Heu & Gabel

Review

Cruet and Reindl

Many storeys of steel and glass tower over the Meidlinger Markt. The Amtshaus, which, significantly, also houses the MA19, responsible for architecture and urban planning, and a huge supermarket. Someone must have approved it here because they thought that people with a migration background would learn to shop properly in the supermarket and not go to the stupid market. Thanks to a few coincidences, a few initiatives and a few changes in young people's urban behavior, things turned out differently and the Meidlinger Markt is currently the youngest, funniest and liveliest market in the city. And for three months now, there has been a pretty new stall here called Heu & Gabel, with which long-time SPÖ local councillor Katharina Schinner-Krendl and her husband, networker Mario Krendl, have made a dream come true. Essentially, it is a delicatessen store, for which the Schinner-Krendls spent a year scouring all the interesting agricultural producers within a 200-kilometre radius and checking their philosophy, treatment of animals, vision and product quality. Naturally, a few well-known names crop up: slow baker Kasses, ham god Thum, avant-garde winemaker Christian Tschida, but also lesser-known ones such as cattle farmer Helga Bernhold, who has an organic pastrami in the display case. All great things that you can take home with you, but which you could also enjoy sliced up with a glass of fine wine. If it weren't for the lockdown. However, the hay & fork people sensed that take-away would be an issue in the future anyway and got themselves 65 tiffins, the three-storey Indian menageries in which they offer a daily take-away lunch menu, Dabba style. The dishes cost an eight euro deposit (you can also bring your own), but they are completely leak-proof, easy to transport and even keep reasonably warm for half an hour. Yes, you do get a bit of a funny look on the subway with the metal knapsack. But chef Lukas Reiter also appreciates the containers because you can serve food in them and it stays reasonably presentable. The yellow beet and coconut soup was unexciting, but the grilled chicken breast with a kind of salsa verde and golden beetroot cream - really two yellow beets? - but really good (€ 13). And to make it even more sustainable, everything that isn't sold in time goes into the pot. All in all, it's a good concept. To sum up: good things from sustainable small producers and food that is transported in washable tin cans. Heu & Gabel, 12th, Meidlinger Markt 29, Tel. 0664/852 14 26, Tue-Thu 8-18, Fri 9-18, Sat 8-16,

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