Holland in Monochrome
Holland, as photographed in black and white, in April of 2017.
Urban Discoveries presents: Burger Bros.
This article is part of the “Urban Discoveries” series, in which we seek and discover exciting and well-designed places to eat and drink around Europe, especially in Vienna. Again, I worked together with my colleague and dear friend Maximilian Martsch, who is a researcher and works on the topic of food history. The pictures were shot by myself. Thanks to the folks at Burger Bros. for the invitation and the excellent talk.
The Bermuda Triangle in Vienna is well known for many things, including bars and drunken teens, but certainly, it was never known for good food. Is this about to change? We visited the new Burger Bros. restaurant to investigate. The franchise subsidiary opened its doors just a couple of months ago, and it’s the latest addition to the Burger Bros family. The small Vienna-based franchise already has two other locations in the city, one at Hauptbahnhof and another in the Wien Mitte shopping mall. All three restaurants have a similar design to establish a corporate identity that is easily recognizable to the customer.
Nonetheless, the interior of Burger Bros Bermuda doesn’t feel generic or uncomfortable. A couple of excellent design elements create a distinct, relaxed atmosphere, like the hand-painted walls, the colorful bar chairs, and the ceiling lamps. Also, use the washrooms to avoid missing out on the hilarious Chuck Norris quotes on the doors.
But certainly, the design is not, or at least not, the only reason to visit Burger Bros Bermuda – it’s their food. During the last few years, several premium Burger restaurants have sprung up around Vienna, saying goodbye to the burger as the classic incarnation of the fast food generation closely linked to global chains like Mcdonald’s, Burger King, and others. Following this trend, Burger Bros emphasizes quality and innovation rather than price.
All their burgers were created by trained (starred) chefs, using only fresh and regional ingredients. The quality of beef is critical to a great burger; at Burger Bros, they use Black Angus or Simmentaler beef for their burger variations. And let me tell you, you can really taste the difference! The beef patty is thick, juicy, and simply delicious. It’s the heart of the burger and, therefore, calls for quality. The second most important part of the burger is arguably the bun. The soft brioche buns are not made in-house but are delivered to all three Burger Bros locations in the morning. The bun has a smooth, quiet, lightly toasted texture, perfectly accompanying the beef patty. Besides their delicious burgers, they offer tasty ribs, steaks, hot dogs, and various salads and sides. If you are up for a special treat, order their Rossini burger with foie gras or go for the burger of the month.
What goes better with a burger than a nice cold one? Aside from the obligatory draft beers, Burger Bros Bermuda offers an excellent selection of national and international craft beers. If you are more into wine, they also have a great choice to ensure you find the right pairing for your food. Overall, they have a nice range of alcoholic drinks. Cocktails and shots are also on the menu for a very reasonable price. Make sure to check out their changing deals on food and beverages. For instance, on Wednesday, they have 30% off craft beers. If you are not just looking for a quick, cheap bite but a high-quality, tasty Burger and a nice drink in a relaxed atmosphere, Burger Bros Bermuda is an accurate tip. You can even enjoy their food and drinks outside in their pub garden from May.
For more information and opening hours, visit http://www.burgerbros.at.
Holland Nature
The natural beauty of Holland is stunning. You never stop to marvel when cycling around the vast and seemingly endless fields of the Netherlands. Especially in spring, the country is beautiful when nature comes alive again, and the tulips fully bloom. Hop on the bike and take a ride with me!
Urban Discoveries: Bao Bar
This article is part of the “Urban Discoveries” series, in which we seek and discover exciting and well-designed places to eat and drink around Europe, especially in Vienna. Last time, I worked with my colleague and dear friend Maximilian Martsch, a researcher who works on food history. The pictures were shot by myself. Thanks to the folks at Bao Bar for the invitation and the excellent talk.
If you are searching for new restaurants in Vienna serving delicious, foreign food besides the usual suspects, Bao Bar might just be the right place for you. Centrally located in Zollergasse, right around the corner from Vienna’s busy shopping street, Mariahilferstraße, Bao Bar offers high-quality Asian food conveniently tucked into a steamed bun.
Bao, or Gua Boa, is a Taiwanese street specialty consisting of a soft, steamed wheat bun filled with mouth-watering ingredients. Originating in the Chinese province of Fujian, Gua Bao was adopted into Taiwanese culture and ultimately became a staple of the country’s street food scene. Gua Boa had its breakthrough into Western mainstream street food culture in North America, where it is still a popular pick among urban foodies – naturally, there even is a short Vice documentary on it. International trends always seem to take some years before they find their way to Vienna, but with Bao Bar, you now have the right place to get your hands on this delicious treat. The owner is a young, trained cook who came up with the restaurant idea after traveling and eating his way around Southeast Asia. Since one and a half years, Boa Bar has been open for business and serves its burgers to the hungry Viennese crowd.
The name already implies that Bao Bar is relatively small. The design is inspired by Japanese art and the movie Blade Runner. The combination of pink signs, black and white floor tiles, a wooden interior, and steel pipes gives the place a stylish, sleek vibe. There are several bar-style seating possibilities at the window and along the wall. The heart of the place is the open kitchen, where you can place your order and watch the skilled personnel swiftly assemble your burger. If you choose the menu option (Bao box), you can choose two buns, one side, and a soft drink. They have crispy sweet potato fries with nice kimchi ketchup, sesame slaw made of pickled vegetables, and Japanese edamame beans as sides, as well as a variety of drinks available, ranging from home-made lapacho ice tea, over Asian beers to Taiwanese soda. If you are in for a special treat, they even have Japanese Kirin beer on tap!
Bao Bar offers three burger variations: pork belly, crunchy chicken, and a vegan tofu option. All three are accompanied by pickled, crisp vegetables and rounded off by one of their homemade sauces. For instance, the traditional pork belly bao comes with a juicy slice of marinated, red-cooked pork belly, pickled cucumber, house-made hoisin sauce, some fresh cilantro, and ground peanuts. It’s delicious, and all the ingredients are high quality. Apart from the meat from a small family-run butcher shop in the city, all ingredients are self-made. You can even see the vegetables slowly fermenting in big jars over the counter. The heart of the bao burger, the white wheat buns, are produced fresh every morning in the back before being steamed over boiling water right in front of the customer.
Overall, Bao Bar is a great place to have a quick bite or order for takeaway. It’s a well-thought-through place that offers fresh, high-quality fast food. If you don’t have the time to check it out in person, you can order their food via Foodora, but then you’ll miss out on the great design and lively atmosphere.
To learn more about Bao Bar and their opining hours, visit https://www.baobar.at/.
Towns of Holland
When traveling to Holland, you notice a lot of beautiful landscapes, endless tulip fields, and scenic views on windmills. But the towns are as exciting and pretty as the nature surrounding them. The following pictures were shot in Leiden, Gouda, Woerden, and Delft.
Michael Hoffman Photography 
