Lunch at Esszimmer*, Salzburg

My third day in Salzburg. After days of hearty Bavarian/Salzburger food, I decided that it’s time to check out haute cuisine of the region.

The restaurant I picked was the Michelin one star Esszimmer, by chef Andreas Kaiblinger. It was a stellar experience start to finish!

For drink, I had a mocktail of non-alcoholic Vermouth, Cassis, and wild Mallow pedals.

The combination was well balanced, fruity with hints of spices, enough tonic, not too sweet, nor too sour.

The bread course came with Pumpkin Lard “butter” and Austrian mountain Herb Butter with Truffles.

I like this emphasis on seasonality and locally sourced ingredients.

Amuse-bouche was Celery infused cream, pickled Celery drops, Pumpkin jam and crispy Bread.

The appetizer was presented in pairs, one cold – Beet soup with tomatoes, Wild Mushrooms, Artichoke chips and Popcorns;

Broth was tangy gazpacho-ish. Artichoke chips were lovely. Interesting use of the popcorns.

And one hot – Fresh Cheese Samosa – yum.

The main course on the menu I ordered was roast beef. I had beef the past two days, so I asked if I could switch to sweetbread. Not a problem.

The sweetbread was juicy and tender – the best I’ve ever had! – accompanied by roasted eggplants, green peppers, cranberry mustard and olive bread.

The dessert contained both a Pumpkin crème brûlée and a palate cleanser of Pear sauce, Yogurt, Pear ice cream and Meringue.

Recently I discovered that chef Andreas Kaiblinger posted the recipe of the pumpkin crème brûlée on his blog. Thanks chef for the sharing. I would have to try it someday.

The meal concluded with Tangerine mousse with candied Tangerine peels, Chocolate truffle, Bitter Orange drops and Almond cookies.

This was delish and I told the waitress so. She asked if I would like another one. I would, except that I was pretty full by then 😅.

Both the food and service were star worthy. This was by far one of the best meals I’ve had in Austria, apart from Steirereck in Vienna.

I had the 13:00 reservation and was the last customer to leave. Well nourished and happy!

Coming up next: Salzburg Jazz Festival & Goodbye Salzburg