Stuwer - Neues Wiener Beisl

Review

The Soyka district

Photo: Heribert Corn The Stuwerviertel is a wonderful place. With these avenues, parks, a (now good) market, no through traffic, unfortunately also without ATMs, but with the only Indonesian supermarket in the country. And with really few proper restaurants, which is kind of strange because quite a lot of people live here who probably don't go over to the Schweizerhaus every day, and because residential buildings are currently growing out of the alluvial soil along the Vorgartenstrasse like bamboo elsewhere. And speaking of Indonesia: Roland Soyka, who previously ran the Dschungel Café in the Museumsquartier and then Zweitbester Catering under the aegis of Zweitbester, actually planned to open a resort there, on Sulawesi to be precise. It was a great idea, but unfortunately the financier disappeared, Soyka returned to Vienna and wondered what he could do now. And he did the obvious thing: Take over the Grindbeisl opposite his girlfriend's apartment and turn it into a really great restaurant. The place is fantastic anyway. Schöngasse and Stuwergasse merge into Sebastian-Kneipp-Gasse, creating an almost Italian-style square, very un-Viennese at any rate, and the pub in the corner of the two streets must have been quite respectable in the past. During the renovation, the remains of leather wall panelling with brass fittings were discovered, two chandeliers were still original and during the renovation of the old bar of his Stuwer, he found newspapers from 1922. Soyka was impressed and gave the bar his daughter's name: Grete. According to Soyka, the Stuwer should be a mixture of old and new, which is why the old bar and the old chandeliers were joined by a new bar, new furniture, an open kitchen and a kind of gallery for a DJ, all of which is pretty good. And he's pretty much the same with the food: Lisa Kitzmüller, who has also cooked at Zweitbester and actually wanted to come along to Sulawesi, does a fusion cuisine of old Viennese and Notting Hill here, a really elegant chopped beef tatar with toasted brioche, watercress and three klacks, which turn out to be marrowbone mayonnaise (€ 9.80), a crumbly strudel with a rather rare pork cheek filling, also very good (€ 10.90), wild garlic dumplings with potato gnocchi (€ 10.90) or fish and chips, with local catfish instead of cod. The consistency may not be ideal, but it is definitely very original (€ 17.50). Somehow you get the feeling that the neighborhood is breathing a sigh of relief. It stretches out and gets the circulation going. And the Stuwer is its espresso. Summary: A place that was definitely missing here: low-threshold, original, cozy and good. The Stuwerviertelians will love it. Stuwer 2nd, Stuwerg. 47 Tel. 0660/551 45 32 Tue-Sat 11am-1pm, Sun 9am-4pm

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