THE PLANT PURISTS CAPTIVATING DESTINATIONS FOR ENTIRELY MEATLESS FARE 1 1 TIAN, VIENNA For years now, Tian has been living proof that veggie-focused cuisine can be a fantastic fit for even the most vaunted of culinary consecrations. In the light, airy restaurant with its historic domed ceiling and dark wooden floors, chef Paul Ivić earned himself a Michelin star with dishes such as celery soup with yuzu and miso or Alba truffle pasta with lemon foam. In the meat-loving Austrian capital, this was tantamount to a small revolution. Yet he is hardly a missionary: “I don’t want to convert people, but let them taste and feel how wonderfully diverse flavours can be beyond fish and meat,” says Ivić. He also triumphs with seemingly unpretentious ingredients such as pumpkin: one of his dishes consists of six different heritage varieties, which he prepares with cedar seeds and ginger. With an impressive diversity of vegetables, roots, leaves and blossoms, the young team easily manages to maintain the dramaturgical tension across the entire tasting menu. The chef’s commitment to biodynamic agriculture is at the top of his mind: “We need the traditional knowledge of the farmers – we want to bring that back into our kitchen … I want to prepare vegetarian food in a way that makes the taste buds vibrate and the senses go haywire.” 50
