Vienna - 2
At ravishingly-beautiful Mandarin Oriental Vienna, eating and drinking, all designed by a French company, Humbert & Poyet, is in Atelier 7, the glassed-over central courtyard of what is an all-white building rising six floors above ground – see above. Atelier 7’s finest dining, Le Sept, was still on Summer break when Girlahead visited but chef Thomas Seifried’s influence was apparent everywhere. Atelier 7 includes a popular integral bar, with small bites. Its main brasserie has several seating areas. Sit at an L-shaped corner booth for cushions and comfort, marble top, set with Rosenthal and Sambonnet, flowers and Peugeot mills. There's a mushroom and tomato promotion, and Girlahead goes for two starters but first comes bread in the form of a round croissant, a little bowl of olives, and whipped butter - marvellous. A pâté comes with a rectangle of warm brioche. The next course is burrata, surrounded by tomatoes that are not quite ripe enough and a few mushrooms stuck in there. The food is really good, says one discerning guest. The only rosé by the glass is fortunately Whispering Angel 2024.
Breakfast is a non-buffet buffet, explained in a threefold leather-covered menu. A multi-level stand can be brought with savories, with sweet things, but the same is also available à la carte. This means an awful lot of dishes, because without having a curate stand, or etrangère, and asking for granola, means a plate with a bowl of granola and some milk in a jug. Asking for yogurt with berries involves a plate with a bowl of yogurt, small dishes of berries and more granola - it was a good thing that there was a table for four that was not being used. There were flowers on the table and a pair of very interesting Peugeot mills, stainless and wood, and pots of Staud’s jams. The music was perfect. The light was good. It's a very enjoyable place to start the day.
Atelier 7 is such an enjoyable place, indeed, that Girlahead was back, for brunch. This time she chose a crispy potato rösti round with a poached egg, smoked salmon, arugula, and apparently truffle crème fraîche. And then a creamy mushroom pesto. Very good. We looked at the residences’ dedicated entrance and their superb conciergxssssssssxsxwery and shared lounge with a boardroom. Residents can use the wellness facilities any time:other than that, there are only 50 outside gym members.
In case you wondered, this quick stay at stylish Mandarin Oriental was not exclusively eatin’n’drinking. There was time for some sightseeing and believing. The hotel’s a ten-minute walk from Stephansdom, which can claim roots back to 1137 though the present building had to be rebuilt after WWII – time stands still when remembering that Mozart married here in 1782 and his funeral rites were held here only nine years later. Girlahead’s visit this year happened to coincide with a full-congregation mass. Extremely moving...
Now is the time, too, for admirable art. The Albertina, also ten minutes’ walk from the hotel, is showing, through January 2027, Picasso–Bacon: What It Feels Like to Be Human, with 70 works exploring Picasso’s influence on Francis Bacon and their shared treatment of the human figure, pain, desire and vulnerability. Ouch. No not beauty. For that, head to the corridors of Mandarin Oriental Vienna.
