When I am in Vienna, I automatically think of romantic places, a lot of history, very good hotels and of course special restaurants. All the nicer, of course, when you can combine two things directly for a food blogger. For my restaurant experience with top vegetarian chef Paul Ivic from Tian Restaurant in Vienna, I stayed at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Vienna. A special hotel for a special and culinary stay in Vienna.
Staying at the Ritz Carlton Hotel
From Munich, you can reach Vienna either by plane or also by fast train and already get a first impression of one of the most beautiful cities in Austria before I could directly move into my luxurious accommodation at the Ritz Carlton.
The rooms have at least 40 square meters, the suites start with 60 square meters and of course offer every luxury and the latest technical equipment in the hotel, which opened in 2012. The Ritz-Carlton Vienna is certainly a hotel that I will present in more detail in the future.
Tian Vienna with top chef Paul Ivic
Only a few minutes walk from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Vienna in the 1st district is the Tian Wien Gourmet -Restaurant by Paul Ivic. (Address Himmelpfortgasse 23, 1010 Vienna, Austria, +43 1 8904665)
A few months ago, I already had the pleasure of being pampered once on Sylt with a starred vegetarian menu and found it fascinating and at the same time a challenge for the chef to convince the guests without meat or fish dishes. I was completely convinced at the end of the evening and was already looking forward to a new experience in the future.
Another similarity turned out relatively quickly, because I was also already in one of the stations of Paul Ivic – Serfaus – at that time for a culinary and wellness weekend and like this kind of the Austrians particularly.
After the apprenticeship in the Hotel Löwen in Serfaus and a station as Demi Chef in the Gasthof Post in Lech, the native Croatian has gained experience in the Hotel Karnerhof, the Hotel Schalber and the Trofana Royal in Ischgl. Another very formative station was working for Eveline and Walter Eselböck, one of the most famous restaurant addresses in Austria.
Subsequently, Paul Ivic was responsible as head chef for the Seehof in Goldegg, the Resort Schwielowsee near Potsdam and the Seehotel am Kaiserstrand, before he took over his current station, the TIAN Restaurant in Vienna, in 2011.
Paul Ivic’s love for herbs and forgotten vegetables was already present in his early years, and you can already see his passion in conversation – bright and shining eyes when he talks about these ingredients and tells of his commitment against genetically modified food and for biodynamic agriculture.
Only a private experience with too much stress, the wrong diet has inspired the sympathetic star chef to rethink and so this healthy vegetarian diet is now the hallmark of Tian Restaurant in Vienna. Even if Paul Ivic himself is not a vegetarian, he shows in an impressive way what is possible in vegetarian gourmet cuisine.
Paul Ivic is considered “the European vegetarian star chef” and Tian Restaurant in Vienna has had this distinction since 2014. Only a few restaurants in the world cook vegetarian and are awarded a Michelin star at the same time, plus three Gault Millau toques!
Immediately in conversation and during a guest in the kitchen of Tian Restaurant in Vienna, one notices the value Paul Ivic places on ingredients and how carefully they are selected from local producers. An example of this is the cooperation with Robert Brodnjak of Krautwerk, who has grown many old varieties of fruit, vegetables and also different types of potatoes on his farm and can also be found every Saturday at the Karmelitermarkt in Vienna.
Often the regional producers approach the vegetarian star chef Paul Ivic and together they think about how to use these ingredients as a gourmet dish.
It is the same with the owners of the Jumi cheese dairy, which I was also able to visit personally in Vienna during my stay. The owners, Jürgen Wyss and Mike Glauser, place great emphasis on production and are also very good at explaining these processes. I also learned many things again during my time and was also allowed to taste many delicious cheeses.
If you are looking for a special place to visit in Vienna, you should go to the Jumi cheese dairy in Vienna’s eighth district and get some advice. Afterwards, you will have a completely different opinion of cheese and learn a lot about its specialties.
In the kitchen at Tian Restaurant in Vienna
It is always nice to be allowed to write about special restaurants and great dishes as a food blogger, but to stand in the kitchen together with excellent chefs is always a nice highlight.
Often it’s little things that you pick up and later use in your own dishes. Paul Ivic confirms the impression again in the kitchen of Tian Restaurant – nice, charming and very helpful.
Together with Robert Brodnjek, I had the chance to learn more about vegetarian cuisines during my time in Vienna, as well as how to combine the right ingredients. I have become a fan of beautiful spices and salts in general, as well as oils, since my travels to Spain and southern Italy, and the kitchen at Tian Restaurant in Vienna offers a true paradise.
I just like to try things out for myself, whether it’s conjuring up tapas in Spain like I used to, or making pizza with a big stone oven in Italy, or even sushi in a Japanese restaurant – I want to learn and, above all, understand.
This time ravioli was on the agenda, how to prepare it, how to serve ravioli in a pleasant and vegetarian way and what to consider when preparing it.
If the interest is there, I will be happy to publish the recipe for vegetarian ravioli again on my food blog as well…
Vegetarian gourmet cuisine with Paul Ivic
After the various impressions during the day, I was of course even more excited about the taste experience that Paul Ivic was about to offer me at Tian Restaurant. I always find it even more enjoyable when you have been able to establish contact with the gourmet chef and the kitchen team in advance and then experience this again in the evening.
If you were able to help with the first courses yourself or watch how they were prepared and later sit at the table and enjoy them, you naturally have a completely different experience.
The Tian Restaurant in Vienna offers space for 70 people in the gourmet restaurant and is again very well attended this evening. Paul Ivic’s cuisine has long been known outside of Vienna and many guests plan a vegetarian evening in advance of their trip. (Tip: be sure to reserve a table!)
The Tian Restaurant is kept relatively bright for a gourmet restaurant and offers many small details that want to be discovered during the evening. Stucco ceilings again form a perfect link to the historical background of Vienna, tables me high-quality linen, selected porcelain and cutlery round off the impression once again.
Paul Ivic offers at Tian Vienna regularly changing menus with six, eight or, as in my case, with ten courses. These courses are really perfectly coordinated and the waiting times between the courses are very pleasantly chosen.
One notices immediately at the gourmet dinner at Tian Restaurant that here a gourmet chef has thought about a theme and a story for the evening and has not arbitrarily put together different dishes.
With each course, he heightens the excitement and the experience and surprises again and again. This is how I enjoy the gourmet dinner and, of course, always look forward to the sweet ending.
At Tian Vienna, the 2016 Pâtissier of the Year, Thomas Scheiblhofer, conjures up sweet temptations and has once again convinced me with them. Vienna is simply a city of life and pleasure, sweet moments are simply part of everyday life – whether chocolate or fruit, playful creations or clean lines – the team succeeded in creating an incredible experience.
Tian in Vienna – Noble and uncomplicated cuisine
Another possibility to try the special creations in Vienna is the Tian Bistro at Spittelberg. In the restaurant, which only opened in 2015 and has already been awarded a toque by Gault Millau, chef Mathias Wolf offers affordable bistro cuisine with selected ingredients.
Whether conservatory or outdoor terrace with sunbeams, whether historic wooden furniture or comfortable seating – the Tian Bistro is wonderfully uncomplicated and offers a great option especially for breakfast or lunch.
A bistro with its own bakery, plus Viennese coffee specialties and homemade spreads – I would have stayed here immediately. This is how the morning smells for me in Vienna and you start the day just a touch more relaxed. Absolutely a must-visit if you can’t get to Tian Restaurant.
Tip: No matter what time of day – I simply can not pass by the desserts – definitely try once!
CONCLUSION – Tian Restaurant with Paul Ivic and Ritz Carlton Vienna
After the wonderful experience in Vienna, the pleasant stay at the Ritz Carlton Vienna and the great impressions of the vegetarian cuisine at Tian Restaurant, I definitely want to return to the Austrian capital.
My interest in vegetarian cuisine, especially with gourmet demands, has grown even more and I will try many things at my place as well.
During the time I was able to meet an absolutely pleasant and very open-minded chef, who with his personal story and the lesson learned from it, has my respect.
On my next visit in Vienna, I will definitely enjoy breakfast at Tian Bistro again and in the evening I will be spoiled by Paul Ivic and his great team at a vegetarian evening at Tian Restaurant. These are impressions that I will certainly remember for a long time.
