Restaurant Silvio Nickol
Schloss Gobelsburg Blanc de Blancs Brut Reserve
Cucumber with Dill, Beet Macaroon, Bluefin and Bell Pepper, Buffalo Carpaccio with Buckwheat Tea, Curried Sweetbreads Egg, Rye Crisp
Buttermilk Bread, Butter, Lardo
Goose Liver, Medlar, Hazelnut, Marigold, Pome Fruit, Brioche
Hamachi, Jerusalem Artichoke, Mango, Coriander, Cilantro, Char Caviar
Langoustine, Fennel, Bulgur, Bouillabaisse, Mussel
Pork Tartare, Onion Chip, Black Bread, Tarragon Cream
Iberico Presa, Eggplant, Bell Pepper, Tarragon, Soy, Cress
Blun Catfish, Cabbage, Raisin, Caper, Rum, Veal Stock
Duck Raviolo, Quinoa, Mushroom, Oat Milk
Challans Duck, Oat, Blood Sausage, Mushroom, Olive
Yuzu, White Chocolate, Lemon Zest
Mimolette, Perigord Truffle, Champagne Ice Cream, Quince, Black Walnut
Pumpkin Seed, Coconut, Milk Foam, Almond Caramel
Rhubarb, Sour Cream, Lemon Balm, Valrhona Chocolate
Lemon Curd, Pastel de Nata, Peanut but not, Warm Cacao
Warm Madeline
Take Home Gift Seasoning Salt
Located in the luxury Hotel Palais Coburg Restaurant Silvio Nickol fits the fine dining mold in its Tasting Menu format, though white gloves are instead black and gold is replaced by sizable displays of amethyst while plates take chances in terms of taste and constituents.
Trained by Heinz Winkler with Michelin 2* since 2012, global influences backed by peerless Ingredients plus skill, it is once inside the Hotel that guests are checked in and led to an elevator, departure from which leads to crisp linen and impeccable service.
Largely playing host to well-heeled residents, and on this occasion a mother with two Children poorly suited for 150-minutes of Carte Blanche dining, music plays almost imperceptibly as Sparkling Wine is poured to accompany Canapes includin thinly-sliced Buffalo in Buckwheat Tea that is impressive but Curried Sweetbreads in a laser-cut Eggshell even more spectacular.
Baking Bread on-site, wedges of the piping-hot Loaf soon gilded with Butter and herbed Lardo, course one comprised Goose Liver Mousse with Nuts, Flowers and Apples, as delicious as it was attractive while a follow-up of raw Amberjack with crispy Sunchokes, cubed Mango and Caviar was a textural work of art.
Frequently blurring the boundaries of Austrian Cuisine, a Langoustine with Fennel Bouillabaisse but one example, course four saw a small-bite of Pork Tartare precede the prized cut of Pata Negra served across Sauce infused with Soy and Tarragon linking it to Eggplant.
Taking a chance with Catfish atop a complex Sauce both sweet and saline, the result irrefutably striking, a single Raviolo of Duck Confit was quickly followed by rosy red Magret again perfectly Sauced with earth and a hint of Olive that pushed the plate past the sum of its parts.
All fun with the Citrus Palate Cleanser, a smile on the plate quickly transferred to its recipient, Chef Nickol’s Cheese course was nothing short of mesmerizing as Mimolette and Truffle competed for the spotlight atop contrasting tastes, consistencies and temperatures.
Transitioning to Dessert with Styrian Pumpkin Seeds atop a creamy base, not bad but lacking the intrigue of Chef’s other plates, a follow-up of early-Spring Rhubarb performed well on a sour backdrop while Mignardises spanned the palate before ending with a Madeline fresh from the oven.
www.palais-coburg.com/en/culinary/silvio-nickol/