Nepali Times

With a tiny dining area decorated in traditional Buddhist apparel, Vienna gives you a feeling of being in your grandma’s cosy living room. And while the staff is attentive, they are also kind enough to let you place orders at your own pace. So bring along your favorite afternoon read, order a cuppa, and lounge around for as long as you want.

Serving sandwiches, hot and cold beverages, and a breakfast menu, the food at Vienna is simple. If you want a meal to last you for the day, try the smoked chicken sandwich (Rs 190 for white bread and Rs 200 for rye) which comes in servings of two half cut baguettes. The filling of smoked chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, and onion gherkins makes this one of the better sandwiches around town with little reliance on heavy doses of mayo for taste. A suggestion: ask the staff to warm the bread beforehand.

PICS: TRISHNA RANA

Breakfast lovers will be delighted to know that this two year old joint also offers an ala carte option, available throughout the day. Choose from rye, brown, white, and baguette for bread, all of which are prepared in a kitchen a few metres away, ham (Rs 80), salami (Rs 80), and smoked chicken (Rs 80) for meat, and butter (Rs 30) and jam (Rs 20) and cheese (Rs 50) for spreads. Wash it down with a cup of Americano (Rs 80) while enjoying the first days of monsoon.

Once weary from all the reading, writing, and gossiping, head over to the counter to browse through the baked goodies. From the classic pretzel (Rs 45) to the German Berliner (Rs 55), to fresh fruit cake (Rs 180) there is something for just about everyone. The challenge, however, is to settle on one item because visually everything looks tempting.

The pretzel which we were so excited about was hard and chewy and left us wondering if it had been lying around on the shelf for a couple of days already. The fruit cake decorated with thin slices of kiwi and cantaloupe and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, on the other hand, won us over easily. Succulent and the right amount of sweet, this is the perfect dessert for those of us looking not to go up by a pant size.

Vienna also sells jam, incense, eggs, chocolates, and other items both at the store and at the organic market in 1905, Kantipath every Saturday. Make sure you leave some spare time just to window shop.

Khanchuwa

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How to get there: From fire brigade road in Pulchok walk towards St Mary’s School. Vienna is right behind the school, next to Falchha.

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