Mani

Review

Chickpea substrate

Photo: Heribert Corn Sometimes even Yppenplatz restaurants don't do so well. Muskat, for example, where you could take vegetarian cooking classes and read books, was rather slow. And Einraum, which moved in afterwards and celebrated modern Asian designer cuisine, didn't last very long either. And then the stall next to the Staud was closed for ages, the expectations regarding the transfer fee were somewhat astronomical, so it was all the more pleasing when this situation changed in March, when Asli Ayaz and her brother moved into the restaurant, called it Mani and since then people have known what was definitely missing on Yppenplatz: good, oriental food. Asli is a career changer, and quite the one. Before her career as a chef and restaurateur, she worked in sales controlling at Peek & Kloppenburg, but cooking and food have always been very important in her family, which comes from the Kurdish part of Turkey and Iraq, she says, and her brother is also a gastronomy professional, so it was about time.
The somewhat over-the-top trendy interior of the previous restaurant was thrown out and replaced by a simple counter with archaic-looking tiles and a few tables. It is wonderful to sit in front of the restaurant, look over to the Völlerei garden and enjoy the pleasant, quieter atmosphere of the southern Yppenplatz, and how beautifully the evening light changes and how the children whizz around on bicycles and scooters. The specialty at Mani is hummus. And if you know how unspeakably dull this chickpea cream can taste, then the question arises as to whether you can do a lot more or less wrong or right. Absolutely, says Asli Ayaz, everything from the ingredients to the order of processing is crucial, but probably also the freshness: hummus is made fresh every other day at Mani. You can get it with braised beef and roasted almonds, with grilled chicken and apricot chutney or with the two favourites of Mani regulars - grilled avocado with harissa oil and roasted peanuts (€ 7.20) or with oven cauliflower and caramelized onions. And it has to be said: this baked cauliflower and onion hummus combination is simply brilliantly good (€ 7.20).
Smoked melanzani on yoghurt tahini cream with tomato cubes and pomegranate seeds is also wonderful, pleasantly cool, smoky, mild (€ 7.80), pulled beef with a fine hint of cinnamon comes together with pine nuts in pastry rolls, as filling as it is delicious (€ 8.80), the chicken skewer marinated in pomegranate syrup is tender and juicy, but unspectacular compared to the other items (€ 11.20). It's a great place, a great fit here on the market. Summary: Once you've eaten hummus at Mani, you'll know how good chickpea cream can be. Everything else too, by the way. Mani 16th, Yppenpl. stand 153-155 Tel. 01/402 43 17 Tue-Fri 3pm-2pm, Sat 9am-2pm www.facebook.com/maniWien

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