Wöber – Fine Dining

Christian Wöber cooks ambitiously, confidently and creates sensory experiences. Visually a dream, aromatically precise, tasty and texturally always good for surprises. Great wine list.

Opening his own restaurant in Tulln was not actually on Christian Wöber's life plan - even though he has lived there for some time. He commuted to nearby Langenlebarn for 14 years, where he worked as head chef at "Das Wolf". Then, in early 2024, what is commonly referred to as a stroke of fate happened. "Das Wolf" (recently reopened with a new team) had to close after a very abrupt insolvency, from which Wöber was fortunately able to salvage much of the equipment plus the several thousand bottles of wine, as a starting point for his new gastronomic life. One year after the end in Langenlebarn, a new start was made in Tulln, giving the trade fair and garden city a fine restaurant in addition to the legendary "Sodoma" restaurant. The "Wöber" is located in an old town house owned by electrician Fritz Schmidberger, who provided his new tenant with a smart restaurant. Thanks to a family connection, the renowned stone company Breitwieser provided the strikingly backlit Budel. So much for the hardware. Wöber manages to single-handedly create a menu with a choice of five or seven main courses and desserts - only one kitchen assistant is otherwise visible in the open-plan kitchen. Anyone who misinterprets tweezers or coloured sauce dots as gourmet cuisine will be disappointed here. If you prefer clear flavours, straightforward dishes and unpretentious good food, this is the place for you. To start with, you'll be in a good mood with appetisers such as a witty and tiny Hawaiian toast and artichoke with salted lemon. Then there are baked mussels on fermented courgette cream with verbena, for example; the little animals juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside - a supposedly simple, but really good course that nobody else is cooking at the moment. A subtly cooked tranche of "Alpine sturgeon" is served in dashi with smoked cabbage. This is followed by Iberico secreto with bacon, lentils, olives and baked tomatoes - the very best soul food. As for the aforementioned wine cellar, there's not just anything in Tulln, you'll find Austrian classics from the early 2000s, Bordeaux (Cos d'Estournel, Lafite, Margaux) at prices that you very rarely see. Plus five vintages of grown-up Penfolds "Grange", all kinds of Opus One or Dominus. And many bargains in lower price regions. The "Wöber" has already made it into the current Falstaff list of the best newcomers.