As promised, now for the 2nd part of my recent trip to Vienna. Sitting at my computer on a Wednesday evening and looking at the Tupperware-coloured sky outside, Vienna seems a long way away, even though it was only last week.
As an aside, one morning in one of the hotels (I forget which) I was watching a snippet of a documentary on travel blogs and bloggers on CNN. I should point out that all opinions here (and in my previous post) are my own, and I have not received any offers or bribes from any hotel or restaurant. On the other hand, on the off chance that any hotel or restaurant would like to offer me a free night or meal in exchange for a favourable review, I'm sure some arrangement could be made. My moral compass is somewhat flexible on this front.
Anyway…
The week in Vienna was good, even though the majority of it was spent at the conference. That was, after all, the main reason of going, and so a lot of time was spent in talks, in meetings and presenting my own work. I took one full day off, to go sightseeing and to continue my hunt for good pastries (see separate section, below). We had a number of good meals in the evening, including an excellent night in a large, very busy Austrian restaurant not far from the hotel (called Zur Altern Kaisermuhlen). Superb food, albeit very busy and fairly poor (slow) service.
We left Vienna on the Friday afternoon, slightly later than in previous years because of work commitments. Because of that, we only drove a couple of hours, stopping in a small village near the Austrian/German border called Enns. Found a lovely little family run hotel just on the edge of the town, and had an excellent meal.
The next day we awoke to bright sun, which continued all day and was the first day of the trip we were able to picnic outside. It would seem that the bellboy from Vienna had been right, albeit a day late. We had quite a long drive that day, covering a large amount of Germany, however it was very nice to stop for lunch and not be cold. Eventually, we decided to stop in a very small village called Duhren, just outside the larger town of Sinsheim. Again, purely by chance, we came across a small hotel on the outskirts of the village which, although not particularly full of character on the outside, was nevertheless reasonably comfortable inside. Again had a very good meal, although my local (apparently) fish was served with so much butter it was virtually swimming. Not a bad thing from my perspective, but not a dish for those watching their cholesterol.
The following morning, after an excellent breakfast with numerous choices (both hot and cold, including a vegetable mixture which was unashamedly and blatantly leftovers from the night before), we had another fairly long drive into France. The weather was still much warmer than the trip up, but colder than the previous day. We arrived in Reims at around 4 PM, stopping at a hotel Mercure on the outskirts of town in the middle of an industrial estate that we had booked in advance. I should point out that this was not my choice, and had I known what it was like I might have objected more beforehand. It was, being honest, pretty grim - slightly prison-like on the outside, and lacking any soul on the inside. Comfortable enough rooms, but completely devoid of any character. Plus there were multiple steps to the restaurant, the rooms weren't particularly cheap and, being in the middle of an industrial park, there was nowhere to go for an evening stroll. Nevertheless, even I (eventually) admitted the evening wasn't a complete write-off, and we were able to have a nice evening drink (on the grass outside, in the car park) and then a surprisingly good meal in the restaurant. So not a complete disaster, but I might not go back there again.
The final day was fairly uneventful, driving through the rest of France and doing some shopping at a local supermarket in Calais before returning via the Tunnel. It all seemed to go very quickly and, as I said, now seems a long way away. Never mind…
Sachertorte and apple strudel hunt
Following my recent exploits into the world of baking, last year I was inspired to go on a Sachertorte hunt. For those not in the know, Sachertorte is a rich chocolate cake normally covered in chocolate ganache and served with whipped cream. The primary place in Vienna is the Hotel Sacher, an extremely expensive hotel and restaurant that also has an excellent cafe. Its main rival, apparently, is the Cafe Demel, and a 3rd option is the Cafe Central. All of these are extremely established and extravagant places, with the latter apparently being the preferred coffee house of academics, poets and musicians of the 19th century.
So, last year during my day off, I visited each of these coffee houses, comparing their own versions of Sachertorte. It obviously had to be a controlled test, with always the same amount of whipped cream and always accompanied by the house coffee - usually a large black coffee, topped with more whipped cream and some sort of brandy or liqueur. After rigourous scientific testing, I can confirm that the Sachertorte from the Hotel Sacher was clearly the best - more moist, and with an extra layer of apricot jam in the middle which the others lacked. The chocolate ganache was also thicker. So, job done.
This year, therefore, I needed a new pastry to test. The obvious choice was Vienna's other famous dish, the apple strudel. I have been challenged to make one of these upon my return, and whilst I'm definitely up for it, I do have my doubts. They are not easy. I again visited the same 3 coffee houses, and again carefully tested each strudel. The results, unlike last year, were much closer. After much consideration, I would say the winner was the Cafe Central, with Demel coming 2nd and the Hotel Sacher a very close 3rd. The difference was all in the pastry - the one from the Hotel Sacher was much crispier, which some people might prefer, but which I think made the whole thing drier. In contrast, the one from Central came with whipped cream and (for €2 extra) vanilla cream, which does actually make a big difference.
Now I just need to decide what the challenge will be next year…
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