Chez Bernard

Review

I was in New York for a bit

Roof terrace bars usually look like this: weatherproof plastic furniture, a railing so that you can't fall off so easily when taking a selfie, a small makeshift bar and a few flower pots with box and oleander so that it doesn't look like a second-use flat roof. Of course, Motto boss Bernd Schlacher could have done it this way with the roof of his Hotel Motto - the location and panoramic view are great and would probably have been enough. But he did it differently. He had a beautiful, sparkling open-air bar installed on the eighth floor. Made of fine materials and elegantly styled, with small tables made of polished marble or fine veneer, café armchairs with a southern French feel, a small herb garden and umbrellas to keep out too much sun. And with a terrace running around three sides, in the middle of Vienna, a wide view, especially to the south, over and in the city at the same time, fantastic. With a bit of luck, like last week, there's a full moon and a dramatic sky too, which reminded me - irrelevant, I know, but I want to get it off my chest - of the best evening of my life at a relaxed party on the roof of New York's Standard Hotel ... ah.
The rooftop terrace offers a small selection of food and drink from the Chez Bernard restaurant one floor below, which Bernd Schlacher opened together with the hotel last October and which has since become one of the best hotel restaurants and, above all, one of the most casual breakfast locations in the city.
Up there in the air, it's more the fun little starters that work well, the currently unavoidable ceviche of local salmon trout, for example, well seasoned, with strips of pimiento and plenty of coriander (€ 15), an impeccable steak tartare, puristically seasoned, with shiso leaves, lightly cooked egg yolk, thin chips and coarse mustard (€ 20), an excellent, spicy beef ragout on lettuce heart leaves (€ 16) or an unfortunately a little bland lobster and crab cocktail with brioche (€ 20).
And now comes the point that immediately upsets everyone again: you only get a table for two hours. "Uncomfortable!" "I'm not going to be told what to do..." "We're not with the Americans ...!" Eh. But we've gotten used to leaving the cinema when the movie is over. Even if it's really cozy. And so more people have the chance to enjoy this wonderful experience, which isn't a bad thing, is it? Summary: A rooftop terrace bar that is somehow more than the sum of a good location and fine food. Let's call it a very modest atmosphere.

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