious. The meat was tender in its sauce and the combination with the truffles and vegetables was a revelation.

Cooked lamb with rosemary carrots and home made tagliatelle

We also had the cooked lamb with rosemary carrots and home made tagliatelle. This was also an excellent dish. The wine we chose to accompany these meat dishes was a very good Austrian cuvée, the Bela Rex from Gesellmann.

Bela Rex is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This wine reminds you of a Bourdeaux wine rather than Burgenland.

Cottage cheese nougat Knödel with raspberry sauce 

We had a typically Austrian desert, the cottage cheese nougat Knödel with raspberry sauce. They were simply delicious and a perfect conclusion of a great meal.

Crème caramel with pistachio ice cream

We also had crème caramel with pistachio ice cream and Powidltascheln. Powidl Taschen is a plum filled desert similar to the Knödel. It was so delicious that we did not manage to take a picture fast enough.

Overall, this restaurant's quality is very good. The scenery is very nice. It is a great hangout on a nice summer day or summer evening with a great sunset. The service is not very good. We asked for a table inside, which was not possible at the time we came and was also not given to us after tables were free. They did give us blankets outside though. This is a place everyone wants to visit anyways, which is why the staff does not try very hard. The food, the location and presentation is very nice. The service staff seems to be seasonal and could be majorly improved. The prices are on the higher side for an Austrian restaurant. For us it was a nice experience with our friends who came to visit Vienna.

Figls, Vienna

Figls is a well known traditional Austrian restaurant in the 19th district in Vienna. The restaurant is frequented by locals who live in the area. This restaurant is a place which you can go to for a business lunch menu or for dinner or just for a beer or a glass of wine with some food. Figls is owned by the same owner who also owns Figlmüller in the 1st district in Vienna. In case you don't know that place, it is a famous schnitzel place. They probably have the biggest and thinnest schnitzel in Vienna but you will have to wait in line for about half an hour to get in. I really recommend this restaurant in the 19th district as an alternative. There is more variety and it is not touristy. You can check out the website for the menu: www.figls.at

Menu

As a starter we had cold beef with salad which is a signature dish of this restaurant.

Cold beef with salad, Brattlcarpaccio

Garden

We sat outside in the garden. During summer this is quite nice. You can also sit inside. There is also a smoking section within the restaurant.

Steak with egg and backed potatoes on the side

Beefsteak with vegetables

The restaurant is a nice family restaurant where you can sit for a while. There is no rush. We also had some Zweigelt house selection which went well with the meat dishes we had. I do recommend to try the house beer as well which is home brewed. There is also a good selection of Austrian deserts.

Chocolate cake, Schokokuchen

We had a nice chocolate cake for desert which was warm and fresh with chocolate cream gushing out as you make the first cut. This was absolutely delicious and a great ending. Overall Figls is a down to earth traditional Austrian restaurant with good food and constant quality. They change their menu according to season on a regular basis. The portions are very generous. Value for money in Vienna is definitely on a top level. This is a nice place in Vienna which I definitely recommend. I have been their with many guests who visited Vienna and we always had a nice experience.

Ramien, Vienna, Austria

Kitchen in the middle of the restaurant

If you like Asian noodles, you will see them make them and cut them right in front of you in the middle of the restaurant.

Chicken Curry with noodles

This is a restaurant which I recommend for diversity as I have stated when I started writing this blog. This is a typical place for a business lunch for everyone who works in the vicinity and also not bad for tourists looking for a quick Asian lunch in the greater centre of Vienna. The place is always packed. You can have noodle soups or curries or just noodles with spicy chicken or something of the sort.

Chicken curry with noodles

The chicken curry dish comes with noodles. The portions are quite generous. It is a little spicy which is good if you like it. Overall this is a good restaurant for lunch for a good quick bite in between things.