Strand-Domizil is located on a beach, of a sort. It’s admittedly rather far from a sea, and even from a more or less significant lake. Come to think of it, even the closest river (the Danube) is quite some distance away. The Mühlwasser, on which this restaurant/swimming place stands is a kind of a glorified puddle. But there are people swimming in it and even a beaver or two, so it’s a water reservoir to be reckoned with, I guess.
The restaurant is also so close to my home that the only reason I didn’t visit it earlier was because I did not believe it could be any good. The menu displayed outside was never exciting (too schnitzel-ly), and the building itself looked anything but inviting.
Low expectations can be advantageous sometimes, because once I walked through the restaurant and found myself in the garden next to the water, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it looked. This being late evening, and the number of wet naked purple around at zero, the atmosphere was totally cool and relaxing, very untypical of my good old district of Stadlau (no matter how I like it). I’ve also met an old waiter from the Strandcafé there, who recognized and approached me even though he was one of the least sociable of all at his previous workplace.
Of course, the ribs did not match the quality of the “old Strandcafé,” and I frankly didn’t expect them to. The Strand-Domizil does seem to have a proper griller though, because the rack (there was only one because I ordered a small portion) was adequately burnt, and its chili-spiced marinade ensured that the ribs were perfectly edible even without sauces.
That was lucky, for the sauces were of the plainest and the most boring cocktail and garlic sort, not showing even a slightest creativity or inspiration. The grilled potatoes, another homage to the Strandcafé, were also unexceptional, but I realize that for the half of the price that the Strandcafé charges these days, the Domizil has offered something quite acceptable and in a less stressy environment.
I know that the phrase “it could have been worse” does not sound very encouraging, but in this case I mean it positively. Keep your expectations low, and you might enjoy the Strand-Domizil as much as I did.
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