Bao Bar

Review

And so Pasty

Tristan St. James, the landlord of the Cornwall Pasty Pirates, didn't want to be in the photo. He had to make pies (Photo: Heribert Corn) Every now and then, of course, you ask yourself whether there is a need for more pubs and restaurants in the Gasselwerk area around Kirchengasse, Zollergasse, Lindengasse and Mondscheingasse. And the answer can only be: it depends, because there are never enough good ones, as the new, small Cornwall Pasty Pirates in Zollergasse shows, which was already pretty empty at four o'clock in the afternoon recently. And that was on its second day, before any propaganda waves had flooded through the relevant media, even though it is located right next to a construction site barrier, and even though the Viennese passer-by is generally not a particularly spontaneous consumer. But it simply looks very inviting. With its shelves of crates stacked with beautifully packaged British specialties, its warm-looking brick walls, its very discreet maritime decorations. And with the infinitely cheerful charisma of Tristan St. James, the landlord of the Cornwall Pasty Pirates. Tristan St. James comes from London and until recently was actually doing something very, very different, but then was once in Salzburg, met his wife there and was immediately ready to give up his home and other things to do new, good, satisfying things in Austria (as a local, you sometimes feel a little ashamed of the lethargy that is so self-evident here in view of the enthusiasm of neo-Austrians ...). First there was a tricycle company, i.e. cargo bikes for ice cream vendors, and now the small pasty and food store, "We want to show off British food". What is pasty? A pie in the shape of an oversized Carinthian noodle, pasties come from Cornwall, where miners used to take them into the tunnels. With their dirty hands, they took the doughnut by the thick pastry bulge, ate the juicy part and threw away the pasty, explains Tristan. For weeks, he researched the English pasty scene because he found the traditional beef, potato and turnip filling too bland. He finally came across James Strawbridge, who is currently the guru of pasty, pie and sustainable cooking in England, and Tristan was not unimpressed: meat only from a trusted (English) butcher, cheese from a 21-year-old enthusiast, etc. Unfortunately, Beetroot & Mackerel was already out, Steak & Ale and Pork & Yellow Turtle Bean too, but Chicken & Chorizo was still available, juicy, hot and delicious (€ 4.90). And Triple Cheese was anything but bland (€ 4.70). And yes, the black stout goes really well with it, as does the tart Perry's Premium Farmhouse Vintage Cider. To sum up: the English are great at baking hot, sumptuous pies. Fortunately, one of them is now also doing this in Vienna, in Zollergasse. Cornwall Pasty Pirates 7th, Zollerg. 2, Tel. 01/19 69 36 77, Mon-Sat 10-19.30,

More in Asian
Food & Drink in Vienna