Cafe Wilheim

Review

Quay with fragrance

Fishing is as old as mankind itself. As a result, different fish are caught in different parts of the world. Or the same fish are given different names depending on their size, fishing method, seabed or season, even within the same country. In Greece, with a coastline of over 13,000 kilometers, this trend is particularly pronounced. As a result, you often find yourself standing in a restaurant in front of a refrigerated display of fish that you have never seen or heard the name of. Haris Gibis comes from the Thessaloniki region, grew up in Bavaria, then worked in the hotel industry in Greece and finally came to Austria to open a restaurant where, as he says, they really cook Greek food. He had a bit of bad luck with this project in Stockerau, which is why he moved to Vienna and took over the old Theo on Franz-Josefs-Kai together with his cousin. The former low-budget pub was transformed into a purist tavern called Blaufisch, with a brick wall and rattan armchairs, and a large sidewalk garden with the smell (and sometimes a little smoke) of fried fish. With a lot of imagination, you can picture the Danube Canal as a coastline, the cars speeding past as fishing boats, the role of the seagulls is played by the joggers hopping past ... To ensure that the ingredients fit, Haris has the fish delivered directly from Greece, only in small batches and much of it only to order. Because he doesn't want to throw anything away. The mighty and delicious blue fish, for example, white grouper, fagri, a red and gold species of bream, or pelamide, a species of mackerel only caught in the Mediterranean. So it's worth listening to what's in stock and what Haris has to say about it (he has a lot to say about everything), such as small, tender squid, which he combines with an octopus arm that is grilled uncooked and sliced lengthwise - typical in his home country, says Haris, and quite firm to the bite (€ 24.90). Or gavros, anchovies, which are deep-fried to a crisp here like spike fish and served with a dollop of cream made from fava beans - delicious. Speaking of fava cream: the spreads - made from smoked melanzani, the potato cream skordalia, tzatziki or the sheep's cheese spread tirokafteri - are of course homemade here (€ 15.90).
A warm evening, these spreads, a bottle of Assyrtiko, the deep-fried sardines, and all is well. Summary: At Blaufisch, they grill what they catch. And sometimes even fish that you rarely get in Vienna.

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