Juan Amador turned a former “Heurigen“ in Vienna into a world-famous three-star address. In his eponymous restaurant AMADOR, however, the German top chef with Spanish roots has recently also been exhibiting his colourful, large-scale abstract oil paintings.

It was a minor sensation when the editors of the Guide Michelin awarded Juan Amador the highest rating in March 2019. AMADOR at Grinzinger Straße 86 in Vienna's 19th district of Döbling thus became Austria's first and to this day only three-star address. For chef Juan Amador, it was already the third three-star award of his cooking career: for eight consecutive years, the exceptional chef defended the coveted three macarons in Germany for his restaurants in Langen and Mannheim before moving to Vienna in 2015.

"WE TORE DOWN THE TAVERN AND TRIPLED THE SIZE OF THE KITCHEN"

Juan Amador came across the almost inconspicuous restaurant in a former wine cellar, which had previously been a “Heuriger”, through his friendship with winemaker Fritz Wieninger. He was not looking for more awards when he opened the restaurant at this location in his new home Vienna in 2016. The 54-year-old recalls the first year after opening: "I came to Vienna for love and initially wanted to take it easy. Less focus on stars and points - that sounded tempting. At the beginning, we even came up with a new concept for us - on the one hand pub cuisine, on the other fine dining". Then things turned out differently than planned: "But I quickly realised that I couldn't get out of my skin. It was simply less fun. When we were awarded two stars at the first attempt in 2017, we went back to our original strengths. We tore down the tavern and tripled the size of the kitchen. Since then, the joy of cooking is definitely back."

The joy of cooking paid off. Personally, the third star was valuable to him above all because it reconfirmed him his passion, Juan Amador told PANGAEA. The top chef only mentioned in passing that the highest rating that Guide Michelin has to award also brought his business success. Anyone who wants to reserve one of the ten tables in his restaurant must do so three to four weeks in advance. It is not only the fresh products used here, but also an extensive collection of prestige champagne as well as a wine cellar with 1,200 items that speaks for the quality. A 24-person team - eight waiters and 14 cooks are responsible for the care of its 45 seats.

© Raphael Plentl

© Inge Prader

© Lukas Kirchgasser

© Amador

© Lukas Kirchgasser

© Amador

© Lukas Kirchgasser

© Amador

JUAN AMADOR - SPANISH CHARACTER MEETS GERMAN VIRTUES

In Amador's kitchen, Spanish character meets German virtues: His colourful dishes are powerful, intense, aromatic. Iced Beurre Blanc, Mieral pigeon or the "leaf frog" with scallop and parsley are classics of his repertoire. Not a quiet pleasure, but a cuisine that demands full attention. At the same time, it impresses with precise craftsmanship and depth of flavour. "Of course, I want what every chef wants: for his own dishes to remain in the guests' memory. To create a taste and an aesthetic that are unmistakable."

Playing with temperatures, textures and cooking states is always part of the game for the German of Catalan-Andalusian origin. But unlike during the heyday of the Spanish avant-garde in the noughties, when Amador, inspired by Ferran Adria, advanced to become the German representative of molecular cuisine, which was in demand at the time, and was awarded three Michelin stars for the first time, he now uses elaborate kitchen techniques more subtly: "It is not the technique but a product of outstanding quality that sets the tone and thus the best preparation. The simpler a dish appears, the more elaborate it usually is. Only, unlike in the past, the technique is well hidden," the three-star chef reveals about the development of his cuisine. Freely following the motto "You have to master the rules in order to break them", Amador's training is based on classical French cuisine. "I studied with Albert Bouley in the early nineties. He opened my eyes and was extremely creative. Before that, cooking was normal," the top chef clarifies when describing the most important posting in his career.

DINING IN THE IMPOSING BRICK CELLAR VAULT

Guests dining in Austria's only three-star restaurant find themselves in the imposing brick cellar vault with a view into the barrel cellar of the Hajszan Neuman winery. Since autumn 2017, a show kitchen in the entrance area of the former tavern has been an additional eye-catching feature of the restaurant. Not only that, but the creative chef also discovered another creative talent in himself when he moved to Vienna: painting.

He already has 150 paintings to his name, and some of the large paintings are exhibited in the AMADOR, which has become his own personal gallery. Time and time again, guests from all over the world not only come to dine in the restaurant but also buy paintings by the artist Amador when they go home. For him, painting is a balance for the mind, says the chef. Others in the restaurant business do sports or spend the night with a good bottle of red wine, neither of which is for him: "I sit down in my studio and paint until four in the morning. Juan Amador compares cooking and painting like this: "If you don't master the basics, you can't dare to experiment". But there is one major difference to cooking: as a painter you don't have to be perfect, says the exceptional chef, who is also renowned as a perfectionist.