Sights
Meissl & Schadn Schnitzel with love and tradition
© Grand Ferdinand
Opening Times
Monday to Sunday: noon - 11:30pm
Address
Meissl & Schadn
Schubertring 10-12
1010 Vienna-district 1
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At the beginning of the last century, gourmets from all over Vienna met at Meissl & Schadn for schnitzel and Tafelspitz. A few years ago, the legendary restaurant was given a new lease of life. Viennese cuisine is celebrated here in a sophisticated ambience peppered with classical details. It is an experience for the palate and - thanks to the open schnitzel show kitchen - also for the eyes.
Knocking, one reads again and again, is the Viennese's favourite sound. The sounds coming from the open kitchen of Meissl & Schadn must therefore be truly melodic to the ears of the Viennese.
Thanks to the large windows, the kitchen can be seen from the outside. The pieces of meat are pounded here in a chord, with powerful blows. Again and again, until they are only a few millimetres thin, before they are dredged in egg, flour and breadcrumbs and fried in fat.
It sizzles, hisses and splatters. Watching this spectacle (without any danger, thanks to the glass pane) makes visiting Meissl & Schadn a memorable experience. In the restaurant on the opulent Ringstrasse, the Viennese schnitzel melody is played at its best.
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The restaurant and hotel of the same name, which caused a sensation at the beginning of the 20th century, serves as inspiration. After catchy research in old cookbooks, restaurateur Florian Weitzer revived the establishment, which was destroyed during the Second World War, a few years ago.
As soon as you enter, you feel transported back to the old days: To times when classical music was played in restaurants, chairs were woven, and food was served on gold-rimmed plates. Nevertheless, the resurrected Meissl & Schadn feels airy and modern - if only because of the metre-high ceilings from which green plants and magnificent chandeliers dangle.
Now to the most essential thing: the schnitzel. But first of all, a few snacks are served. These small appetisers were traditionally served before the meal to satisfy the first hunger. The waiter recommends potato croquettes and "larded cream heart with bread dumplings". Classic old Viennese dishes in tapas format that you could eat your fill of.
But looking at the neighbouring tables, where the golden-brown, plate-sized schnitzels are already being enjoyed - accompanied by gourmand mmmhs and oohs - we settle for a modest selection. The menu reads like a best-of of the old Viennese kitchen classics: roasted beef liver, meatloaf in the style of Prince Metternich and, of course, Tafelspitz. The latter is served from the trolley - also an experience - and cut to order in front of the guests.
But my decision is already made before I even look at the menu: "One Wiener schnitzel, please". You can choose the side dishes yourself and the fat in which the meat is fried. Vegetable oil, butter or lard?
The latter, the menu reveals, was the favourite of Viennese greats such as Stefan Zweig, Arthur Schnitzler and Sigmund Freud, who liked to dine at Meissl &Schadn in their day. I wonder what they would have said about the celery schnitzel. It's also on the menu here - for meatless eaters.
To accompany the original, the waiter recommends butter and the Viennese garnish - a little nest of parsley, capers, egg and anchovy fillets. The meat comes exclusively from veal. Only then can it be called an authentic Wiener Schnitzel.
The idea of breading meat is not a Viennese invention. Breading was done all over the world because food was scarce, and stale bread was far too valuable to throw away. But one thing is certain: breaded meat achieved culinary world fame as Wiener Schnitzel. It is not without reason that it is considered a culinary landmark of Vienna.
You can tell the quality of a schnitzel by the wavy breading. Souffléing is the magic word: while the schnitzel floats in the hot pan and is repeatedly moistened with fat, filigree air chambers form that push the breading upwards.
The golden-brown specimen that lies on my plate a little later resembles a low mountain landscape. The breading is crispy, the meat is wafer-thin and tender. I eat the first few bites in epicurean silence.
At some point, the plates are empty and the waiter comes with the inevitable question: "Would you like something sweet?" He can highly recommend Rigó Jancsi, an extra chocolaty chocolate cake. Sounds tempting - just like the Powidltascherl or the freshly baked Salzburger Nockerln.
The schnitzel, however, unfortunately leaves no room for such sweet opulence. What always works, however, is Sissi's beloved violet sorbet or strawberry ice cream, as the ice cream here at Meissl & Schadn is called - in keeping with old Viennese tradition.
