Urban Discoveries: Onisando 鬼サンド

Before we start, I’d like to introduce you to a new series on michaelhoffman. at. In Urban Discoveries, I will present exciting places to eat, drink, and generally have a good time in Vienna and elsewhere in Europe. There is no regularity here, and mostly, my usual photography series will fill the pages, but this is a new addition to the site. Let’s start with a Japanese place in good old Vienna to continue my Japanese theme, which I followed over the winter (one more series is due!).

Onisando is a pretty fresh endeavor by the guys behind Karma Ramen. Like Japanese noodles, the dish’s roots lie in late 19th-century Japan. In the Meiji restoration period, as historians refer to this time, the country opened up after a prolonged period of reclusiveness and let in foreign influences in culture, religion, and cuisine. As the sandwiches Onisando offers are called, Katsu was probably invented in a restaurant in Tokyo in 1899 called Rengatei. Initially, it was a Japanese version of a European dish – beef or pork cutlet with breadcrumbs. Hence, the Japanese word katsuretsu for cutlet, or just short katsu. Later, customers demanded a takeaway version of the dish, so Tonkatsu was created. Japanese-style cutlets are served with cabbage in a sandwich topped with sauces.

And that’s precisely what you get at Onisando for prices around 7 to 10 Euro for a set with Miso soup and apple. There are a couple of staple sets with meat, vegetarian, and dish options and limited editions, which change around twice a month. I got to try a delicious Matcha dessert, which is still in development and has not yet been finalized (last picture). The general style of the shop is exciting too. It’s pretty minor and cozy and, hence, very Japanese. But the art envisioned by the Polish artist NDZW merges Austrian with Japanese culture by placing Katsu sandwiches in different very Viennese spots – like, for example, the Ferris wheel Riesenrad. Notable are the strict geometric forms you often see in the land of the rising sun.

Onisando is a lovely experience with good food and affordable prices. It is open weekdays from 11:30 to 15:00 at Fleischmarkt 26, 1010 Vienna. For more info, please visit https://www.onisando.at. Thanks for inviting @kju_rose and me in.