Gut Purbach

The room was a bright spot: newly renovated, spacious, very clean, with a comfortable bed and complimentary water. For two people, about 70 euros each with breakfast was a very reasonable price. Check-in was straightforward once a friendly woman came over with our key, though at first we weren’t sure whether to use the closed main entrance. We stayed on a rainy Monday. The restaurant’s Blue Monday Menu was the only option that night, and the Gedeck for 7.50 a person was tasty. I liked the hummus, and my partner liked the pork belly slices. Dinner was disappointing for 125 euros per person. The courses were imaginative, though tastes may differ, but everything after the first course was very salty. The fish stew smelled heavenly as it cooked, but I had to add water to eat it. My partner and I felt the same about the kuttelfleck stew. Without all that salt, I think it could have been delicious. The worst moment came with the slow-cooked pork cheek and root vegetables. I spotted a brown bird feather on a roasted carrot and showed it to the head waiter. He insisted it wasn’t a feather. Then he took a metal crumb remover from his shirt pocket, the same one he’d used on the tables all evening, dug into my carrot to scoop it out, and walked away. It was appalling and unprofessional. I was shocked and couldn’t enjoy the last part of the meal. At breakfast, we’d understood “at 8” to mean starting at 8, rather than beginning precisely then. When we arrived at 8:35, nobody was there to take a coffee order. The breakfast was adequate, decent enough, and after 10 or 15 minutes the owner came by to ask if we wanted to order coffee quickly. We said yes, and he brought it back. He then returned to tell us no one had mentioned that the electricity and water would soon be shut off, and “the guys” were already there. He seemed somewhat apologetic, but we hurried to our room to gather our things and use the restroom before the utilities went off. The stay itself was very nice, but that dining experience left me disappointed. I’d been excited to visit, especially since Max Stiegl is considered one of Austria’s best chefs. The controversy around the place hadn’t put me off, and I rarely write negative reviews, but this still bothers me. We were greeted nicely by the head waiter, who was the only service person apart from kitchen staff bringing courses. There were three small tables and a larger party of six, so the restaurant was quite full. I can’t comment on a la carte because it wasn’t offered on Monday.

The courtyard was fabulous and the food delicious, though a bit pricey. I’m vegetarian, so the butcher references weren’t really my thing. Laszlo deserves special praise for world-class service. I’m new to the area and will be back. This is a restaurant review, not a hotel review, and I had a birthday dinner there recently.

The setting was beautiful, and both the service and wine were very good. The surprise menu, though, was a huge disappointment. On a hot summer afternoon, we got a heavy winter meal from an acclaimed, award-winning chef. With fresh summer produce available, the starters were plain dried Aubergine, marinated tofu, and cold cuts. The fish soup was warming and quite nice, but so wrong for the season that we were sweating under the warm shade of the trees in the beautiful Hof. Then came lard-filled dumplings, tripe with chickpeas, and a heavy, fatty roast pork. There were no cool salads or fresh, tangy flavors to cool things down. I won’t go back or recommend it. After this, I’ll avoid award-winning chefs.

The garden is amazing, and the service was so nice. I also had a lovely chat about wines and beers. The Chardonnay was the most fantastic one I drank in the whole region. Top!