The Church & Eating Well Go Hand In Hand.

A Restaurant guide with a difference.

As per usual, we were gallivanting around the pretty countryside of Burgenland in our chariot laden down with the four of us. And that was before the meal! When in Rome do like the Romans, and when in Burgenland, do like us and go for a picturesque drive.

The one thing about being driven about, is that one tends to get hungry. Yes, it is hard work to take it all in and there comes a point where everyone wants to have a bite to eat. But where to go and what to do?

Well, luckily in most of Europe, Sunday lunch time means a big meal with most places open. We wanted a normal & traditional Gasthof. A place where you get warm food with an Austrian slant.

• Schweinsbraten & Knödel
• Wiener Schnitzel made in a pan
• Kaiserschmarn
• Leber Knödel Suppe etc

Our chariot might be anno last decade and narrowly missing last century, but we had all the mod cons on board. We had Apples galore...iPad & iPhone which could have shown us places where other foodies had gone before. We don't often agree with someone else's opinion about things, so why should we agree about food?

The most exciting part is driving around and suddenly stumbling upon a great find. A treasure hunt for the gastronomic enthusiast. Granted, you could be had and find a dud, but how else can we appreciate a good Gasthof if we don't now and again eat at a bad one?

On Sunday we applied my Dad's principal yet again:

Most good Restaurants are near the local church.

and you know, he was right. We were all amazed ( well, not my Dad ) at how often a Restaurant is within spitting distance of a steeple. In fact we made it a game of spot the church and then the restaurant. Really amazing how that holds true most of the time.

As we have done this before, we didn't stop at the first place but we refined our search by also looking at the scenery. We found a great Restaurant where the food & ambiance were perfect. It isn't a place to eat at daily but one for the odd Sunday lunch or special occasion.

Maybe it is time to throw away the guide books and just follow your nose, instinct and if all else fails, go look for the church. Let me know what great gastronomic treasures you unearth...

Biggi

To get the church and restaurant into the frame, unfortunately you don't get to see the beautiful Burgenland meadows forming a frame for the azure blue skies. As you can see, our troupe was tres hungry...

It's not so easy or polite to take pictures of people eating and thus I took it when we left. But isn't the wood lovely?

A clever picture & frame!

The outside flower boxes on the Gasthof.