Marco Simonis Urban Delights for all Senses

Ever since September 2014, one store has invigorated the Dominikanerbastei and there is no single word to describe Marco Simonis and what he has to offer. He calls it 'urban appetite' – something that turns out to be very true, seeing how I arrived expecting to have a snack, and left with two new lamps for my home.

With a few tables set outside, a picture held in soft, low-key shades of grey and white invites you in. As I enter, an unexpected flood of impressions overwhelms me. The printing office formerly located in this very spot has clearly left its footprints. However, Marco Simonis and his wife Ulli have managed to get all reconstruction work done without an architect, perfectly accentuating the locations unique character while proving their inherent sense for design and trends. The place truly is a perfect scenery to all the little surprises it keeps for its visitors.

Savoury snacks, crisp salads, fresh bread, homemade smoothies, cold cuts, butter and bottled milk – where else can you find that these days? The patissier will charm you with an assortment of classic pies and various other cakes and desserts. I cannot look my fill around here, as I am in constant awe at all of these fresh, authentic products. At first sight, you can tell they only work with high quality ingredients and products.

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You can choose to take a snack home with you or sit at one of the high bar tables and enjoy a bite along with a rhubarb spritz – summer's best! Whether it is a slice of quiche with salad, iced cucumber soup, veal meatballs on couscous or Moroccan-style baked eggplants – it is impossible to pigeonhole Marco Simonis. Depending on what's fresh at the market each day, he thinks up a new menu on a daily basis intuitively.

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The atmosphere is unique in Vienna. I spot large-format pop art by Andreas Reimann as well as photographs by Herbert Lehmann next to shelves filled with bottles of wine, Crémant and Champagne, stacks of jars of marmelade, pesto and countless other delicacies, through to buckets full of fresh flowers! For anyone who values sustainable and direct trade with producers, this is the place to go. The produce comes from an organic farm at the outskirts of the city, the meat from a butcher in Weinviertel. They try to exploit their goods and produce as little waste as possible, “just like back in the days!”, Simonis says. Not only is he the person behind the concept, he is the concept!

I appreciate fine and special foods and can almost never resist Alsatian “cheese pope” Bernard Antony's assortment of cheeses – exclusively available here. Matured to perfection, they basically smile at me from behind the counter begging to be taken home. With that, a demeter-approved 100% rye bread, all natural with only a pinch of salt, a rarity in Vienna! And along with what you buy comes the overwhelming feeling of acquiring natural products of the highest quality – with a gorgeous limited packaging custom-designed by Tobias Hermeling.

Apart from culinary wonders and the exhibited artwork that varies every other month, I get to dive into the mesmerizing world of soaps and scented candles, high-end stationery, whimsical furniture pieces and lamps as well as ceramics, porcelain, glasses and high spirits – among which you'll also find Viennese gin! Whether you are looking to refresh your own home or for an extraordinary gift, you'll find it. I would take everything with me if only I could. I can't even remember how long I've been looking for the perfect desk lamp. One step into the store's atelier and I find it. Ulli suggested to take two of the same kind and it was love at first sight!