Momo

Review

A pizza with time return

Photo: Katharina Gossow The Viennese paradox also has many facets to offer in the culinary field. For example, the fact that French cuisine is considered the pinnacle of Western culinary culture the world over, but is virtually unknown in Vienna; or that the country's largest immigrant ethnic group, the Germans, are not represented here with a single restaurant; or that we are in the only country in the world where Viennese sausages are called frankfurters. And above all in summer: the hotter, more humid and unbearable it is, the greater the desire for really fatty, hot grilled meat. There is no physiological explanation for this, just as there is no explanation for the increasing craving for flatbreads baked at 400 degrees and made from hard-to-digest yeast dough with the saltiest possible toppings, which give you thirst attacks on summer nights, also known as pizza. So it's just as well that a new pizzeria is opening up on every corner at the moment. The latest one is called Momo and is located in a restaurant that is curiously located next to an old-established pizzeria. However, Momo has a few advantages over the old pizzeria: It's new; it has a minimalist interior; it has a fridge stocked with craft beers, some of which are really rare; it's so well connected that it already had 28 reviews on Facebook in its first week, all of which were "Best Pizza", "Amazing" and five stars; and above all, Giuseppe Raitano and Matteo Salice previously worked at Maria Fuchs' Disco Volante. The concept of the Sicilian and the Milanese also definitely has a bit of a USP. For example, the pizzas are available in two sizes, the classic 30-centimetre and the 20-centimetre "pizzette" (the perfect format, but hardly anyone dares to offer it these days), the ingredients are all from Italy, only four of the pizzas on offer are "classic", all the others are "gourmet" and are characterized by their attractive appearance and good ingredients. "Milano", for example, comes with melted mozzarella, zucchini flowers, red and yellow date tomatoes and ricotta, pretty and good, perhaps a little neutral (€ 8.50/13.50), while "Diamante" is a little more on the gas with tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, Calabrian salami and buffalo mozzarella (€ 7.00/11.00). And if you're feeling really individual, you can have your pizza topped as you wish - five sausages, seven cheeses, seven vegetables, "once with everything" is quite a lot. Fortunately, there's good limoncello. Ah yes, and why Momo? Because the pizzas are meant to be "shared" and - loosely based on Michael Ende's bestselling children's book "Momo" - they give you back your life. Well. It's also easy to remember. Summary: A new, small, fresh and hip pizzeria with pleasantly small-format pizzas that are nicely topped with good things. Momo 7th, Kirchengasse 35 Tel. 01/522 32 04 Mon-Sat 11.30-22.30 hrs

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