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| Esterhazyschnitte |
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| Germknödel |
Amidst my craziness, I headed to Vienna, Austria, for the weekend. Unfortunately, we were hit with very bad weather; but from a positive perspective, it meant more time in cafes and restaurants relaxing and chatting.
Of course, I visited the major coffeehouses--Cafe Demel, Cafe Central, and Cafe Sperl--while walking by Cafe Sacher and Cafe Landtmann. But, I did not have the Sachertorte, the quintessential symbol of Viennese dessert. Why? Well, a friend advised that it's way over-hyped and there are so many other cakes that are just as good, if not better, to try. Plus, I have had it before; so, I took the chance to try something different. Sadly, I only managed one--the Esterhazyschnitte--a hazelnut cream layer cake with a melange, similar to a cafe latte.
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| Eiernockerl |
The remaining food adventures came under the guidance of my local friend. The first was Germknödel with Powidl, a yeast-based bun filled with concentrated plum jam (similar to the Chinese sweet-filled buns) surrounded with vanilla sauce and topped with poppyseeds. The second was an egg/flour/milk pancake-like mix chopped up and accompanied with plum sauce. Both resembled other familiar foods but with their unique differences.
The last dish (for dinner) was Eiernockerl, a Viennese-type noodle scrambled with egg and leek, accompanied with a salad and pumpkinseed oil. The most intriguing was the pumpkinseed oil, an Austrian specialty, embodying the characteristic pumpkinseed smell with a very light flavour.
Two days were no where enough for a worthy Viennese food adventure, but I managed to cover the spectrum of fancy cakes to homestyled specialties. I definitely hope to return and try some more cakes. =) And, get a hold of a bottle of pumpkinseed oil!
