I never thought I would type in “shit” to be published here but the name of this restaurant (bok) means exactly that in Turkish! There is a big Turkish community in Vienna. I don’t how they are handling it 🙂
I found out about this place during my search for vegetarian restaurants in parts of Europe before we even got to Vienna. Not because of their reputation or anything, simply because of the meaning of “Bok” in Turkish. If only they had known… Of course, we didn’t tell them but we had to try it out.
We took the bus (or tram) to go and find this place but it was worth it. I don’t know about you but after trying vegetarian versions of every single local dish we end up missing a large dose of vegetables. When that happens, we start searching for a vegetarian Asian restaurant. So, this is exactly what happened: The urge for vegetable dishes kicked in and we found ourselves at the door of Bok Restaurant.
It’s a small place with an air of family-run restaurant. They are specialised in sushi and other Asian delicacies. They have a menu with pictures which helps as they don’t speak very good English there.
As for the starters, we had Hana Sushi. It is the inside out style of sushi which was fresh and delicious. It came with pickled ginger and wasabi paste.
Hana Sushi (below)
As for the main, we had Crispy Chicken in Teriyaki Sauce to share. This was also quite delicious. The teriyaki sauce was not too heavy or sticky. The vegetables were cooked lightly so they were nice and crispy.
In Vienna, Yamm! was a great find; we really enjoyed this place. It was close to our hotel and pretty much everything else we wanted to go and see. Sometimes, we even popped in for a drink or two.
Yamm! is conveniently located right across from the university –the one Sigmund Freud attended. The décor is quite contemporary. There are tables outside and the weather is just perfect in the summer to sit there and enjoy a balmy Viennese evening.
The Buffet
The food here is presented as a vegetarian buffet (above) and you pay by the weight. Here’s how it works: Once you go inside, they give you a card which is very much like Sydney’s Opal card or London’s Oyster card. It’s just green; happy green. You go to the buffet and pick a plate (there are different sizes) and start filling it up with whatever you choose. Then you go the scales. That part a little tricky but if you’re struggling –like me –waiters/waitresses help you. Then, you sit down and order your drinks.
The style of food here is international. The buffet is reasonably big with neon lights at the top. It’s full of a large variety of warm and cold foods from Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian and European cuisines. Although, it’s a vegetarian buffet, vegan dishes are labelled. So are gluten free and dairy free dishes.
My plate (below).
There is a soup section with bowls on one side, against the wall and the dessert section on the other side.
And the Wine…
We did fall in love with Austrian wines. For us it was love at first sip. To top it all up, the wines at Yamm! are organic. We tried: Muskateller, Reisling and a pinot noir. Here’s the details:
Gelber Muskateller 2012 from an organic vineyard called Zillinger. Austrians know how to make aromatics with fruity notes. For me, this was the winner.
Reisling DAC Sprinzenberg 2010 from an organic vineyard called Geyerhof. I do enjoy dry style white wines and this was one of the elegant examples of that style.
Pinot Noir Steinbügel from Castle Graf Hardegg
This was stunning the first time we had it. The second time around it wasn’t good so we sent it back and they opened a new bottle. It wasn’t a problem, they said and it was back to stunning again.
