Recenziile foarte bune de pe internet m-au determinat să fac rezervare la una dintre cele trei locații ale restaurantul vietnamez Vevi din Viena. Întrucât vreau să mă plimb pe lângă Dunăre, l-am ales de pe strada Leithastraße 21.

Nu sunt prea încântată de alegere când îmi dau seama că este localizat într-un centru comercial al unui cartier rezidențial. Am noroc totuși că doar restaurantul este deschis din tot centrul, fiind trecut de ora 6 seara.

The design, a mixture between modern and traditional 

I take a seat at a table that proves to be too close to 3 rowdy men. But I'm forced to stay as it's the only one with access to a socket plug. Until the menu makes its way to my table, I'm analysing the minimalist-industrial design. Wooden tables with metal legs, simple black chairs, plastic plants hanging from the black ceiling along with the grey piping. 

My attention goes to the huge drawing on the opposite wall, depicting a Vietnamese goddess serving a bowl of Pho soup. The vivid colours, the multiple shades of turquoise, orange and yellow, contrast nicely with the simplicity of the other elements in the restaurant. 

The food, far below expectations

The waitress who brings the menu is also helping me with some recommendations. She seems involved and eager to help, which contributes to the overall experience.

The main course is here already. The dish looks spectacular, with the fried shredded pastry on top. But unfortunately, it is rather bland. It's meant to be some kind of vegan shrimp, but it doesn't have enough flavour, although the texture inside is chewy. At least the tomato, peppers and raisins salad comes with a super tasty dressing.

A dessert with a new ingredient

I hope that the dessert will elevate this culinary experience. I ordered the recommended one, the pandan pudding. I have no idea what this pandan is, so I search for it online. Apparently they are naturally sweet leaves used to flavour Thai dishes, most often turned into a paste for desserts. 

The pudding itself impresses no one the way it is served. But it has an interesting, aromatic, intense taste, and the chocolate on top complements it well. They brought me two portions so I am struggling a bit to eat it all. Now I understand why all the reviews mentioned the size of the dishes.

Popular, despite my opinion

At first only 3 tables were taken, but now there are customers at seven of them. Although if we are in a less popular part of Vienna, Vevi seems to be successful here as well. However, for me, it was not that great. Despite the novel ingredients and specific cooking techniques, I would rate the food as rather mediocre.