nineOfive

Review

A craft effort

Photo: Heribert Corn Saci, Mühlbach, Glasberg, Freiwild and probably four or five other names have already been given to this restaurant around the corner from Anzengruber. In the early 90s, Saci served Brazilian feijoada; Mühlbach was a project whose development from building site to pub was documented in the ORF youth magazine "25" at the time; I can no longer remember Glasberg and Freiwild tried to serve venison, hare and deer outside of classic game weeks.
The only thing all these places had in common was the ancient steel safe in the middle room, which was too heavy to remove, and a pretty big ambition to rip the world a new one in terms of scene gastronomy. A tradition that Markus Kaiser and Oliver Janele have taken up: they have been running their Craftmühle here for a few months now, and there has never been a beer bar here before. Two things are special about this pub. Firstly, it is very well designed and plays with atmosphere. With classic elements such as a brick wall, wooden floor and flickering light bulbs, but also with the use of wooden shelves or steel grids and a vaulted ceiling stylized by bars - really not bad. Secondly, it is announced a little pompously that only beers from friends will be tapped here, and that there will be no beer here that you have ever seen in a TV advertisement. That's right, because the Craftmühle's partner is a Hungarian brewery supplier that has already provided hip microbreweries all over Europe with technical equipment and also supplies the beers. Beers that are not yet known in this city. In the medium term, Kaiser explains, they want to find a place to brew their own beer on the outskirts of Vienna and, in the long term, start a brewery store and restaurant similar to Wein & Co. A good idea, but until then, the menu at the undoubtedly attractive, undoubtedly interesting craft brewery could perhaps be worked on a little. The usual suspects are jostling for space, and it's a pleasure to call them by their names: Tarte flambée, cheeseburger, pulled pork. Well, the burger is made from beef from the foothills of the Alps, okay anyway, and the "Ofenfleck"/flammkuchen with salsiccia, jalapeños and liquid cheddar is crispy and filling (€ 6.90/8.90), the pieces of fish in the fish & chips are perhaps a little thickly breaded, but there are worse (€ 8.70), the rather mild-tasting pulled pork is so moist that the roll dissolves, doesn't matter, tastes good (€ 10.80).
But that's what everyone else does! Cook something else! Please! Cook something Hungarian or fry hops for all I care, but please don't always do this burger highway. The beers deserve it. Summary: A really nice beer bar for a change, with really interesting craft beers from Hungary and food like all the others. And with food like all the others. Craftmühle 4th, Mühlg. 20 Tel. 01/992 22 77 Mon-Sat from 5 pm www.the-tap.bar

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