Out in Vienna - Sunday, 14 March 1999

This is a horrid pavement cafe, but with the location. You would think that such a busy pedestrian street would be good for people watching, though. As it is, the crowds just scream past in their hundreds looking miserable - as if it wasn't a gorgeous sunny day. Still, at least there are lots of beautiful women walking around today.

Slightly away from the smart centre of town, Aera is a light and spacious cafe-bar that is cool without being pushy or pretentious; more the style of the new places in Berlin. I might just be spending a few hours here this afternoon...

The menu has everything: a good selection of snacks, meals, coffee, wine by the glass and beer. This is not unusual in Vienna. Also, like many other places here, vegetarians are at least as well catered for as in the UK.

The toilet stuck me as slightly bizarre - it was covered in the sort of posters and graffiti that often make cafe/bar toilets interesting but this one was spotlessly clean. Vienna is often like that - what appears to be wild or 'underground' is often rather civilised at heart. I like that.

Oh, and the Illy coffee is gorgeous.

In this smart Italian restaurant with plenty of space and plenty of style the only waiters I don't dislike are the ones I haven't spoken to yet, except for the two who smashed glasses and didn't bother to clear them up, and the one who appears to be unaware that he is not allowed to smoke in a food prep area.

My squid risotto in black ink is interesting and tasty, but seems to have as much butter or cream as it does rice, and so is barely edible. I ordered a green salad to balance it out, and the best they could do is some iceberg lettuce with a few strands of some curly salad. I'm not impressed.