Any globetrotter passing through Vienna would be remiss if schnitzel, kaiserschmarrn and sachertorte weren’t the first delicacies to land on their plate. In episode six of High Performance Chef, we travel to the Austrian capital together with the MICHELIN guide.
Enveloped by the delightful aromas of the Naschmarkt on a balmy summer evening, we take a short walk away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist hot spot and toward the outskirts of Leopoldstadt, the city's 2nd district. Things are noticeably quieter here. After winding through romantic alleys flanked by Gothic buildings, we arrive at the entrance to another culinary revelation. Welcome to Restaurant Konstantin Filippou.
G'spritzte – Viennese wine spritzers – make their way around the terrace in abundance. Guests are immersed in profound conversation as the sun winks through the trellis and bids farewell for the day. For two-star chef Konstantin Filippou, the magic begins a few hours later, in the near silence after the last guest has left, when a new day dawns and the presence of the old one lingers in the air: "I prefer to think about new dishes in a large room between midnight and 2 a.m. Only then do I have complete peace."
Filippou needs such serenity for a very special discovery process. "When I create new dishes, I first think of a taste with which I associate a very particular emotion," he says. "Then it's a matter of translating this feeling into a dish." Good food, he says, should speak to our soul, take us away from our everyday lives – to our fondest memories of childhood or on vacation. But how does he imbue his dishes with such transcendental potential? Two ingredients: patience and passion. "It's impossible to create a perfect dish every week," he says. "A good one, yes. A perfect one, no."
Filippou and his crew need to be 100% convinced of a dish before it's ready to be unveiled before guests. "People want to understand what's going on their plates," Filippou says. "That's the fantastic thing about our cuisine: it speaks for itself without needing further explanation." Each dish is a work of art. Take, for example, the whipped strawberry cream on goat's milk panna cotta served with nut butter ice cream. Diners shouldn't have to worry about which angle to approach their dish in order to get a taste of each and every component. That's the maxim driving Filippou's fine dining.
The chef's perfectionist nature goes hand in hand with his preference for minimalist principles: "In simplicity, you come very close to perfection. Sometimes I feel that simple things and simple cooking are closer to perfection than dishes overburdened by too many elements." His kitchen pares down anything that's excess without reason. The same principle is reflected in the restaurant's interior. Various surfaces enter into a harmonious symbiosis, from wood to glass, all tinted black and ebony. Save for obsidian napkins and a few golden accents, nothing distracts from the real star of the show: the food.
Recipe download
Exclusively for AMG Private Lounge members: download Konstantin Filippou's recipe "Beef marrow with roasted hazelnuts, juniper stock and mushrooms". Have fun in the kitchen!
The dishes themselves reflect the star chef's roots. The son of an Austrian mother and Greek father, Filippou grew up in two worlds of taste: Mediterranean and traditional Austrian. He says there have always been two culinary hearts beating in his chest. Today, he brings the best of both influences together and combines them into something new. "Ever since I was little, I've engaged with different flavors that I was eager to get to know better and learn more about," Filippou says. His creations are a way for guests to vicariously experience his curiosity. It is his personal mission to surprise people's tastes. Part of that includes using unpopular foods, perhaps because they're bitter, and finessing them into their own taste category. Filippou was rewarded with his first MICHELIN star in 2014, a year after opening his restaurant. Since 2018, a second star has adorned the wall next to the main entrance.
Filippou's selection of ingredients is integral to the restaurant's success: "We only use high-quality products from suppliers, some of whom we know personally." For example, wines produced by winemaker Christian Tschida from Illmitz on Lake Neusiedl, one of "many fantastic wine producers from Austria who inspire us a lot," Filippou says.
In day-to-day business, the chef considers himself more of a close observer, managing the vibe of both the kitchen and dining room – two areas that could not be more different and that need to be brought into balance. Windows set into the partitioning wall give guests a clear view of what's happening in the kitchen. They see a perfectly coordinated team that works together almost wordlessly. Everyone has their place and knows exactly what they have to do. Quick, precise movements, everything calculated for maximum efficiency. "I don't like chaos or surprises in the kitchen," Filippou says. "I feel at ease and am satisfied the moment the ball starts rolling and everything runs smoothly."
When Konstantin Filippou talks about his team, he describes it as one big family. That includes the guests. "Every creator needs an audience," he says. "For us, it's our guests. For AMG, it's the drivers. You need an audience. You need feedback. Because without feedback, you cannot grow."
Part of that growth includes opening the bistro "O boufés" right next door in 2015. Not a buffet, per se, but exquisite cuisine à la carte. For the chef, O boufés is like a vacation: "When I'm stressed, I go to the bistro and a switch flips in my head. Things are more relaxed there. It’s where my friends and family come to eat together and have a great time. It always sounds like I like the bistro more than the restaurant but it's not like that. It's just different and keeps me balanced."
Balance and equilibrium are important, as Konstantin Filippou knows all too well. When asked what a perfect day beyond work looks like for the successful chef, he pauses briefly and then answers with his usual broad smile: "On a perfect day, I sit with my family and all my friends at a huge table, with excellent food, with fantastic wine, and we celebrate life together."
