Mimi im Stadtelefant

Review

A little bit of Hannibal

The "Stadtelefanten" is not easy to find. This is because the Bloch-Bauer-Promenade, where this cooperative work and residential project by several architectural firms is located, is still a construction pit in places. Once you have found it, however, there is a pretty, modern, seven-storey building in the Lego design typical of a satellite town on a small square between Lego houses, with no cars and children whizzing around on bicycles. Almost as if architectural renderings had become real. Almost eerie ... But Dorothee Bernhard and Marc Oberngruber, the two bosses of the Matrosenjunge catering service and the wonderful hipster champagne bar Frau Bernhard, obviously sensed this too and, after being offered the chance to take over the restaurant on the ground floor of Stadtelefanten, countered the newly hatched perfection of this neighborhood with a bit of culinary warmth: with well-chosen pop from the 80s (okay, Boomer!Bernhard and Oberngruber also reached into the emotional box when choosing the name: "Mimi im Stadtelefant", because Marc Oberngruber's Upper Austrian grandmother was called "Mimi" and Dorothee Bernhard's Vorarlberg mother was also called "Mimi". In photos, the restaurant, designed with the favorite materials of young architects - polished screed, felt, exposed concrete, coarse chipboard - may look a little cool, but it's not at all. At least not until the first beer arrives: Hofstettner Kübelbier, a great drink! The wines are also great, all interesting, witty, young, well selected by the Weinskandal wine shop and also available from the farm. Mimi is managed and cooked for by Laura Itty, who has traveled the world as a chef, and Daniel Schmid, who has also worked at the Joseph Bistro. There is a different starter every day, last Wednesday it was an extremely fresh, invigorating quinoa salad with radishes, zucchinis, anchovy garlic confit and bell pepper cream, wow, a far cry from the usual quinoa blandness (€ 4.40). And for mains, deliciously fluffy gnocchi with asparagus and a light cheese sauce, wonderful (€ 12.50), a great, cool and spicy chickpea curry (€ 9.80), a really good, classic goulash (€ 12.80) and the highlight, a Cameroon style trout: chopped into large chunks, braised with ginger and chili, served with slimy okra and crumbly cassava - my judgment may be prone to euphoric swings due to isolation, but this was the best trout I've had in a long time (€ 11.50). I'll find a better place next time ... Summary: the new Grätzelwirt in a futuristic part of town that counters the oppressive modernity with very good food and beer. Mimi im Stadtelefant, 10th, Bloch-Bauer-Prom. 23, tel. 0676/774 93 61, Mon-Fri 10-15, Wed-Fri 17-23,

More in Bistros
Food & Drink in Vienna