Ramasuri

Review

A place at the Platzl

Photo: Heribert Corn When Mader & Pötsch opened in 1989 on the "Platzl", on the ground floor of "Zum Jonas", it was as contemporary as a restaurant could be at the time. With a somewhat refreshed side menu featuring pumpkin seed oil, a small pub garden and "cozy" furnishings. The small square on Spitz between Zirkusgasse and the quiet part of Praterstraße in front of this incredibly Italian-looking building was already grandiose back then, but nobody cared. It took at least another 20 years for Leopoldstadt to be discovered as a really hot spot, so at some point over the decades Mader & Pötsch became Mader am Platz'l, the concept remained more or less unchanged, and suddenly there was Mochi and Ansari and Stewart and Song and Veletage and Balthasar and O. M.K. all around.M.K. And suddenly the restaurant, which was so fresh almost 30 years ago, looked quite old. Now many people wanted it, of course, and Gabriel Alaev got it thanks to patience and a good basis for discussion with the previous owner. The former Motto am Fluss man brought in a Brazilian graffiti artist to design the extra room and had wooden boards from 200-year-old barns in Salzburg cut into tabletops and benches. Ramasuri opened a month ago and is very different from the other restaurants that have been stormed here, which makes it just right. The cooking here is also a little different. Head chef Alexander Zerava has already worked in various trendy restaurants, but here he seems to be allowed to cook freely. Now and again, it might be a little playful, but it's definitely a lot of fun: for example, ceviche of the - currently very trendy - officer's mackerel with a little passion fruit, a black paste of - currently very trendy - fermented garlic and a green spinach cream - very nice, very good, but too dry and not enough lime for real ceviche, no matter, a nice little fish dish (€ 11.90).
Or a dish called "From the earth" from the vegan menu, asparagus in red crispy batter, yellow turnips - great vegetables, creamy and crunchy - and another black paste, this time made from beans and unfortunately a little bland (€ 9.50). Chicken is smoked in hay, catfish is made into butter schnitzel and for the fried chicken, the legs are not only fabulously crispy breaded, but also accompanied by a black cream (this time made from chicken liver), crispy chicken skin, purple potato salad and salad hearts - very good, but so many toys can stress out a child (€ 14.50). The restaurant on Platzl is back in fashion, and quite rightly so. Let's see what they cook there in 27 years' time. Summary: A pretty little restaurant in Praterstraße has been given a thoroughly contemporary update - both visually and in terms of cuisine. Ramasuri 2nd, Praterstr. 19 Tel. 0676/466 80 60 Mon-Sat 8am-2pm

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