Beloved Filipino dishes Sisig, Turon, and other Pinoy food classics are on the menu of Hotel am Brillantengrund, a 300-year-old Austrian hotel in the 7th district of Vienna.
The Breakfast & Brunch Restaurant of the Austrian Hotel Resort, next to Mariahilferstrasse between the museum district and Westbahnhof, is run by the family of Filipino-Austrian Marvin Mangilong.
Marvin Mangilong, together with his mother Precy, runs the Filipino restaurant that serves Filipino cuisine. The 71-year-old Filipino mom rules the kitchen and protects her invented recipes like a state secret.
The mother and son tandem designed the menu of the restaurant with an introduction of “What really is Filipino cuisine?” and explains its Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, and American influences.
“On Brilliantengrund you can indulge yourself in Vienna’s only Filipino specialty restaurant. Cooking is done here by Mama Mangalino, who freshly prepares her secret family recipes with love every day,” says the hotel restaurant blurb.
The Pinoy menu includes famous Filipino dishes such as the Chicken Adobo, touted as the closest thing to a national food in the Philippines.
The Bistek Tagalog has been hailed on Instagram, with user @pun_sunkonthaman saying it’s. “The best!!!”.
There is Bicol Express, Sisig Bangus, and the Sinigang is described as the “Philippines version of Tafelspitz with Tamarind”.
Also on the menu are Arroz Caldo, Pesto with fried bangus fish fillet, Pancit Malabon, Hipon, Fish Pinalutong, Marvin’s Bulgogi, and Tokwa.
Merienda snacks such as the Siopaolino had Instagram user @haazzlack commenting, “and it’s so good”. In the selection are Lumpia, Tamban, Chicken Popcorn, and Tofu Popcorn.
For those who are vegan and are going vegan, they also serve vegan siopao, monggo guisado, melon gazpacho & brillisalad with popcorn seitan in papaya-dressing, vegan pinoy arabiata: sisig and soya granulat, Brilli Salat, Avocado Mango Salad.
“In addition to meat and fish dishes, the Filipino cuisine offers a rich selection of vegetarian and vegan delicacies, for example with organic tofu or mom’s homemade seitan”.
They also serve Pinoy desserts Ube Cheesecake, Sago, Cassava Cake, and Moe’s Brownie.
The 3-centuries-old Hotel am Brillantengrund bears the influence of the Art Period’s Biedermeier Style. Marvin added vintage furnitures based on his love for art and homage for his Filipino roots. Hotel am Brillantengrund functions as a place for the creative and artistic people.
The owners posted on their official Facebook page, “There’s no real concept behind it all. By hanging out together, things happen. The Hotel am Brillantengrund happens. It’s hard to describe, but you feel it the moment you walk through the door; an atmosphere, a feeling of spontaneity, that makes this place different from anywhere you’ve ever been.”
The Austrian hotel has received positive reviews from customers, among them, Facebook user Miriam Tamang Ventura who wrote on the reviews, “had a lovely dinner and we even had the chance to eat and chat with the owner, and their chef Alex. Family-friendly · Romantic atmosphere · Great hotel bar”.
Another Facebook user, Anna Blume, also recommended the hotel and posted “Extremely adorable hotel!”. Carina Roth, wrote a review about the hotel and said, “Definitely my first choice now when recommending a place to stay in Vienna “. Simsi Semmel also wrote a review about the hotel saying, “This hotel is a beautiful example of what can be done when dedicated people put real love and effort in making their guests feel welcomed.”
For Marvin the Hotel am Brillantengrund is “more than just a hotel, a place where it feels like you are home, where creativity and many different ideas meet.”
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SEND cheers in the comments below to Marvin and Precy Mangilong for showcasing Filipino food in Vienna!
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