Monte Ofelio Bar Augarten

Review

Alta Via del Giardino Au

Photo: Heribert Corn Dario and Luca Formisano have been lucky in their lives. The two grew up in the hills north of Naples in an Austro-Italian household where good food made from good regional produce is very important. The two young men have been in Vienna for a few years now because it is unfortunately difficult to get a legally registered job in the catering industry in the Naples area. At some point, the two noticed that it was apparently quite normal here to buy industrially produced food preserved with chemicals in the supermarket, "and I really missed the authenticity of our homeland," says Luca. And they decided to offer a small, fine alternative, so they took over a former graphic designer's office, fitted it out with a display case, a few tables and a lever espresso machine from Gruppo Izzo in southern Italy and spent four months struggling with the authorities to obtain the various permits. Enough time to install a few blue tiles, put a sofa in the corner and hang the salamis in the cellar to age. Since last week, the Formisanos have had their little alimentari, which - like their parents' guesthouse - is called Monte Ofelio, open, which is why not a minute goes by without an Italian coming in the door, hugging them and drinking an espresso. I would have liked to hug them too, firstly because the espresso (from Calabria, 50% Robusta, creamy, dark and strong) is so good, and secondly because they don't hide their enthusiasm for the good stuff at all. In the display case are sausages and hams from a small producer from the Marche region, who only cuts 20 Cinta Senese pigs a year and makes his salumi without nitrite - mild, tender, gorgeous. The board is filled with whatever has just been cut, such as a melt-in-the-mouth coppa or a salami spread on Josef bread (€ 7.50). There are also daily specials, with luck a parmigiana, otherwise a so-called friselle, a kind of rusk, with organic olive oil and colorful cherry tomatoes from the Bach nursery (€ 4.50). I sat down so that my tears couldn't be seen. By the way, there is a cooperation with the Bachs, you can buy their great vegetables here. There's also pasta grown in bronze molds, tomato sugo from a southern Italian company that employs refugees instead of keeping them as slaves, and sugo from another company that grows vegetables on land expropriated by the mafia. And "Colatura di Alici", a really bad fish sauce from Italy. And capers, which Dario and Luca's mother pickles herself. Not been to Italy this year? Monte Ofelio provides comfort. In summary: a small store where good food and good ingredients are offered with a fervor and conviction that warms the heart. Monte Ofelio 2nd, Obere Augartenstr. 70 Tel. 0664/521 55 75 Mon-Sat 9am-8pm

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