IKI

Surf & Turf Roll

Business Lunch at Belvedere

Where to find?

If you are near the Vienna Train Central station you should definitely check out Iki. It’s a modern designed Chinese Restaurant in the “Erste Bank Campus”- Building hence you might see a lot of business people eating lunch there. Especially around noon the place can be very crowded and you have to reserve a table if you wanna spend your time at the restaurant. Fortunately, the situation changes in the evening since a lot of the people working in the building are heading home and interestingly Iki is located in a spot where you can get easily by car or public transport however it is not in the centre of Vienna. 

What to expect?

Iki

Anyways it is always smart to book a table even at night, especially if you want to have one of the very cozy and comfortable seats by the window. In summer you also have the possibility to sit outside and get some fresh air. Further the inside is divided into 4 parts. The already mentioned tables next to the window with enough space for eating and hanging out and the bar across from the window where you can watch the cooks prepping your meal. In the centre of Iki there are mostly located tables for two which could definitely be more comfortable since you are sitting quite close to our neighbour. The most interesting and spectacular part of the Sushi restaurant is the back though, it is also called the Cinema. It is located on wide stairs where you are able to sit next to each other. Between the two seats is a small table so you will be sitting a little bit inclined. It is quite unusual anyhow definitely worth a try.

What to eat? 

Sushi

Von links: Spicy Iki Roll, Surf & Turf Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll

Let’s get to the best part, the food. Typically, for a rather expensive restaurant there are not a lot of options in the menu. Especially if you came for the Sushi you might get a little surprised since there are only 4 different Maki Rolls to be chosen of. Anyhow all four of them are incredible delicious, creatively prepared and very well designed. My personal favourite would be the Surf & Turf Roll, which is made of tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumbers, some different sauces and delicate beef carpaccio on top. Another Eyecatcher is the Spicy Iki Roll which is mostly salmon tartare mixed with spicy mayo and avocado, cucumbers and cress. The special part about it though, is that the whole roll is baked, therefore it has a thin layer of breading on it. Each of the Sushi Rolls is between €12,60 and €13,50. It is definitely not cheap, and you are more than able to get some Sushi in Vienna that does not cost that much however I got to say the quality and the taste of the Sushi is astonishing. 

  Starters 

Won Ton

Of course, they serve some other dishes as well. Especially, the appetizers are quite a hit like the Won Ton or the Kori Karaage. Won Ton, better known as Kyoza or dumplings, is cooked with shrimp and pork, garnished with Ponzu (a Japanese lime sauce) and decorated with Bonito Flakes, which do not have a strong natural flavour but look incredible since the move or “dance” when they are in contact with hot food. You can choose between 3 (€6,60) or 6 (€9,30) Won Ton-dumplings. Kori Karaage are three crispy chicken pieces (€6,80) decorated with chili-mayo. If you are not into Susi, Iki might not be the place for you to be. Anyhow the also serve some salads and noodle soups.

What else to know?

An alternative to eating in the restaurant is the take away option where you can get some of the same dishes you can order in the menu. The food is usually one to three euro cheaper since it might not be made right from scratch and you also do not pay for service.

Result: 

Iki is definitely one of the more expensive Sushi-Restaurants in Vienna however I think it is worth it to at least check it out. The food is incredible like no second one, the location is nice and comfortable, and the service is good as well. When you walk in other Sushi-Restaurants, you often get the feeling like it is not completely hygienic or clean, for example pates or the kitchen. I can promise you this is not what you gonna witness at Ikis. Dinning there is gonna be an awesome Sushi-Experience which also has its price.