I have shared with you the Viennese coffee house culture by giving you an insight to Café Museum, Café Mozart, Café Landtmann, Café Central and Café Sacher. I have also given you an introduction to some really healthy Austrian establishments such as Naturkost St. Josef and Landia, which cater to those that are vegetarian and vegan only. It is now time that I share with you a place that offers food that is close to my heart and that is Indian food at the Thali Restaurant which is located at Vorgartenstrasse 173 at Walcherstrasse 1020, Vienna. I have to tell you about this place because it’s a little spicy hub for locals (Indian and non-Indian) and tourists who want a quick, hearty and full of flavour meal. As per its name, Thali Restaurant only serves a thali, which is essentially a combination of various items of food served on a large single plate per customer.
Not your typical curry house on the corner
The Thali Restaurant has been in operation since November 2009 and is known as the “curry house on the corner”, which is rather fitting because it is located on the corner and is easily spottable! As you can see from the photograph, it has both indoor and outdoor dining and has a really inviting look to it. The outdoor seating is available from March until November. The inside of the Thali Restaurant is not decorated like most Indian restaurants in that it is not kitted out with memorabilia, photos, pictures and the usual tableware. Instead, it has a very minimal and modern feel to it, which is a pleasant difference. The tables are large and white and each includes a simple vase with a few pink roses. The seating consists of some high benches and some standard chairs. The inside of the restaurant is brightly lit and there are some nice aromas to reflect on whilst you order and wait for your food.
Place your order for your tailor-made thali
In order to place your order, you need to visit the counter in the restaurant and select which type of thali that you would like to order. You first have to decide what you want in your curry, which forms part of your thali. You have to pick one option from the following: chicken, beef, lamb, veal meatballs, fish, prawns, mixed vegetables, pumpkin, green bananas, vegetables and cream cheese balls or paneer (which is an Indian cheese). The cost varies from 9.90 EUR – 11.50 EUR (12 USD – 14 USD), contingent on which option you select. After you have made this decision, you have to decide what Indian style you would like for your food to be cooked in. You have to pick one option from the following: Kashmir (all about spinach and fresh herbs), Punjab (a high dosage of ginger and fresh coriander), Delhi (rich and creamy with nuts, cardamom, nutmeg and saffron), Hyderabad (a spicy delight with tamarind and mustard seeds), Goa (spicy and colourful with fennel and white poppy seeds), Madras (an abundance of roasted spice seeds to tickle your taste buds) or Kerala (creamy with coconut and curry leaves).
Gorgeous meal prepared in only about 15 minutes
Once you have made your selection, you pay at the counter and return to your table and wait for your food to be delivered to you. Behind the counter, you can see the cooks doing what they do best: cooking a hearty, flavoursome and full of variety meal for you (as you can see from the photograph, which shows the end result!). The thali consists of the curry dish that you ordered, lentils (also known as dal), assorted finger foods with chutney, some cooked vegetables that are in season and also a salad. It is accompanied by rice and bread. It is the perfectly balanced meal and the generous portion size means that you won’t get hungry any time soon. The food is tasty, flavoursome and a real joy to eat. It takes the cooks approximately only 15 minutes or so to prepare the entire thali for you, so if you’re in a rush, it really is the best place to have a filling meal. The option that I selected for the curry was paneer and the style in which my whole thali was cooked was Punjab and it was fantastic.
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Open every day in the week plus take-away and delivery
The staff at the Thali Restaurant are personable, polite and helpful. The restaurant is open every day albeit its hours vary. From Monday to Friday, it is open from 11.00 am to 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm to 10.00 pm. On Saturday it is open from 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm and on Sunday and holidays it is open from 11.00 am to 10.00 pm. It also provides the option of take-away and delivery. Now, whilst some may say that there are plusher, glamorous and expensive Indian restaurants in Vienna, I would still pick Thali Restaurant as my number one choice. This is because it offers really great value for money and the food was fantastic. I would certainly recommend Thali Restaurant to locals and tourists and would especially urge those that are travelling in a group to visit it. This is because you have the opportunity to have a dish made exactly as you want it, rather than having to share with others. With such decent prices and generous portions, I will be back to Thali Restaurant soon.
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