Eating Out in Mieming

I love Austrian food, I really do, but like their German neighbours they like to eat a lot of meat, particularly pork. Actually I shouldn’t really pick on these two countries, Europeans in general seem to love their meat products and while I don’t have a problem with that (honestly!) it’s not something I include in my diet too often. So I was a little worried when I was invited to stay at Kaysers Resort, a traditional style Austrian hotel located in the town of Mieming, which includes half board. How was I going eat meat free with a limited menu?

At the time, I didn’t realise they have a vegetarian menu. I should have just asked them, I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess I just didn’t want to make a fuss and the regular menu had a few fish options so I just went for that.

The seafood first course was followed by a dumpling soup which I tried on a number of occasions on my trip around Austria. This was much lighter than some of the other versions I tried which was a big plus for me. This kind of soup sometimes has meat in the broth so you might want to ask if that’s a concern.

For the main I chose the curry fish with rice. The mango sauce was quite sweet but I liked it. It was very light for a main but that’s a good thing when you’re having a multiple course meal.

One of my dinner companions chose the duck main course which I’m told was delicious.

Dessert was panna cotta with berry sauce and ice cream. This was a universal hit.

It was so nice to have an Austrian meal which, while traditional in some respects, presented a more unique perspective compared to other restaurants in Mieming and the rest of the Tirol region.

Although I left the hotel at some ridiculous hour to hike up a mountain and see the sun rise, the hotel prepared a little takeaway breakfast for us which was very kind. I would have liked to have stuck around for the breakfast to sample the local produce and their little bio corner but there is always next time.

From a travellers perspective, I’m not sure how I feel about all inclusive resorts but if I was just looking to spend a few days in the mountains being pampered and eating fresh, regional produce then this would be hard to turn down.

Cafe Schwarzenberg in Vienna

Vienna is one of my favourite cities in Europe and one of things I love to do in Vienna is eat! Obviously Vienna is well known for its Vienna Schnitzel but there are many other Austrian specialities which are just as delicious. If you want to try real Austrian food then I highly recommend Cafe Schwarzenberg which is right on the ringstrasse, just near Schwarzenbergplatz and Karlskirche.

The schnitzel is fantastic and always comes with a side of potatoes. I love how they do the lemons here, with a bit of cloth so you don’t get any seeds on your schnitzel, très classe.

I was surprised at how often fish was on the menu in Vienna. I thought it was going to be all meat and potatoes (and it mostly was) but a light fish meal is always a nice change.

I don’t eat pork but my eating companion told me it was very tasty and personally I can vouch for the tastiness of the potato croquettes.

I’m not a big meat eater so went for the vegetarian dish on this occasion. This consisted of fried eggs in buttery fried bread. It was quite nice but an entire plate of that was a bit too much. It would have worked better as a side dish.

Cafe Schwarzenberg is great for a lunchtime meal but they also do fantastic traditional Viennese cakes. The cafe is busy at all times of day and night so if you are in a big group you might want to book a table but otherwise you should right just walking in.

I love this cafe and make a point of going there each time I’m in this beautiful city.