Part 3: The Chinese do not dine. They feast. So, get used to it.

In order to truly enjoy the delightful and tasty Chinese cuisine, I strongly advise to never travel alone. Ever.

And it isn’t because of language but food, my friends. Food. Chinese do not eat, they feast! And how can you feast alone? This is no fun! You need friends – you order up, share it and have a jolly good time. Best things in life is when you share it with others closest to you.

So, after a long day of exploring the city, a group of friends and I decided to dine – the good old Chinese style and what would be our menu tonight? We thought seafood would be grand! And here are the usual suspects…


Holy crab! This, according to my friend, is done the Singaporean chilli crab style. Mmmmmm...


If you travel along the coast of China, seafood is the norm. And eating for the Chinese, or for any Asian for that matter, is a very social and communal activity. This is when you have a good time and enjoy something delicious and good with close friends and families. This is when business deals are discussed and agreed upon and personally, I have advocate business meetings like this. Yes, please!



Oooooh oysters. Not served raw but pimped up. We like it!


Scallops served with capsicum, mushrooms and mixed veges in sweet sour sauce. Yummers!


One tip though – regardless on whether they are your friends, families or business – is to never empty your plates. They will order more as it is a sign that you are still hungry because a full person never empties his/ her plate. Or it is a sign that you enjoyed it, so it is only normal that a good host will order more. And even if your plate is still full, trust me, they will pile that plate of yours. Or they would ask for a clean one, and they start piling. I have experienced that a time way too many!



And even more crabs arrived. Yes they did.


Fillet of beef cooked the Mongolian style. Yes this isn’t quite seafood, is it? But when we feast, we aren’t biased!


So, how many course was this dinner? I lost track and I promise to count when we dine again. Do be careful what you ask for. In my experience, never joke around about what you wish to have or eat, or whatever food you might miss. Your local hosts and friends might just get them for you. It is their way to extend their hospitality to you. And you cannot disappoint them when they do.



Yep. Even more food. And can you spot even more Peking duck in there?

Part 2. Social, fun & delicious.

Some call it hot pot, steam boat or shabu-shabu. One thing that is clear, the hot pot is eaten only with the people you like.


The Yunnan-style hot pot with 4 different broth. Spicy, tangy, mild and mushroom. We love them all!


Over my many visits, I was lucky to have tried 3 different regional versions – Yunnan, Mongolian and Sichuan. And what’s my verdict? They are all yummy and yet I wasn’t allowed to repeat. Well, because there’s more to explore and enjoy!



Close up of the seriously yummy Yunnan-style hot pot. Well, everybody loves hot pot.


The Yunnan version has that tangy and spicy taste which reminds me of the flavours of southeast Asia. It is aromatic, mild (almost sweet) on the onset and then the spiciness kicks in, dances about your palate and then you think you will sweat, and then it leaves you with a savoury sensation and that is when you reach out for more. I love it! It was delicious!


Mmmmmmmmmmeat...


And what do you dip the cooked meat and items into? Oh ho, the Yunnan style was wicked! There was a counter with over 20 items - I stopped counting. All you do is grab this little bowl or ramekin and start pimping up your sauce! Add in spices, shallots, various versions of chillies, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, versions of soy sauces and whatever you fancy and voila! Your yummy dipping sauce is ready. If you are confused, you may add all. Or make a few ramekins and enjoy! Makes me feel like a chef... well, kinda...


My awesomelicious dipping sauce. Experimental but goooood...


This is where we kept the stash.


The Mongolian version had a lot of meat – mostly lamb, veal and beef. The stock in the pot for cooking was clear but the dipping sauce was a thick, sesame paste which reminds me of the Japanese shabu-shabuthat I ate in Kobe. Dipping cooked meat into this sesame paste made me feel full really quickly. And yet my plate was hardly ever empty. The Chinese are very hospitable and they will ensure a generous and continuous flow of food – in this case a lot of meat. There were vegetables and mushrooms too but I guess they wanted me to dine on the finest cuts.



The authentic Mongolian hotpot made of copper with chimney in the centre. Wicked!


Hey hot pot! Smile for the camera! We like you!


And finally, if you are ready for HOT pot - here comes the Sichuan version. Well not finally, but the third version I tried at the time of writing this. Sichuan is probably a code word for crazy killer numb hot spicy. Forget that spicy Thai food. This is a new level of hot. It was so hot beyond tears or words that my last recollection was, I could not feel my tongue. Quite literally. I often question myself,why, why do anyone eat anything this hot? How early do Sichuanese babies start going wild like their adults do with spiciness? and what is spicy Sichuanese baby level? Despite these burning (quite literally) questions, I went for more.



You ready for this?


Team of "fire fighters". Goma or sesame paste dipping sauce and that one in the can is sesame oil, my friends. Nopes, not your can of fizzy drink.


Here's how you pimp up your dipping sauce. Sesame oil, garlic, spring onions and a friend added chillies. And she said this dip is only for the meats dipped in the spicy broth. Madness.


Notice the chillies dancing in the broth. The one in the middle is for the faint-hearted (yours truly) - how thoughtful of my friends. I guess this is my last call to change my mind?


And they wheeled in the good stuff. There's no looking back now.


Again, this Sichuan hot pot restaurant is halal. Apparently, there are many halal restaurants these days in Beijing and Shanghai – you just need to ask. Typically, when the exterior is marked with a green banner instead of the standard red ones, the establishments serve halal food. But not all will put these banners such as this Sichuan place but my friends found this place because she is a fellow foodie just like me. So, to this I say bon ap! Or 吃吃吃 (let’s eat) or 吃好 (eat well)! Smaklig måltid! Mahl Zeit!



Fiery good stuff. Om nom nom nom...


Part 1. Of Palaces, Emperors and Roasted Duck.

Of course I travel for my heart and soul. And tummy – also closely connected to my soul.

But in a country so massive and rich in culture, history and culinary delights – I have to do more than just eat! In fact, I will need to keep coming back to see, do, discover and enjoy more!

So my first touristy stop is the famous Forbidden City. It used to be the residence 24 emperors of the last two dynasties (Ming and Qing) for over 600 years!! It is the world’s largest and most well-preserved ancient palatial structure existing today. I am fascinated by history and I find this place quite breath-taking.








You can never see all of Beijing in a day. This city is home to at least 20 million people. So yeah here’s the fun part – food!! And when in Beijing, it is mandatory (at least for me) to have Beijing Kao Ya– the famous Roasted Peking Duck.

What we know as crispy duck or knußprige entein Austria (and perhaps Germany) is essential crispy fried duck. Most restaurants will put some batter on the skin and then deep fry them. An example will be this one which I ate at the airport just before flying out of Munich for China. Yeah I need to compare duck in Europe vs duck in China. A job hazard I say…





Did you know that the history of the Beijing Kao Yadates back to the Ming dynasty? But actually this yummilicious dish existed even before that and in other variations. Whoever the clever chef was, I say thank youuuuor hen duo xie xie ni!! This is definitely one of my favourite dishes of Beijing. And of course, you’ll never order just the Peking duck. This is China, you have to order a few other dishes. And I stopped counting just how many came. Numbers matter no more, the belly is satisfied.

Tea time with a view. Lets go!



Too much cakes, too little time

And a gorgeous one. This is Cafe Gerstner with a different look and feel - yes, we'll get to this one in a bit. You will be welcomed with a wide selection of colourful and delicious looking cakes and pralines, and yes sparkling wines. A perfect heaven for the sweet tooth. And definitely a great way to start your journey into the city!



Even more cakes...




Stairway to heaven...

Climb upstairs for more! Yes, you can afford to climb for what you're about to bite into is a chunk of sinful sweetness. After all, Vienna is probably sugar capital of central Europe. Or Europe. Oh well.


Hmmm, decisions, decisions...


And they all look too pretty to be eaten...

And the view is fabulous. Try to grab one by the window because you'd be looking out to the gorgeous majestic state opera. Music is in the air, cakes and chocolates are dancing on your tastebuds - sounds like a perfect day, doesn't it?

And gentlemen, this is how, you keep your lady happy! And potentially shop lesser too... distract them with sweets!!


A sweet little raspberry tart.


For the non-sweet tooth, how about shrimps?

Our only comment about this place is about the look and feel. Their previous colours were dark blue themed against dark wood and a bit of gold, if at all noticeable. Now, the interior is in light green and gold - uncannily similar to the French Laduree.

About Gertsner

Founded in 1847, Gerstner is probably a household name when it comes to quality pastry. They served the imperial court in 1873 and today, has a few outlets and a culinary school too. This is however, the only outlet with the majestic view.

Rating - Sue
  • Total overall rating: 2.7 / 5
  • Ambience : 2 / 5 - Reminds me of Laduree
  • Location : 4.5 / 5
  • Food : 2.5 / 5
  • Price : 2.5 / 5
  • Service : 2 / 5

Rating - Nicklas
  • Total overall rating: 3.4 / 5
  • Ambience : 3.5 / 5, the entry level looks exactly like Laduree at Champs Elysee
  • Location : 5 / 5
  • Food : 2.5 / 5, everything looks yummy and they have spent a lot of time on the decoration of the food. Unfortunately though they have not spent as much time on the perfecting the taste and balance of cakes
  • Price : 3 / 5
  • Service : 3 / 5

Contact info
Kärntner Straße 51
Wien 1010
It is a hot, sticky summer. Being an Asian living in Vienna, that means one typically seeks a good bowl of piping hot Asian soup noodle. Now this sounded rather ironic to Nicklas and our friends. Why on earth would anybody want to have a bowl of hot soup in the middle of baking hot summer? The answer is simple: one needs to make up for the fluid loss.

And we decided to hunt for a good bowl of Vietnamese Pho - of course, we ended having more.




The famous Pho


Considered as one of the healthiest cuisine in the world, Vietnamese cuisine is rather herbal in taste and uses a lot of herbs and vegetables. It less insanely spicy when compared to her Asian cousins such as the Thais, Malaysians or the champion, Sichuan Chinese.

And we found one that was rather decent.

The starter platter was yummy - from the fresh spring rolls to the fried ones, beef salad and glass noodle salad.



The beef salad




The glass noodle salad


And the Pho... oh yes, this is the moment of truth. We think it was rather salty - so please don't bother adding in the fish sauce or soy sauce. We guess the taste had been adjusted to meet the local preferences. The serving size was generous. It was a humongous bowl and that itself is a full meal in itself. You won't need more.



The famous Pho, up close and personal!


Another friend had a vegetarian version and let's just say he was the first to finish his bowl. I guess the yumminess kept him busy and very focused. Yes indeed.



The vegetarian glass noodles served with spring rolls stuffed with tofu


But since we came with a group, we ordered more to share. The thing we liked the most was the deep-friend octopus and the rest were average.



The beef


The deep fried crispy fish


And then, there was dessert and traditional Vietnamese coffee. The dessert was tasty but make sure you actually have space in your belly. The coffee was different compared to European style. It was fruity and does not have roasted flavour, it tasted sweet as if it was coffee with baileys. But hey, if you like coffee with baileys, this is the deal for you!!



Dessert. We don't remember the name but it was yummy!


About Pho Saigon

They used to be at the Naschmarkt several years ago and we were told that today, they have a few outlets. We have get to try the other outlets. But if you have, do let us know.

Rating - Sue
  • Total overall rating: 3.0 / 5
  • Ambience : 2.5 / 5
  • Location : 4 / 5
  • Food : 2.5 / 5
  • Price : 2.5 / 5
  • Service : 3.5 / 5

Rating - Nicklas
  • Total overall rating: 3.5 / 5
  • Ambience : 3.5 / 5
  • Location : 4 / 5
  • Food : 2.5 / 5
  • Price : 3 / 5
  • Service : 3.5 / 5

Contact info
Hegelgasse 17
Wien 1010
Mon - Sat, 11 to 23:30
Last order by 22:30
Summer in Vienna can get mercilessly hot. And there many ways to cool off - thank goodness for that. The pool, the ice cold beer and best solution of all - ice cream!




Keep it cool!

This is ice cream like no other. Firstly, they have quite interesting or rather quirky flavours such as holunderblüte (elderflower), topfencreme (curd cream), Pistazie-salz-muskat (Salted pistachios with muscat), Graumohn (grey poppy yes you read this right) and the winner for this "quirky flavour category" is - kürbiskernöl (pumpkin seed oil). But after trying it, we quite like it!


All the choice that you need...

It is a small store and it might be difficult to spot them. But do not fear - spot the crowd, the fellow ice-cream knowers. And how exactly? Stroll down past the Stephansdom towards Schwedenplatz along the Rotenrumstrasse. And once you find a long queue that snakes along the street - quite literally - these are your fellow ice-cream fans. Join up and order up!! Don't worry about the queue, it goes pretty quickly.


The exterior of the store.


Der/die/das interior of the store.

Lastly, enjoy! And tell us what you think!

About Eis Greissler

The milk source comes from a small family farm in Lower Austria and yes people, the milk is fully organic. They use only natural ingredients and try their very best to use organic and fair-trade products. And yes, whilst their flavours are quite different, they are still working on even more exciting flavours.

They have 2 outlets and we particularly like the one in the old town. Well because they open till 11pm! It gives a good excuse to stroll down after a meal and oh, did we spot ice cream!

Rating - Sue
  • Total overall rating: 3.8 / 5
  • Ambience : 3 / 5, Cute, little place
  • Location : 5 / 5
  • Food : 4 / 5
  • Price : 4 / 5, Very good price for all the efforts (organic and fair trade sourcing) that they put in and quality they deliver
  • Service : 3 / 5, Really quick despite the long line outside, and rather friendly. I have once begged for them to open the door when they were already closed... yeah I love ice cream...

Rating - Nicklas
  • Total overall rating: 4.4 / 5
  • Ambience : 4 / 5, It's a nice small place that makes me think of the gelato stores in Italy
  • Location : 5 / 5, Perfect walking distance from the restaurants in the 1st district or after shopping after the Mariahhilferstrasse
  • Food : 4 / 5
  • Price : 5 / 5, Here is one place where you don't have to pay more to get better quality!
  • Service : 4 / 5, Even though they serve people for hours, they staff are still happy and give you a smile.

Contact info
Roternturmstrasse 14
Wien 1010
Daily, 11:00 to 23:00

Mariahhilferstrasse 33
Wien 1030
Mon - Thur, 11:00 to 21:00
Fri - Sun, 11:00 to 22:00
A centrally located market but be warned this is a tourist trap. At least for us, resident food-lovers of Vienna.

We decided to give this place a shot though - because for some reasons, if you do visit Vienna, you should come here. And for many residents or locals, we hang out here from time to time anyways...

So what options have we got here? LOADS. You name it. From the market, fresh fish, spices, Russian stall, Asian-everything-mishmash-sort-of-place, middle eastern food, sweets, salads and yes, souvenirs for family and friends back home. But expect to pay quite a bit and dont expect too much taste-wise.

Confused? So were we!! Although we thought we knew what we wanted at first. :) So we decided to have everything. Okay, not everything literally, but as many as our eyes fancy and our bellies could take.


Hummus with grilled aubergines


Curry chicken with hummus

But as we said before, be warned, this place IS A TOURIST TRAP. At least, in our view.

About Naschmarkt
Centrally located and lively, the Naschmarkt is a vintage market that dates back to the 16th century and you can find almost anything here. It is a place to buy your fresh produce, spices and other special ethnic foods from all over the world - such as French cheese, Chinese tea and so on. Having said that, it isn't the only place of course but Naschmarkt certainly has its charm. And be warned that shopping or a meal here will hit your wallet - pretty hard. And we mean it, people!

Rating - Sue
  • Total overall rating: 3.2 / 5
  • Ambience : 5 / 5 - Go for the experience! It's just fun!
  • Location : 5 / 5
  • Food : 2.5 / 5
  • Price : 1 / 5 - Overpriced and some restaurants wont even serve tap water!!
  • Service : 2.5 / 5 - Depends but in general, there is an abundant of tourists...

Rating - Nicklas
  • Total overall rating: 2.8 / 5
  • Ambience : 3 / 5 - Way too crowded when the tourist bus has stopped right in front
  • Location : 3.5 / 5
  • Food : 2.5 / 5 - There are some good spots but you have to look for it...
  • Price : 2 / 5
  • Service : 3 / 5 - It really depends on the place but overall don't expect too much

Contact info
Nachtmarkt
1060 Wien

About us

We are a couple who simply love life and enjoy food. Nicklas is from Kåge, Sweden and Sue is from Singapore. Having grown up in different countries, our appreciation for good food goes beyond international and sometimes experimental too. We seek to discover delicious food, enjoy and yes explore new dining experiences (because some experiences are just new, fabulous and should be told). And above all, we wish to share this with anyone who wishes to know where to eat in Vienna.

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