Wirtschaft am Markt

Review

Heidi makes an economy

Photo: Katharina Gossow There are probably not many chefs who are told by an investor "whenever you want, I'll build your restaurant". Heidi Neuländtner is one such chef. The former sous-chef for Christian Petz at Badeschiff and Gusshaus knows the real estate developer Hans Jörg Ulreich quite well, who is a bit of a caterer (he lost a lot of money at François im Vierzehnten), but fortunately has not yet had enough of restaurant projects. After Heidi Neuländtner cooked for a year at the picturesque Knappenhof in Reichenau an der Rax, but no agreement could be reached regarding a Sunday off, she decided to come back to Vienna. And to abandon her initial reservations about a restaurant in the middle of Meidling market, "because it's actually like Notting Hill here." Ulreich did indeed turn two neighboring stalls into a modern, simple, spacious and pleasantly restrained restaurant with an open kitchen, which can be completely opened up on one side if required (i.e. right now). The Wirtschaft am Markt, as the restaurant has been named, clearly presents itself as the new center of the Meidlinger Markt, not least because of its size, its newness and a determination that is otherwise rather rare here. The only thing is: this extremely friendly market can withstand this well. Heidi Neuländtner buys from the other stalls, lamb shoulder for roasting on Saturday from the great Nuran, for example, and there is no real competition with the other great cafés, restaurants and bars, it's more of a synergy. And the best thing about it all: Firstly, Heidi Neuländtner is simply really good at cooking and secondly, she has never completely shed the influence of her teacher Christian Petz. This means you get Viennese cuisine with a contemporary twist. And at prices that are adapted to the Meidling market, because this is not the Knappenhof. Two kinds of veal head, for example, on the one hand classically thinly sliced, with light seed oil mayonnaise, radishes and creamed cucumber salad, melting in the summer heat, on the other as a crispy börek with cumin seasoning, "because that fits here" (€ 11.50). The pickled salmon trout with avocado and melon is a summer night's dream (€ 12.50), the Innviertel grammel dumplings with wafer-thin dough, crunchy cabbage and finally a filling in which the grammels are not chopped into a homogeneous mush but still have bite, delicious (€ 11.00). And the veal and butter schnitzel with creamed kohlrabi and the best fried onions in a long time is not just "fluffy" (i.e. made from bread rolls), but nice and meaty, mmmhh (€ 12.50). The wines come from small, unknown estates and I'm already looking forward to the next time I'm there. To sum up: a market restaurant as it should be - inexpensive, uncomplicated, rooted and good. Wirtschaft am Markt 12, Meidlinger Markt 89-92, Tel. 0660/59 44 125, Tue-Fri 11-23, Sat 8-15,

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