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Italian or traditional, Balkan or modern, gastronomy in
Salzburg offers great variety. Let's not forget that this
Baroque gem and its music festivals attract several million visitors
each year from all over the world! This cosmopolitanism is echoed in
the cuisine.
 For
a city of this size,
Salzburg is impressive both for the number of its restaurants
and the variety of cuisines on offer: typical Austrian restaurants
(such as the Salzachgrill), quality Italian restaurants (Venice is
not far away) or Balkan restaurants whose kitchens are fragrant with
paprika... A Baroque city that has remained untouched by the
affronts of time, Salzburg is nevertheless not a museum-town for
tourists: it welcomes culinary modernity and creativity (there is a
considerable number of Michelin star-rated restaurants) as we were
able to verify at Ikarus, Carpe Diem and Das Magazin, restaurants
which are popular first and foremost with the locals.
Ikarus Restaurant, Hangar 7
Forbidden in France, millions of cans of the drink Red Bull are
sold each year. This formidable cocktail of glucose, caffeine and
taurine (an amino acid present in food and also synthesised by the
body) has, since its launch in 1987, become the favourite drink of
night-clubbers who want to dance all night long without dropping the
pace.
Bolstered by his success, the boss of Red Bull, Salzburger
Dietrich Mateschitz, spares no expense when it comes to getting his
company talked about: he sponsors numerous sportsmen and women, and
even maintains an F1 stable. The man also finances the purchase and
restoration of classic aeroplanes for his fleet, the Flying Bulls,
which is on display at Hangar 7, a superb building of steel and
glass in the shape of. a wing, of course. The place regularly hosts
art exhibitions and the next one, Viva Pintura!, is devoted to young
Spanish painters.
What has this got to do with gastronomy, you may ask. Well,
between the transparent walls of Hangar 7 is the Ikarus, a
star-rated restaurant whose unique "concept" is worth the trip. Set
on the first floor and offering a magnificent view of Tito's DC-6B,
the Ikarus has a different chef each month! Coming from Japan, Hong
Kong or South Africa, the chef is welcomed at the Ikarus by an
unusual trio consisting of Eckart Witzigmann, the boss, Manuel
Lechner, the food and beverage manager, and Roland Trettl, chef de
cuisine.
The Austrian team starts by importing the chef's favourite
products, familiarising themselves with their dishes (with immense
photographs displayed in the kitchen) and methods. When everything
is ready, the guest chef comes to work for one week at the beginning
of the month to carry out the launch, in situ, of their "name" and
cuisine.
Among the chefs who have already honoured the Ikarus with their
presence are Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Jean-Georges in New York),
Carlo Cracco (two stars in Milan for his Cracko-Peck restaurant) and
André Jaeger (one star for his Fischerzunft restaurant in
Schaffhausen).
In February 2006, it was the chef from the restaurant of the MoMA
in New York, Gabriel Kreuther (from Alsace), who was in charge of
the kitchen. We enjoyed his carpaccio of scallops and tuna, his
pan-fried langoustine served with a warm pear and truffle salad, his
pigeon with foie gras with caramelised ginger sauce and baby
vegetables, and his fromage blanc sorbet served together with a
lemon cream millefeuille on a garnish of diced exotic vegetables.
In March the Indian chef Vick Singh, from The Cinnamon restaurant
in London, will be presenting his culinary works. The special
tandoori oven and spices sent directly from India have already
arrived at the Ikarus.
Carpe Diem
Set at the end of Getreidegasse right in the heart of the old
town, this trendy restaurant, which is simultaneously a bar, lounge
and upmarket snack bar, is a temple of micro-gastronomy! Indeed, the
chef Jorg Wörther, an enfant terrible and terribly gifted on the
Austrian gastronomy scene, cooks with cornets, the same as those
used for ice cream. The difference being that those of the Carpe
Diem are homemade and available in a multitude of flavours, in order
to best accompany their contents.
And what contents! Tuna or beef tartare, fillet of lamb marinated
in thyme, diced game with foie gras and morel mushrooms, grilled
pheasant with cream of kohlrabi, sweet noodles with poppy seeds:
there's nothing heavy, everything goes down well, and these
micro-portions reveal a masterful touch.
As for the wine list, it is firmly anchored in Austria and
deserving of praise. It looks good and tastes good, but watch out
for the increase to your bill!
Das Magazin
Beautiful people, modern and functional decor, quality
international cuisine: all the ingredients are there to make this
former Second World War air raid shelter a fashionable place. We
particularly liked the very large table (at least 20 m/65 ft long)
in the main dining room where patrons, who don't know each other,
happily mingle.
Working with the best products, the chef Markus Radauer uses
land/sea combinations, blends Italian and Austrian cuisine (the
Salzburgers go to Venice every weekend), and is always endeavouring
to add a touch of madness to the most classical recipes, just to
jazz them up a bit. Fun and tasty, pleasing to the eye and to the
taste buds, the menu included a crayfish and langoustine duo, goose
foie gras with roast peach, shoulder of veal braised in wasabi with
vegetable ravioli, and caramelised pork cheeks served with monkfish.
The wine list is sumptuous, with many Croat, Slovenian, Italian and
of course Austrian wines.
Das Magazin is a global concept, which also encompasses a wine
cellar, bookshop, boutique selling fresh products (Italian cheeses,
condiments, dishes prepared in the restaurant's kitchens) and a shop
selling cooking utensils - it is true that Markus Radauer gives
highly prized cookery classes.
Salzachgrill
Part of the
Hotel Sacher, the Salzachgrill is a favourite with Salzburgers,
where families and senior executives from the surrounding area
mingle at lunchtime. Pale wood panelling, green carpet with the
Sacher's red coat of arms (surrounding the old O of the
Osterreichischer Hof out of loyalty to tradition!) and pine tables
are the setting for traditional Austrian cuisine, which is plain and
cheap: spicy salmon marinade with whipped cream served with
asparagus, goulash, fillet of perch with pumpkin, Wiener Schnitzel,
and cakes straight from the neighbouring Café Sacher.
Fingerlos (cake shop - tea room)
Set in the modern town, frequented mainly by Salzburgers, this
cake shop is showered with honours in Austria and abroad. Countless
varieties of coffee, cappucino, caffe latte, hot chocolate and other
beverages are available. The petits-fours (the Austrians use the
French term) are delicious.
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