Helena Jordan, 32, worked in service at "Tian" and for Andreas Caminada in Graubünden. The top sommelier's other starred positions include "Per Se" and "Blue Hill at Stone Barns" in New York, "Maaemo" in Oslo and restaurant management at Amador. And now "out of all places", a small, fine wine bar in St. Valentin (Lower Austria), population 9374 at the last count. Why here? Because she's from there and didn't want to open the umpteenth wine bar in Vienna. Jordan chose the Italian word for goat as her trademark - because her wine focus is Italy and the animal can survive in difficult terrain. Jordan's wine list is adapted to the location; she prefers to seek out the unknown rather than collect labels. Such as the cool, fresh red cuvée "Melascone" from the northern Piedmont region of "Colombera & Garella". Jordan quickly rejected the original idea of only offering antipasti here - "people want to eat warm here". Sebastian Borbola, who once worked for greats such as Josef Fadinger and Meinrad Neunkirchner, makes sure of this and cooks a remarkable repertoire in the open mini kitchen. The yolk of the waxy mayonnaise ice cream blends wonderfully with crunchy vegetables. The mildly flavoured beef tartare comes from X.O. Beef. Beef and comes with a fried egg on top. A delight: fluffy venison butter schnitzel "from the St. Valentin hunting club" with creamed cabbage, gnocchi, cherries and a thick, delicious sauce. And if it's still in season, then it's a must: Viennese "Wäschermädeln", juicy apricots filled with marzipan and tenderly crispy wafer-thin pastry. After all, the man used to be a pastry chef. A place you'll love to get off the train for in St. Valentin.
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