Liebling im Volkstheater

Review

Better dear than red

The Volkstheater has been confronted with problems in recent years: an unclear profile, a crumbling building structure and a dwindling audience. The respective directors tried to meet these challenges, one minor measure being the opening of the Rote Bar in 2005, a somewhat wild drinking opportunity in the darkly bombastic theater intermission room on the second floor. However, invisibility from the outside and a rather casual management of the bar prevented lasting success. Now the Volkstheater was renovated, and the problem of the bar came up again. This time, however, the matter seemed to be taken a little more seriously: Ground floor instead of second floor, separate entrance instead of back stairs, full range instead of just spritzers and bottled beer and even a guest garden instead of G'stetten. Wow, the Volkstheater also made a statement with its choice of operator: Liebling, which has been a prime example of hip gastronomy with an urban-alternative touch in Zollergasse for ten years, whose operators Moritz Baier and Daniel Botros, with their other restaurants Schadekgasse 12, Burggasse 24, Ganz Wien and Café Kriemhild, have now become really big players in the gastronomy scene. The two are also involved in the rescue of the Bellaria cinema. The Liebling im Volkstheater has been given a really pretty makeover: the original vestibule, where the box office was located for decades, was given a colorful, bright outfit with a central bar and separate dining room by Baier, Volkstheater set designer Michael Sieberock-Serafimowitsch and his assistant Jane Zandonai. The guest garden with its Hollywood swing is also quite something, especially once the climbing plants have overgrown the muck bucket facings. But should you also eat here? Absolutely! At lunchtime there is a menu (€ 10/12), in the evening an assortment of small dishes, for the preparation of which Jakob Gotthard only uses organic food and also makes an effort with the arrangement. Carpaccio of asparagus with roasted hazelnuts and marinated navette turnips, for example, very good, very pretty, perhaps a little light (€ 8.00). The Nuri sardines on a very good bean cream were also great (€ 8.50), fermented vegetables with pink hummus, mushrooms and olives not only beautifully colorful, but really delicious (€ 10.50). The beef tartare with whisky butter, onion marmalade and mustard caviar is perhaps a bit too much frills, but okay (€ 12). You can really go there, even on non-performance days. Summary: The reinventing Volkstheater has also given itself a new café. Not only does it look good, it even has real food.

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