London’s Foodie A-Z: A = Austria

I love London, it’s a fabulously multi-cultural city, and people come from all over the world to make London their home – and when they do, they bring with them their culture, customs, music and, best of all, their food. London is a foodie heaven; a culinary capital where you can get cuisine from any country on the planet. From A to Z, from Austria to Zambia, and everywhere in between.

At least, as a tour guide, that’s what I’m always telling my overseas visitors!

Kipfel, Austrian / Viennese Café and Kitchen, Camden Passage

But then I realised that, when I go out to eat, I tend to stick to the same handful of restaurants and more often than not always order the same dishes. So, I decided to prove my own point and broaden my culinary horizons by setting myself a challenge to work my way through London’s Foodie A-Z.

The only ‘rules’ I have are that each restaurant or cuisine must relate to an actual country, although X is proving difficult as there is no actual country beginning with ‘x’. Friends have suggested historic Chinese states, such as Xu, or that if I were to speak Catalan, then Xile is the word for Chile, but that feels a bit like cheating.

The other rule is that all the restaurants must be in London. So, I can eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch, cake, and meals can be taken anywhere – in a restaurant, sandwich bar, fast-food place, café, tea room or even from a street food truck.

Kicking off my challenge is A for Austria, and I headed to Islington for lunch to sample the delights of Kipferl. 

This light and airy Austrian / Viennese café and kitchen, tucked away in Camden Passage (it has a sister place in Ladbroke Grove), is reminiscent of Alpine chalets with its rustic wooden tables and décor. The walls are adorned with vintage prints advertising skiing holidays in Austria, and an old film poster of ‘Tarzan and His Mate’ featuring none other 1930s/40s Austro-Hungarian film hunk (and Olympic swimming champion) Johnny Weissmuller. Soft jazz plays discreetly in the background. 

The welcome was friendly and, without even asking, a large glass of tap water was delivered to the table (always a good sign). After scanning the extensive menu, which handily explains what each dish is, and trying to decide which traditional dish to have, the waitress suggested ‘Schnitzel Thursday’ – any mains schnitzel with a glass of house wine, pilsner, or soft drink included. 

As their sign outside said they served the ‘Best Schnitzel in Town’, well it seemed like a good choice.

Schnitzel is the national dish of Austria and tradition says it was invented in Vienna in 1845, with the term ‘schnitzel’ coming from an old German word for ‘slice’.

Well, my main of Weiner Schnitzel vom Kalbe consisted of two ‘slices’ of succulent veal, pan fried in a crispy coating and served with salad, potatoes and cranberry sauce. Alongside, I enjoyed a glass of the house red, a Zweigelt, which is the most widely grown red grape variety in Austria with the grape having been developed by Fritz Zweigelt in 1922. I love veal, and it’s not something you see on many menus, so it was a treat to enjoy this beautifully cooked schnitzel, perfectly golden brown in colour, and the cranberry sauce on the side added a little something to the juicy meat.

Weiner Schnitzel

Kipferl’s menu is varied, with breakfast / brunch available at weekends, a full lunch and dinner menu, plus coffee and cakes. You can get traditional dishes such as Austrian sausages served with rye bread, sauerkraut and pickles, or soup with dumplings, and that ski-trip favourite, Kasespatzle (pan fried egg noodles smothered in mountain cheese and fried onions). Or if all you fancy is coffee and cake, well there’s a superb cake menu with Linzer Torte (almond tart with redcurrant jelly, cinnamon and cloves), Apfelstrudel (an 18^th century recipe of puff pastry with a filling of apple and raisins), and of course that Austrian favourite, Sachertorte (a rich chocolate cake with layers of apricot jam).

Kaiserschmarrn

Browsing the cake and dessert menu, I was spoilt for choice, so asked the waitress which she thought I should go for; the Apfelstrudel or something else traditional. After a little debate, she said ‘you know what? You should try that’ and pointed to the menu – Kaiserschmarrn.

The name translates as Emperor’s Medley (or Mess) and takes its name from the 19^th century Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, who was said to be particularly fond of the dish, with Kaiser meaning emperor and schmarrn meaning scrambled / shredded. This scrumptious dish is a thick pancake with raisins, flambeed in alcohol, and broken up with a fork during cooking, and when mine was presented, oh my! A fat and fluffy shredded pancake with a crispy crust stuffed full of plump and juicy raisins. Dipping each bite in the apple compote, which was served on the side, added a little tang – delicious!

I completed my visit by buying a can of their lemonade / alpine herbal drink from their little shop (where you can get Austrian wines too!) to take home as a souvenir. Kipferl was a fantastic start to my culinary journey through London – lovely décor and ambience, friendly and knowledgeable staff, reasonably priced, and delicious food. Austrian cuisine is hearty, warming and filling – just go with an empty stomach and a big appetite, oh and you may want to book as they are very popular (http://www.kipferl.co.uk/) Enjoy!

#lifeofaguide #LondonFoodieAZ #Austria #Kipferl #schnitzel