Review of Chefâs Table by Chef Stephan Zoisl, SG
No waiters. No fixed dishes on the menu. No written wine list.
We were seated on a high table. My butt struggled to reach the top of the bar chair for I am short but my 5-foot stature managed to securely take a seat â eventually. Thereâs an open-kitchen at the end of the room, where chef Stephan Zoisl and his creative partner, Lorenz Raich, are seen commanding their stainless-steel post and whipping up some scrumptious, no-holds-barred dishes for the dinner crowd.
A short and proper tour of the kitchen revealed fresh produce left in boxes alongside fermented experiments sealed in jars or special machines. Asian staples like rice and garlic become gastronomic guinea pigs. The fermented garlic, better known as black garlic, made its way to our table, next to cured and flamed mackerel, the start to our six-course culinary crisscrossing.
The food âmenuâ at Chefâs Table is made up of unadulterated, almost random but always seasonal, ingredients outlined on a printed A4 art card. As seasonal goes, this list of 28 edible elements is changed on a daily basis. Chef Zoisl and his team will create dishes, on the spot, based on the produce you pick, or donât pick.
To keep it simple, and avoid a headache in the scullery, we just cross out the stuff we rather not consume. I put a line across âOctopusâ cause I wasnât feeling too fond of chewing on tentacles that particular night. But other than that, I was ready for anything. Gleefully, I awaited what the chefs would concoct from the 27 ingredients left on my menu.
Hereâs what we devoured:
Cured and Flamed Mackerel With pickled cucumber, cucumber flower, black garlic, lemon yoghurt, and dill oil served with oyster leaves.
Seared Red Sicilian Prawns With artichoke poivrade, burrata cheese, and home grown rocket leaves
Scottish Crisp Seabass With cauliflower creme and fried, jamon bellota, lobster bisque and pea shoots
Medium Roast Pigeon With beetroot lentils, king oyster mushroom, truffle, and salad burnet
Beef Duo (Wagyu Sirloin & 48-Hour Cheek) With chanterelle mushroom, white asparagus from Austria, caramelised onion creme, and top of the hop
Vanilla Panna Cotta With milk ice cream and cherry textures
I also got to sip on some excellent Austrain wines: a glass of red called Blaufränkisch Vitikult Kirnbauer and the white GrĂťner Veltliner Kremstal DAC Reserve 2014. By the way, the images are not my own so as expected, the dishes I described donât really coincide with the professional photos provided by the restaurant. Some ingredients are either missing or simply different. And thatâs the beauty of Chefâs Table, you just wouldnât be able to know for sure what ends up on your dinner plate. But hereâs something you would know: it is going to be fresh, seasonal, somewhat surprising but always well-cooked. A+ for Chef Z.
